Coming from a state filled to the brim with car-centric infrastructure and decrepit ruins of old railway tracks on the side of mountain roads, I viewed a seven-hour train ride from Charlottesville to New York’s Penn Station as a Tolkien-esque adventure, where a deviation from the highways offered a chance to turn to the past. The Amtrak offered me time to relax instead of worrying about catching a flight or beating traffic. With the time I could’ve spent driving, I instead got to read a novel and plan out how I would spend my time in New York. But to many, completing this trip via train sounds like a nightmare.
Trains, once the backbone of the American economy, have been forgotten. The United States, a nation that once prided itself on its avant-garde railways, has largely abandoned this efficient and sustainable mode of transportation in favor of highways. The questions are, why and how? More importantly, can the United States turn back to trains as a primary mode of transportation in the twenty-first century?
In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the United States became a powerhouse of railway transportation before ditching trains for cars, aviation, and space exploration and never looking back. Europe’s railways continue to thrive on the other side of the Atlantic. Given the rise of American manufacturing and industrialism, it was evident that cars would be produced in larger volumes and have higher demands than in Europe.
Despite their resignation to the shadows in contemporary American transportation, trains played a pivotal role in shaping the United States during and after the Civil War. Railroads were a crucial asset for the Union, enabling the rapid movement of troops and supplies across hundreds of miles. Soon after the Civil War, construction of the first transcontinental railroad began. As the nation was at the precipice of vast territorial expansion, the Union Pacific Railroad Company started building from the east, while the Central Pacific began from the west.
To this day, the United States has the most railway tracks in the world, but they are not for passenger use. In the twenty-first century, railways are used for freight transportation, primarily of raw goods like coal or wood. Trains are where the U.S. has fallen behind the rest of the world. Instead, the country favors highways. This shift started with President Eisenhower’s interest in efficiently transporting troops and evacuating cities in case of a nuclear attack. Then, the postwar baby boom and increased suburban living called for a more modern form of travel—hence, cars.
Outside of the Northeastern states—particularly New York, Massachusetts, and Philadelphia—and the DC metro area, the United States has a different population density than Europe. Cost-efficient, punctual, and fast transportation isn’t paramount to a metropolis’s success in the same way. In London, one of the busiest cities in the world, my Tube trip from Trafalgar Square to Portobello Market was less stressful than a commute to Dunkin’ in my home state of Colorado—a trip done in a car. Centrally located and easy to reach, the Tube let me relax and know I’d reach my destination without worrying about getting there. Despite high population density, this convenience proves that trains, by design, prioritize efficiency and accessibility with minimal effort for the traveler–unlike cars, which contribute to traffic blockage and pollution.
In contrast, highways require constant maintenance, and the US’s growing population demands more land and roads to accommodate the growing number of drivers. Despite this continuous innovation, many American roads and highways are still inefficient and congested. In cities whose modern infrastructure was built around its railway networks, trains are more accessible to all people. They are also more cost-efficient, better at transporting goods, less likely to break down under strain, and more fuel-efficient. This innovation would leave more room for natural land instead of a six-lane highway, which somehow never solves traffic jams.
Due to decades of car-centric infrastructure, America’s cultural attachment to driving, and limited federal investment in rail systems that have entrenched highways as the backbone of American transportation, it’s unlikely that the United States will ever rekindle its lost love with the railways. However, embracing trains as a primary mode of transportation could address environmental concerns and urban challenges, creating a future that balances development with conservation. Geographically larger and more populated states like Texas and California have embarked on projects to bring bullet trains to urban areas, like connecting Los Angeles to San Francisco and Dallas to Houston. These high-speed railways would be a step in the right direction by offering an alternative to highways.
The most significant difficulty would be convincing people to leave their cars behind for the railways. Cars represent independence, whether through getting a driver’s license or being gifted a car for a milestone birthday. Trains don’t have the same allure. Additionally, cars can take people places trains can’t, such as more remote destinations, and offer a more time-conscious option than trains by not having to conform to a specific schedule. A higher demand for extensive railways would call for a complete restructuring of transportation infrastructure. By framing trains as a partial solution to the growing climate crisis and deteriorating road conditions, America could reimagine its relationship with local and cross-country transportation by prioritizing efficiency and sustainability over individual convenience.
Although utilizing railways may not drastically change the tides of history the way it would have 160 years ago, it would contribute to cutting emissions in half, decreasing the gas demand, and calling for fewer individual trips. In turning back to trains, we can reconnect with our roots and have more peaceful commutes.
The opinions expressed within this piece represent the views of the author alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Jefferson Independent.
Yes! Restore the tradition of the American railway!