Traffic vs. Trains

We drove up North on Friday, and as usual there was a traffic jam from Olympia to Kirkland, and I wondered how The United States lost its way.  Thousands of cars with relatively few passengers.  In Europe few would ever consider driving their cars very far out of town.  Trains are the normal mode of travel.  Generally everywhere you need to go is on a rail line.

Any time we asked about which train to catch, it seemed that everyone had apps on their phones that could adderss any question we had.  The trains were fast and comfortable.  They are the main part of the European infrastructure.

When you mention trains to an American they discount the entire rail process.  But few people I know have ridden on any sort of train in ages.  Yes, we could have taken a train to Seattle, but once there there were few other options to get where we wanted to go.  Portland has a great light rail system, so if you were coming to Portland your transportations needs could be easily met.

Why doesn't the US value the rails as part of its infrastructure?  Where is our money going instead?  What I see is that the US is supporting oil companies and is in too deep with it defense budget to even attempt to think sensibly like Europeans to lessen the burdens of its citizens.