Two new electric trains are just a drop in the bucket.
  • RangerJosie@sffa.communityEnglish
    1·
    3 months ago

    No. We’re not even on board with trains as a concept outside of the context of heavy freight shipping. The people are. But big oil spends a lot of bribe money to make sure you can’t easily ride a train across the country.

  • TheBest@midwest.socialEnglish
    1·
    3 months ago

    "India is on the cusp of electrifying 100 percent of its rail lines, while China is nearing three-quarters of its network. Over 57 percent of the rail system in the European Union is electric. The US, which has historically prioritized personal cars over high-volume passenger trains, now can boast that it has two electric trains — and more on the way. "

    • jordanlund@lemmy.worldEnglish
      0·
      3 months ago

      They must not be counting light rail which is electric.

      https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_rail_in_the_United_States

      "The United States, with its 27 systems (as counted by the Light Rail Transit Association), has a much larger number of “true” light rail systems (not including streetcar systems), by far, compared to any other country in the world (the next largest are Germany with 10 and Japan with 9).[1]

      According to the American Public Transportation Association, of the roughly 30 cities with light rail systems in the United States, the light rail systems in six of them (Boston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Portland (Oregon), San Diego, and San Francisco) achieve more than 30 million unlinked passenger transits per year.[2]"

      The problem with light rail here is excessive heat makes the overhead wire expand and when that happens, it sags causing the trains to have to slow down. :(

      In the winter, the problem is snow and ice blocking the lines and the switches.

  • ProxyZeus@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    3 months ago

    I can’t wait for the US to finally have decent public transport, I hate having to drive for everything

    • Prison Mike@links.hackliberty.orgEnglish
      1·
      3 months ago

      I’m always conflicted because I happen to have an LA Metro train close to me, but riding it is always scary because there are violent people, tweakers, creeps everywhere.

      When I was in Mexico City recently the trains there weren’t as pretty and they were packed with people, but I didn’t see people tweaking out left and right (or at all). I actually very much enjoyed using their transit system.