Quick first comment, It was Warren Buffet’s company Berkshire Hathaway that bought BNSF and you can bet that that purchase made more people take notice than anything the Whitehouse did in terms of interest in trains. Next, a brief comment on the Commie Socialist interstate highway system. While it is true that government regulation over the entire 20th century certainly did impact the private railroad companies significantly, there is one little fact that opponents of federal subsidies always seem to forget. It was the Federal Government that made train travel possible. It was Abraham Lincoln that gave away land and money so that the transcontinental railroad could be built. The reason rail travel used to be fast and cheap and still profitable was because the federal government paid the railroads to move the mail on those trains. Passenger trains never paid for themselves as so many blinkard idiots in Washington (and I suppose mainstreet) want them to. It was the Government through the mail contract that made 90MPH passenger trains possible and when the government moved that business to planes and trucks, the Railroad passenger business became a complete money loser. So when a Politician or person on the street tries to tell you that Railroads need to pay their own way like they used to, you can remind them that they never did pay their own way. The US government made it all possible and then remind them how well subsidized the Highway and Airport system is. Having said all that, Perhaps I’ve been spoiled. for the past decade I’ve been living in either Southern California or the Portland Or Metro area and let me tell you, there is no lack of interest in trains in either location. Before they ended it, the Fullerton Railroad days was heavily attended as were the festivities at last year’s national train day. California has become a commuter rail leader and their LR and Transit is catching up. They have an active commuter base and interest in trains is wide spread. And Portl
Every now and then here in Michigan and especially in the Saginaw, Flint, Pontiac and Detroit corridor there is talk about high speed rail. The discussion has started again and, of course, no one knows if anything will ever be done. I think these kinds of discussions do translate into a renewed interest in railroads and as the price of air travel and gasoline goes up, rail travel might very well benefit. My brother travels by train every where he goes - not because he has a fear of flying, it is just his preferred mode of travel. I have to confess I am very tempted to board a train and head out somewhere this summer. Perhaps I am another potential convert.
On another front, I think it is a little unfortunate that the History Channel dumped the program Extreme Trains. Despite what anyone may have thought about the host, I found it a fascinating program and it could have done much to elevate people’s knowledge about this vital link in our transportation industry.