Quote:
Originally Posted by Jibartik
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So yeah in utopia, or type 2 society? Sure trains. In ours? No.
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You see the same issue crop up over a hundred years ago. European, especially British, railways were able to run higher rates of speed than their American counterparts and could absorb the higher maintenance and still make higher profits due to their regions' higher population densities and shorter routes. During the 1860's for example, at the tail end of the wrought iron rail era, the Midland commonly was re-tracking itself twice a decade on its heavier-trafficked routes and yet it was one of the world's most profitable corporations. That kind of expense would've been ruinous to American railroads.
Air travel has a similar concern: It's great in low-density environments with modest load requirements. It rapidly falls flat on its face when population density gets past a certain point. Give the U.S. long enough that our cities start to look more like Jakarta or Tokyo and I expect rail will warrant a more serious look.
Danth