Originally Posted by
Mobile 155
We all know the answer about why railroads have to make money, they tend to be private and have to answer to stock holders. Freight is a lot easier to move and freight is where the money is for railroads. A freight car can be loaded on a spur and picked up when it is ready. Passenger rail has to run on a regular schedule and make the trip full or empty. The rails like roads don't have to make money the trains and rail cars have to make money because the expenditure is higher than passenger cars. Passenger rail failed all by itself years ago in the US. It was simply cheaper and faster to fly or easier and more direct to drive.
But the public funding of transportation is a choice that was made by governments and private corporations. In different times, different choices were made.
Cars and trains can
both efficiently move people and goods across the country. They are
both very good modes of transportation. Which mode is "better" depends on financial inputs from public and private sources. If more money is spent on railroads, they will be better. If more money is spent on highways, they will be better.
This fact is well demonstrated in American history. Rail was king in the 19th century when it was heavily subsidized by governments; publicly funded highways reigned in the 20th century. It remains to be seen what mode will rule the 21st century, but that will probably depend on choices made by governments and corporations.