this post was submitted on 14 Oct 2026
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What I don't get is why people are okay with all-day drives that could be comfy train rides. Not to mention commute traffic jams of everyone going in the same direction at the same time every workmorning and workevening.
Ive heard maybe a dozen or so people whip out the ol "if everyone at the light hit the gas at the same time, at least 3+ more cars could get through the intersection"
If only there were some way to connect these many single cars into one vehicle... And if only it were cheaper... And faster... And didnt have to stop as often...
I also can’t comprehend all-day drives over all-day trains. If I take a train on my own or with my family, those are (partially) actionable hours. I can read a book, grab a coffee, work on my laptop, draw with my kid. If I go by car, best I can do is a podcast.
Since I don’t own a car, my point of view is also biased by not having to make sense of a large investment. But if you factor is the costs of having the car, gas and tolls… I’d rather go by train. If necessary, I can rent a car at my arrival destination.
If you're just one person a train can be attractive if you have reasonable transportation to and from the station. A car gets really cheap once it's a family of 4. Planes also offer significant time savings for a comparable price.
Because public transit is for poor people/minorities, and if they used it they'd be around a bunch of poor people/minorities.
Then they can't fly less than Leer, a 747 is as "public" as any Amtrak train.
I think this is a big factor. A lot of people are racist, and a lot of people are like pathologically anti-social.
and they see themselves as temporarily embarrassed [m|b|tr]illionaires, right?
Honest answer? Partly because I can operate on my schedule and not the train’s schedule. And the rest of it is getting to have adventures along the way that otherwise would mean getting off the train, finding a bus, taking a long bus ride to the thing, taking a long bus ride back to the train, getting on the train again…
Sometimes I drive to Seattle, sometimes I take the train. There are times when I like the relaxing ‘let someone else get me there’ vibes, but there are times when the train schedule doesn’t work with my schedule, or I want to check stuff out on route, like fun restaurants I’ve read about, cool educational places, silly tourist traps…
I remember seeing a sign for ‘World’s Largest Egg!’ one trip, so I just took that exit and went to find the World’s Largest Egg, because why not?
And another reason is sometimes I just don’t want to be around a lot of people. One crowded train trip up I was treated to a child that felt the best way to pass the time on the 3.5-hour journey was to scream. A lot. It was also a trip where I’d forgotten my headphones. Not fun.
I would love to have public transit where I live that could easily get me to work, without having to take the freeway and deal with traffic. There isn't a train near me which goes to my workplace, sadly.
That seems more like a task for a bus and/or tram network alongside trains, maybe also a taxi (I'd argue there should be a public transit form of taxis to fulfill a hole not covered by existing modes).
Of course, that's not a personal failure, that's a policy failure.
Funny thing, there is a public taxi system where I live. Though the taxi doesn't even go near my place of work. Also, there use to be bus lines going through here, but that disappeared.