Quote Originally Posted by Plutonic Panda View Post
Transportation is a necessity and should be built for the greater good, not for profit. I wouldn’t call Heartland Flyers ridership pitful given the circumstances. Obviously it doesn’t touch NE corridor lines numbers. A broader system would put more riders on.

Alternative transportation options open up new opportunities for the state.
Since 2013, ridership has continued to slide and was off 20% through 2019. I'm not aware of any new opportunities that have been created by it. Please tell me what has been created or is even being proposed.

Don't get me wrong. I use the trains extensively in the northeast from Boston to Washington DC. I use them extensively in Europe. Would love to have those kind of trains and schedules, but we don't have the same kind of population dispersion and cultural propensity. Plus, in those places there is a historic population dispersement that is only now occurring in many parts of the US.