More Proof Trains Have Won

Gen Y has decided: trains, not cars. The latest news is zany, fun, controversial. Bottom line: it's more evidence that trains have won.

The BBC has a story reporting that a company wants to put audio ads embedded in train windows. Only someone putting her or his head against the train window could hear the ad.

The technology is not being met with universal approval, of course.  But whether train window ads will become reality is not the point. The point is that business, from McDonald's to Siemens, is putting its resources and future with trains, not cars. 

To underscore the point, there's a futile desperate ad above the BBC train story for a car, pleading with Gen Y to turn back to cars.  Turn back they will not. 

Comments

[D. P. Lubic]

Maybe "trains have won," but I wish I could be sure; check out the long list of critical comments following this editorial by Yonah Freemark:

http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/26/opinion/freemark-high-speed-trains/index.html

I will say one thing--it might be positive there is that large number of comments. That says this subject has high visibility and interest. That might not have been true a few years ago.

[D. P. Lubic]

Pfffft!! When are we going to get real trains in this country?

As it is, we still have a damned hard fight for them:

http://www.voicesonthesquare.com/essays/2013/07/14/sunday-train-why-does-congressman-mica-lie-about-amtrak

http://dc.streetsblog.org/2013/07/09/amtrak-foe-mica-meets-his-match-in-john-robert-smith/

We even have supposedly "green" bicycle advocates who want to rip out an existing and operational heritage railroad for a riding trail:

http://www.dailyfreeman.com/articles/2013/06/12/news/doc51b8d5dbbe113062434352.txt

http://www.dailyfreeman.com/articles/2013/06/18/news/doc51c039aba57d7930062383.txt

http://dailyfreeman.com/articles/2013/06/20/news/doc51c25fd3936ac820559395.txt?source=jBar

An editorial of interest:

http://www.railwayage.com/index.php/blogs/doug-bowen/preservationists-rearview-work-or-future-prep.html#.UbYQ3ExD7U0.email

There are three "studies" on the subject of the rail vs. trail concept. Here they are:

Study by the county:

http://www.ulstercountyny.gov/planning/ucpb/sp/cmrt/plannersmemo_cmrt.pdf

Study by an outside consultant, paid for by a rich guy (one of the founders of Facebook) who has recently bought a house in the area:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/148500624/Rail-Trail-Economic-Impact-Study

What the railroad has to say; do check out the appendixes as well:

http://catskillmtrailroad.com/reports/CMRR_Report-RailWithTrail-MP3-11.pdf

More material. Item of note on the Chuck Schumer story--he's standing on rails that saw a train just a few weeks before for the Christmas season.

http://www.dailyfreeman.com/articles/2013/02/19/news/doc512416913bb20077395557.txt

Have fun searching and reading:

http://dailyfreeman.com/shared-content/search/index.php?search=go&l=20&s=recent&r=&d1=12-1-2000&d2=today&q=catskill+mountain+railroad