Grownups in large numbers collect model trains and railroad memorabilia, subscribe to railroad magazines, and buy railroad CDs and videos. Our music, from folk to blues to rock and roll, still celebrates Casey Jones, the Midnight Special, and Eric Clapton's train that that kept a-rollin' all night long. Trains frequently serve as metaphors. I rest my case. But the most important thing to remember is that trains have important economic and environmental benefits as well as aesthetic advantages.
Freight trains are up to nine times more efficient than trucks.
Trains can encourage more compact land-use patterns and concentrate economic development around town centers, rather than contributing to urban sprawl, as highways invariably do. Trains can help revitalize old downtown areas that were originally built around rail. By adding a new travel option, rail increases tourism and economic development. Other studies have shown that residential property values go up with access to rail. Given the many benefits of rail, it seems downright irrational to continue to ignore it.