But as US airports become too crowded, the Americans are now seriously considering reforming their rail system. And I haven't seen any improvements on this line since privatisation. The French have got the right idea, encouraging public transport and hence keeping mother nature happy. I think the results of the privatisation of British Rail speak for themselves. The privatised rail companies argue over who owns what, who is responsible for it and who should pay for the upkeep.
Fares are higher than ever and services less reliable.
But then again, wondering if you will get there alive does bring some excitement back to rail travel. The theory that privatisation will create competition in something like railways is fundamentally flawed, as only one company runs each line and one company looks after maintenance and signals. Hence, in the natural monopoly where the infrastructure makes it impossible for competition to occur, the only way to ensure anything approaching decent service is public ownership. History has shown us that. I'm in favour of privatisation in most industries but the British example shows that it doesn't work on the railways.