The American transportation infrastructure is poor, and as, I stated before, individual energy consumption and the risk of climate change are being hedged against the creation of carbon-free automobile technology.  Yet it seems there is so much continued hostility towards improving train travel in the U.S.  I must admit that I personally don’t get it.  Taking the train is so much more comfortable and easy than a plane or driving a car, except that the tracks and/or train cars are in poor shape so travel times are too long.  Trains cost money, but so do highways.  And trains are more environmentally friendly than cars or planes.  So I applaud efforts to improve train travel in the U.S. since I view it as a savvy long-term investment in terms of the environment and the econony; unlike others who view train infrastructure as a short-term economic waste.  This has been the debate in Wisconsin for some time about having high-speed rail between Milwaukee and Madison.  Now it seems the Democratic governor is pulling out all the stops to make sure the line gets built.  See here.  And while I’m at it, the Vermonter needs to go faster so I can get from Montpelier to NYC in less time.  Here’s hoping.

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