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this post was submitted on 07 Jan 2025
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Nah. 9 VIA rail lines nationwide compared with 44 Amtrak lines. 7800 miles of trackage in Canada vs 21400 miles with Amtrak.
If you've ever ridden Amtrak, you probably know what the big problem is: most rail lines in the US give extreme priority to freight, and the freight operators basically own all the track. As a result, Amtrak is constantly late -- sometimes very late, since it needs to wait for freight to do its thing.
Couple that with Amtrak rates being sky high, plus the fact that it's extremely slow even without the freight waiting, and it's a much deeper story than how much track exists.
Riding on VIA is incredibly expensive, on occasion 3-4 times the price of a flight. Incredibly inconvenient, checked luggage and weighed carry-on and all that jazz, despite being a literal railway. Incredibly slow, it's faster to drive to Toronto from Vancouver. VIA is absolutely awful and I will never ride it again until it's fixed. On the other hand, AmTrak from Vancouver to Seattle is not awful. Both are miserable on a world stage but it's like putting the bottom two against each other.
That does make sense.
Related to my original comment, I've been on a Japanese Shinkansen many times. It is a shockingly different experience. Comfortable, clean, no fuss, and relatively inexpensive. From Tokyo to Kyoto in about 2 hours (roughly 450km distance).
Once you leave the high speed train, you're greeted by a subway system also second to none. Get virtually anywhere you need to in the city without the need for a car. A 45 minute ride tends to be $3-4.
Even in cities with relatively limited subway systems (limited for Japan -- still extensive in many comparisons), like Kyoto, the bussing system is actually fantastic. Equally clean, and you can even use the same touch card you use for rail.
European trains are pretty great too. Maybe not as nice as Japan, but e.g. the German ICE is pretty clean and also affordable. Sure, DB is famous for being late too, but not Amtrak levels of late.
I guess that was just a ramble. All to say: what wonderful things our "modern" countries could do if we didn't idolize fighting amongst ourselves.
I salivate at the thought of an efficient and effective transit system that I could use every day. I love driving, so I would still own a car. But to have the freedom to not have to drive everywhere would be amazing. I haven't had the opportunity to ride the Shinkansen yet, or visit Amsterdam and see Europe's transit myself, but I intend to visit more countries once I'm able to save up a little.