Why the US chose not to have a passenger train system like Europe

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  N-P-R.

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  This is the Indicator from Planet Money.

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  I'm Waylon Wong.

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  And I'm Stephen Misaha.

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  And this is one of my favorite sounds.

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  Chugga-chugga-chugga-chugga-choo-choo!

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  That sounds specifically Waylon.

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  Uh, that...

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  specific train sound is the new Amtrak line between New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama.

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  I got to be on that first train ride this summer and looking out the window, you know,

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  at the sparkling gulf water, the marshlands,

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  I couldn't stop thinking about this nagging question so many Americans have.

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  Why can't we have more trains like this?

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  In other words, why can't the US be like Europe?

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  And it's not just Europe, but also countries like Japan and India.

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  They all have extensive passenger train systems to get from city to city.

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  On today's show, why the US chose not to have the same.

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  And we learned why US railroads could still be worth bragging about.

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  Our conductor into the world of railroads today is Alan Zaremski.

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  He teaches classes on railroad engineering at the University of Delaware.

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