Check out this map of Detroit's electric rail system in 1915

[marmar]

from Detroit Metro Times:


Check out this map of Detroit's electric rail system in 1915
Posted By Michael Jackman on Thu, Oct 8, 2015 at 3:12 pm




In 2015, we're all very excited about our 3.3-mile streetcar line, since electric rail is largely regarded as one of the biggest boosts you can give to urban development these days. Crews have been hard at work for almost two years now. They now say they'll be ready for passengers in 2017.

But did you know that, in 1915, the Detroit United Railways operated one of the largest regional electric rail systems in the world right here? It had more than 800 miles of track, more than 200 of them in the city limits of Detroit, where one fare would get you across town, and 600 miles in the high-speed interurban lines.The enterprise was valued at almost $50 million. In today's money, that's more than $1.1 billion.

Of course, after dismantling all our electric track more than 50 years ago, we have to build it all up again. And judging by the fact that it's taken M-1 rail about one year to build each mile of track, we'll be all caught up with 100 years ago by ... 2855.

http://www.metrotimes.com/Blogs/archives/2015/10/08/check-out-this-map-of-detroits-electric-rail-system-in-1915

[Hortensis]

1. Conservative ideology is obstructing the development of passenger trains.

We have not been investing in these, and many other large, advanced projects, because many right-wingers see them as symbols of strong, and even centralized government. This includes, by the way, most or all of those running for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination.

It's an ideological thing that runs from moderate conservatives clear on over that cliff the wingers are falling off on the far right: "Small government." "Lower taxes." "Why should I pay my hard-earned money for people who refuse to work to ride on trains?" "Trains are part of the UN Agenda 21 conspiracy to take over our country." "I know people who have seen train cars taking people to FEMA concentration camps."

The Kochs-et-ilk and right-wing media have pushing this knuckledragging paranoia hard for decades now. It's not just Nashville bus system that the Kochs have been trying to quash by a long shot. A lot has been written about this.

BTW, google "American Policy Center" "Agenda 21" "Americans for Prosperty" for links to the Kochs. "Sustainable development" will take the same path -- the Kochs have been systematically battling development of global warming policy for decades by turning conspiracy theorists on it.