I am lucky to live in the Northeast, at least when it comes to trains. We’ve got the only “high speed” rail service in the country, and I can hop a train to just about anywhere in between Boston and Washington D.C. It is cheaper and less aggravating than driving during rush hour, though it isn’t what I’d call a smooth ride.
But that hasn’t stopped riders from taking to the rails in increasing numbers. Amtrak posted an overall 4.3% increase in ridership for the first half of their fiscal year in 2010, and they say they are on the path to beating their annual ridership record. One of the biggest jumps was seen on the Acela “high speed” rail service, which posted a 14% jump in ridership. Are Americans ready to take back to the rails en masse?