When did trains lose popularity?

Between 1945 and 1964, non-commuter rail passenger travel declined an incredible 84 percent, as just about every American who could afford it climbed into his or her own automobile, relishing the independence. What changed was not just the way Americans traveled, but also the way they worked, shopped, and played.



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Between an 18-year span following the year after World War II, 1946, passenger traffic declined from 770 million to 298 million by 1964. By the 1950s total industry losses on passenger rail service was over $700 million. Commuter trains declined by 80% from over 2,500 in the mid-1950s to under 500 by the late 1960s.

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By 1978, the rail share of intercity freight had fallen to 35%. Between 1970 and 1979, the rail industry's return on investment never exceeded 2.9% and averaged just 2.0%. The rate of return had been falling for decades: it averaged 4.1% in the 1940s, 3.7% in the 1950s, and 2.8% in the 1960s.

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From a macro view, the 1950s were a struggle; aside from declining passenger business, a recession and improved highways (including signage of the Interstate Highway Act) heavily eroded the industry's traffic base.

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While the US was a passenger train pioneer in the 19th century, after WWII, railways began to decline. The auto industry was booming, and Americans bought cars and houses in suburbs without rail connections. Highways (as well as aviation) became the focus of infrastructure spending, at the expense of rail.

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The 1940s and 1950s were referred to as the Golden Age of passenger trains. Every day, trains left the tracks as regular as clockwork. People hustled on and off to daily commutes or for longer stays.

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Railroads took off in the United States because cars and airplanes hadn't been invented yet! Trains served as the most important mode of transportation during a period of time called “The Golden Age” of railroads, which lasted from the 1880s until the 1920s.

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Why are delays so bad in 2023? The reliability of rail services across Britain has been affected by a series of issues, including infrastructure failures and strikes by staff.

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The root of the railroads' trouble is that they were ordered to spend more in increased wages than they were able to earn from increased rates. Consequently, net income for 1920 well-nigh disappeared.

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The “golden age” of rail travel in America was the period between 1900 and the late 1940's. During those years, most travel was done by train and some of it in luxury.

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Railfan & Railroad stated in 2022 that the only places on earth to see steam locomotives in revenue freight service are small switching operations in China, North Korea and Bosnia, but that these were sporadic at best. Tourist locomotives are still in regular use.

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The all too easy answer is to blame the unions. Obstructing changes in working practices (driverless and guard-free trains, drone usage in place of manual track inspections), insisting on following antiquated rulebooks dependent on overtime and going on strike – these are all laid at the door of the unions.

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In 1970 Congress created a government corporation, Amtrak, to take over operation of Penn Central passenger lines and selected inter-city passenger services from other private railroads, under the Rail Passenger Service Act. Amtrak began operations in 1971.

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The volume of water expands as it turns to steam inside the boiler, creating a high pressure. The expansion of steam pushes the pistons that connect to the driving wheels that operate the locomotive. Coal or oil are the fuels used for heating the water (coal is shown in the diagram).

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On 6 October 1866, brothers John and Simeon Reno staged what is generally believed to be the first train robbery in American history. Their take was $13,000 from an Ohio and Mississippi railroad train in Jackson County, Indiana.

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