The Decline of the Passenger Train Service in the United States
It has been said that the intercity passenger rail service in the United States has come to a critical juncture basically because of the emergence of the modern transportation systems. With the Amtrak continually punctuated and prompted to create new and imaginative solutions to maintain its services, doubts some still cast doubt on its opportunity to gamble on the competitive realm of Americas transportation system PAGE Arabic MERGEFORMAT 1.
Critics are at one is saying that the classic passenger trains had met their demise and their survival is quite unpredictable. It is written that as every mode of transportation has its own strengths and weaknesses, the passenger trains had its fair share of benefits that may entail their resurgence.
The disintegration of the passenger rail service in the United States dates its beginning at the World War I era in which railroads were losing their monopoly on the intercity transportation. The industry of the train service was not alarmed at first due to the conception that the emergence of the automobiles and buses allowed the railroads to negate money-losing short-haul and branchline operation. Following the advent of highways and jet airliners in the 1950s sidetracked by the blossoming national acceptance of the private automobiles was the doomsday for most of the remaining passenger trains.
In the light of the ongoing pursuit to revive the passenger train service in the United States, this paper aims to provide valuable information on the decline of passenger train service in the country. This research will focus on the prediction that the rise of the automobile in the 20th century causes the decline of railroad service.
This paper will include historical details as well as the contribution of the passenger train service in the United States and then shift the discussion to the impact of the railroads in the country. This research will also discuss how the growth of technology affected the transportation system especially the railroads.
The Use of Train Service in the First Half of 20th Century U.S.
This section will describe the impact the railroads on the country in the first half
of the century. The rise of the railroads and the effects of the World War I and World War II on the railroads during the given period will also be explored.
A. The Rise of the Railroads
It is deemed that the establishment of the American railroad was one of the most important phenomena courtesy of the Industrial Revolution. The formation, construction and the operation of railroads were noteworthy factors in bringing crucial economic, political and social change and transformation to the 50-year old country of America.
It is said that the story behind the development of the railroad was story of the country itself in which both the railroads and the United States grew up together to be able to foster a relationship that turned American from an isolated, post-colonial, rural country to a leading industrial nation.
The start of the 20th century in the United States saw the nation becoming the world leader in the railroad industry not only due to the success of the steel mills in the East but also because of the frontier and steadfast development of America. Following the close of the war with England in 1815, the United States focused their attention from the Atlantic to the domestic problems that came with the flourishing agricultural production, small but expanding factories of eastern cities, and the largely untapped natural resources of the nation which also evidenced the dire need for improvements in transportation.
Soon, the progressive commerce in the Eastern part of the country made a quantum leap during the first half of 1800s as the development of the railroads provided commercial revolution for the flourishing markets of the nation.
It was noted that the Baltimore, the third largest city in the country, had not yet invested in the possibility of the developing railroads until the city realized that it was 200 miles nearer to the frontier than the city of New York and it would be of extreme of advantage for Baltimore to invest in railroad to make it a more competitive city. Railroads were considered to be the major big business in the American scene as the rail network grew to more than 30,000 miles in the decade which cemented the country as the industry leader. The many benefits of the railroads overshadowed the imperfections and technical glitch that came with the innovation. It was recorded that amid the limitations of the American rail network, railroads had furnished the nation during world war with a transportation system far beyond anything made available by earlier forms of internal improvement.
B. The Effects of the World War I and the World War II on the Railroads in the First Half of the 20th Century
The onset of the World War had its impact on the nation as the railroads received a rude awakening in the first World War when it became vivid that the railroad system of the United States was not up to the daunting task of moving unprecedented numbers of passengers and tons of freight, a scenario that led to the establishment of the United States Railroad Administration. The agency was built to standardized the operation of the railroads as well as their equipment and physical needs.
The period between the World War I and World War II saw the substantial increases in the operating efficiency of the railroads being augmented through various improvements in track and by the advances in signaling. Such period saw the establishment of the Centralized Traffic Control which had its own major contribution to the operation of railroads in the country amid the war.
It was recorded in the history that ever since the World War I, American railroads have experienced a general decline. The period following the application of railroad systems down to the World War I, it was believed that there was no other industry that was as much the output of state intervention as the railroads. Wartime took its toll on the railroad industry as it put the nation in crisis. Despite the growth in freight traffic on all modes after the first World War between 1916 and 1957, the overall percentage of that freight hauled by rail dropped from 77 to 46 percent.
Such decline was said to end the golden age of railroading in which the nation reached an all-time high in rail mileage and operations with 254,000 miles of line service. It was noted that the year was near the close of he Progressive Movement, the period of political reform and stringent governmental regulation of the countrys economy which eventually led to the toughness in railroad regulation and the rise of competitive facilities and modes of transportations such as the water and pipeline transports.
After the continuous decline of the railroad system, improvements were still made on the system to make it more appealing than the already blossoming new modes of transportation. But even with the improvements after the 1920s, the railroads failed to recapture the kind of progressive status they used to possess due to tight competition from the automobiles, the bus, long-distance trucking and the airplane.
In the World War II, when the pursuit of gasoline rationing forced citizens to abandon their cars, the increased use of railroads was not enough to recapture the railroads former prosperity. Major traffic losses were felt as the railroads lost freight and passenger business to the better service, rates, and fares being offered by new modes transportation systems. The natural decline of the national rail network service was at less than 213,000 by 1966, with most of the abandonment taking place by year 1930s and 1940s.
Did the railroads want to continue to provide train service for the country or did they become engrossed in the amount of money that could be made from freight service
Based from various observations regarding the politics and history behind the passenger train service, it can be said that the trains were used as milking cow of the government as fares rose and strict regulations were being imposed to the industry. Despite the fact that there were urgent needs for the rail system during the war, it was noted that trains were ill-capacitated to the job and were unable to immediately capture the post-war boom in travel and trade.
As the trains were there to serve its commercial and military purposes, still the railroad system did not receive any help from the government but instead, there was the delay in the production and lesser advertisements for the railroads. Even after the war, the government did not provide the passenger train service any assistance. In fact, it imposed 15 excise tax on tickets meant to discourage wartime civilian train service still in effect, keeping train fares higher than what was needed.
The passenger train service continued its operations with no valuable support and with so many burdens in tow.
Strict government regulations, increasing municipal property taxes, and small towns using such kind of taxes to aid in subsidizing air travel, added to expenses for rail system and stopped its ability to establish improvements in passenger train service. A big number of independent railroad industries made the situation more problematic by competing among them, undercutting each train services ability to strategically compete against the emerging transportation industries.
Bankruptcies, faulty mergers and acquisitions of several railroad companies appeared during the second half of the 20th century because of the decrease in railroad travel, freight and mail service. In the 1970, airlines possessed major portion of passenger rail travel. The establishment of the Amtrak, the national rail passenger system in 1971, were viewed as one of the method of providing some balance to transportation options, reduce the automobile traffic congestion, and to continue the operations of the passenger trains.
The public image of the Amtrak increase during the oil embargo but that increase in ridership was not maintained for long period. The government-operated agency seemed to be not the perfect solution for revitalizing railroad service. It was written that the onset of the new modes of transportation, strict government regulations and rising cost for train service necessitated the use of research and development for high-speed trains particularly the northeast commuter corridors.
With the research progressing sidetracked by the problem on the overloading of the highways and airlines at the end of the 20th century is somehow giving the railroad industry increased incentive for the expansion of the American train service.
The Introduction of the Eisenhower Interstate System
This section will discuss how the U.S. dealt with the need to connect the country from the East Coast to the West coast. This portion will discuss if the Cold War has an impact on Eisenhower in constructing the Interstate System. Also, this section will include details on Eisenhowers push, the Communist threat, and industry lobbying.
A. Eisenhowers need to connect the U.S. with updated roads.
America lives on wheels, and we have to provide the highways to keep America living on wheels and keep the kind and form of life that we want.
George M. Humphrey
Secretary of the Treasury
May 2, 1955
For many decades the, the leaders of the United States highway transport and road construction had debated on the pace, financing and direction of newly built highways, the costly express highways in particular. The development of the Interstate Highway System traces its roots from the critical mind of President Dwight Eisenhower.
It was said that the was noted after the era of the Golden Age and the dawning of the crisis in transportation, leaders of in-state and national road-user associations, farm group executives, as well as county engineers had pursued that more attention should be rendered in road system. This is in line with the increased use of transportation by the Americans which had pressured road officials to develop enough mileage in key areas of the state.
Early in 1954, the leaders and competing groups and President Dwight Eisenhower had rallied for the added attention for high-volume Interstate System. The president had recognized then need for an update interstate structure after he came to know that the existing level of highway construction formed in the Golden Age era had failed to solve the traffic crisis and failed to serve its purpose to become the long-range foundation for economic growth.
Federal and state highway engineers and planners have established a wide network of highways that despite numerous criticisms, boasts some artistic points. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) named the Dwight D. Eisenhower System of Interstate and Defense Highways as one of the Seven Wonders of the United States due to the fact that the Eisenhower Interstate System is meant to mobilize a dream of the national, uninterrupted system of highways. But the development of the intestate highway system was not without the pressure and glitch coming from the opposition parties.
The transition of the interstate highway system from the old two-lane U.S. system to modern interstate had encountered detours which slowed its construction. The local opposition, particularly in urban areas caused massive delays and increased the cost of freeway projects. It was in between January 1953 and early 1954 that Eisenhowers top officials had failed to affirm the essentials of a remodelled highway program, a program that would make the highway sufficient enough for handling traffic upsurge and bolstering the economy.
Prior to the conceptualization of the modern interstate system, the 1960s came to an official end in 1973 with the Arab oil embargo pursued to quadruple oil prices from 3 to 12 a barrel, scenario that led to the disruption of commerce in the United States.
With the doubling of the prices, citizens cut short their driving habits which caused the recession as all unnecessary travel were lessened to be able to save fuel. As the interstate system nears its completion, the shock due to oil embargo was only felt for a short period of time and the actual vehicle mileage, likewise continues to climb which tagged the 1970s as the era wherein highway travel took on a more serious tone.
The development of the Eisenhower Interstate Highway System is considered to be one of the greatest legacies of Eisenhower as the system proved to be the symbol of the blanding of America and its progress. While the highway system is being continuously redefine in accordance to todays transportation needs, the system had its massive impact on railroads.
It was said that the development of the interstate highway system plus the sucker of the Boeing 707 jet airliner having its quick emergence in the 1950s were too much for the railroads as they were undeniably insufficiently glamorous and not fast enough for a society suddenly fascinated with the Space travel, speed, and rocket travels.
The Effects of Buses, Airplanes, and Automobiles to the Railroads
This section will describe how the surge of the new modes of transportation affect the railroad service and will provide description on how the society evolved with technology and have been fascinated with the promise of buses, automobiles, airplanes to life and leisure. This portion will also discuss the growing popularity of automobiles in relation to the decline of the railroad system.
The advent of the 20th century saw the coming of the new modes of transportation particularly the automobiles. Prior to the rise of the automobiles, buses and airplanes, there was a time when the railroads made money through passenger trains both from long-distance and short-distance travels.
Before, passengers cater to freight in the sense that long hauls are where money is generated and the short hauls are done for customer convenience and as feeders and paid for the by the money generate from the long hauls. It was in the 20th century that the revolution in the modes of transportation signalled the demise of the railroad service.
A. Money
It is said that the primary reason why automobiles became popular so quickly was that they freed passengers from the cruel railroad timetables particularly for short-distance trips and because the a long family trip by car usually cost less than travel by railroads. Cars or automobiles had already existed before the Twenties but they were considered as toys for the rich as they were expensive, unreliable and popular across the social circles.
What made the automobiles so influential in the 1920s were their increased availability and dependability. In addition, people wanted freedom to travel quickly at the lowest possible cost. It was through careful scientific management the factory productivity was increased while decreasing cost which in turn made the automobiles more affordable.
B. Schedules.
The popularity of automobiles can be attributed to the freedom that they were able to give to passengers in contrast with the scheduled trips offered by trains. The 1920s was the era in which the society wants to exercise independence through travel and wanted to show no sort of monopoly to come in their way. Automobiles along with the other new modes of transportation addressed the popular want for greater individual control on travel and a sense of independency.
Undoubtedly, the honest appraisal for automobiles was that they render dependency for the owners due to the fact that cars were built and equipped with sophisticated technology which allow the owners to take charge in case of mechanical inconveniences. With the dependability offered by automobiles came the idea of cars as status symbol expressing individual styles.
It was noted that the decline of the passenger train service was due to the scheduling of the trips. It was noted that rail executives had their fare share in the decline of the passenger service because they did not work on the schedules of the trains which is one of the factors why people prefer the automobiles. Rail companies continued to dispatch trains out of the same cities at the same time instead of spacing departures throughout the day on a cooperative basis.
Peoples freedom to travel
With added features of dependability, style, and freedom from scheduled trips, automobiles and other modern transportation systems became the most relevant catalyst for social change during the 1920s as it served to liberate American citizens from restrictive neighbourhood situations and give them the opportunity to expand their horizon from jobs, leisure, education and to all kinds of thrills-all courtesy of cars.
The development of the Eisenhower interstate highway system also contributed to the liberating travel of the citizens as it lets the people explore the city without the hazard of traffic and scheduling. The interstate system allowed the citizens to access the nations vast riches at any time.
D. The cost of automobile operation
The automobiles were created to give the people the freedom and access to all parts of the nation without the hazards of scheduled trips. As it is said that cost was one of the main attributes that eventually led to the decline of passenger trains, it was noteworthy to say that the automobiles operating cost was lesser than that of the trains.
Affordability was the main premise of the automobiles. This notion was explicated based from the conception that since the era of the 1920s was the period of revolution for the transportation system, the scientific management applied by automobiles required the productivity of the vehicles to be increased while decreasing their cost.
The comeback of the railroads sourced out from the infusion of advanced technology borrowed from Western European knowledge. The United States was importing rail technology from Europe mainly because the nation wanted to make use of what was once considered a transportation that was able to render the country the flourishment that it needs. The cautious comeback of the passenger rail service is being engineered by Amtrak, the popular name for the National Railroad Passenger Corporation.
It was reported that the Amtrak project was hardly a clear manifestation of the governments aim to revitalize the railroad industry as the agency was provided with insufficient funds and equipment to the project. It has been said that even with the project to revive the railroad service through the Amtrak initiatives, it was reported that Amtrak failed to attain anything close to the world-class status.
The comeback of the railroads in the later part of the century saw the Amtrak slashing the existing passenger system in half to about 23 miles. Amtrak also decided to cut the train service in half from about 400 runs a day.
This initiative proved to be of help to the staggering status of the railroad system as the measure put a stop to the 25-year decline in the railroad ridership. Despite the lowdown on the services of the agency which was continually being deemed as something that had fallen short of excellent services, it was noted that the Amtrak became a success somehow as the Congress had been willing to give funds to the agency.
The support of the Congress for the Amtrak paved the way for the resurrection of the railroad as it was recorded that during the first quarter of the ridership initiative, the Amtrak had over 400,000 advance reservations compared to 35,000 in the previous estimate. Despite the positive estimate of the Amtrak initiative, critics were at one in saying that the agency was being too dependent on the government that does not put high regard to increased expenditures on the United States railroad system. It has been said that there was a little chance for the passenger train service to be given enough funds for its revival. This notion translates to the fact that funding was the most crucial factor in the real comeback of the railroads.
How did the Automobile Cause the Decline in Passenger Train Service in South Carolina
This chapter will focus on the passenger train service in South Carolina. It will recount the history behind the popularity of the automobiles in the region and will dwell on the impact of the rise of automobiles to the railroad sector. This section will explicate how the automobiles cause the decline of the railroad service in the state and will provide factors that will evidence that decline.
A. Travel by Train vs Travel by Automobiles
The automobile industry in South Carolina is reportedly a thriving and strong business given that the company Michelin has been investing in the region since 1973 as its very first United States production location. The region has its own contribution in the transportation system of the United States as the Southern Railway traces its roots in the South Carolina Canal and Railroad Company which was ran the nations first regularly scheduled steam powered passenger train and was chartered in December 1827 prior to the operation of the wood burning train Best Friend of Charleston.
Known today as the Norfolk Southern Railway Company, the railway transformed into a rail system that was spread over thousands of miles across the southern part of the United States. Given that the region pioneered the use of steam engine trains, the evolution in the transportation system in the United States had provided the state with so much road problems and glitches due to the massive use of the automobiles.
It is written that the widening of the rail network in the state was hindered by wars and the destruction of most of the railroads was blamed to the federal force. The impact and loss of the war, the fall of the Confederate government and the restoration and Federal control over the Southern states set the railroads on a limbo for some five years during which little change was undertaken to the nature and operations of the rail network in South Carolina. The rebuilding of the railroads in South Carolina saw the United States Military Railroad taking over some of the major railways in the region.
The development of the Interstate Highway System sped the decline in the use of the railroads basically because American families favoured the much more convenient and cheaper travel for distances of several hundred miles rather than to take the passenger trains. Also, air travel was robbing the railroads pf long-distance travellers.
It has been recorded that even in a market where passenger trains should have been competitive, business travels of less than 300 miles, the trains were squeezed out by cars and airplanes. The suffering railroads were furiously beaten by the modern modes of the transportation as more and more Americans regard airplanes and automobiles as the preferred mode for business travel. Business travel was crucial for an economically flourishing state like the South Carolina.
Adding to the diminishing industry of railroads, people perceived trains as unreliable, inconvenient and old-fashioned products of technology. The development of the intestate highways had a special and profound impact in shaping American cities as they aim for competitiveness and dominance in various personal and commercial fields. In the later of the twentieth century, South Carolina had become one of the American states to thrive on the promise of interstate highways and modern transportation system.
Scarred by civil wars before, South Carolina is now a thriving state dependent on urban development patterns brought about by the modern transportation systems and had became an automotive state in which several automobile business are located. It was written that after Michelin set up one of its businesses in the state, BMW soon followed when it started manufacturing automobiles in South Carolina. It has been considered that BMWs facility set up in the state was the companys first full manufacturing facility outside Germany. Since then, the German company has continued to invest and expand in the southern part of the United States.
The transportation landscape in South Carolina prompted industries to spread out from one city to another and workers are now able to live farther from their workplaces minus the hazards which the old-fashioned ways of trains bring. The urban interstate highway system accentuated the modernized business trends and lifestyles and also turned the comprehensive urban transportation planning more complicated and difficult.
In this sense, it was believed that the highway planners of the government were aiming at providing steadfast highway system and that they were not grounded on building an integrated transportation system.
With a conflicting idea behind their main mission, highway planners did not try to coordinate their plans concerning the highway system with the current or possible future mass-transit transportation systems. It was a cruel fact that the previous pursuit of the interstate highway system did not foresee its future effects to the growing urban and business sectors.
Today, the people in the state face the stigmatization that the South Carolina highways were included in the list of the deadly roads in the nation considering the fact that the number of car owners in the area is growing at the fastest pace. As the numbers of motorists grow, so are the accidents in the state due to the fact that the majority of the travellers prefer to use the highway system than go by trains. It was estimated that about eighty-five percent of all the crashes appear on both the primary and secondary roads in South Carolina.
In validating the massive use of the automobiles in the state, it has been reported that an average of three people die in the roads of South Carolina everyday. In addition, each motorist in the state spends an average of 265 per annum-791 million statewide for vehicle repairs.
Such scenario was due to the fact that automobile use has eventually led to poor road conditions. It was a noted fact that nearly one-third of the regions primary and interstate highways are not in their excellent condition. In the history of the United States transportation system, it was deemed that the region has the fourth largest state-maintained highway system in the nation which seemingly neglects the efforts to revive railroad transportation system.
B. Cost (Train Vs. Automobiles)
It was recorded in the transportation history of the United States that the train travel in the South Carolina was fraught with perils such as the potholed direct roads, unpredictable ferries, noisy and dirty railroads, and steamship travel plagued with squalls and hurricanes. As it was said that both the railroads and steamships were products of innovations of the 1830s and 1840s, and in there initial years of use the travel through them was frequently hazardous and costly with the government already starting to impose higher fare for the passenger train service.
Today, the passenger service in the United States is alive and well courtesy of the passengers who opted to go the longer way to reach their destination because they are not in a hurry and are not bound to a tight and strict schedule. The cost of passenger service in the nation is about the same as an advance fare airline ticket. It is said that the pricey cost of passenger train travel can be justified in terms of adventure and fun in long travels.
Discounts are available for various train travels and most of the discounts are taken off the rail cost only which is the base price before you add in the sleeper cars and other services. Train travel in South Carolina is not necessarily a bargain especially if such travel to get through to the desired destination. Travel by train also has a lot of perks for passengers as they do not need to tire themselves with searching for parking spaces.
In fact, public transportation such as train travel in the larger areas of South Carolina is a convenient way to get around without a car if travellers want to avoid parking. Reportedly, it is said that the car rentals in the region are becoming more expensive than train rides which is the main reason why there are people favouring the use of train service. It is noted that train fees are somewhat cheaper and often less than the price of gas and train packages are also offered which include discounts on rental cars once the passengers reach their destination.
For the transportation critics, Amtrak still charges too much for its present services, and future operators should aim at lowering prices to maximize ridership. Given this notion, the discussion concerning the potential progress in the use of high-speed rail in the nation is said to be overshadowed by the expensive price of the Amtrak services. It is noted that the tickets are too expensive for the faster operations compared to competing bus and airlines. Cost is basically the reason why few Americans would choose to ride an expensive passenger train when they can get into their automobiles for far less money.
How did the mergers of the shoreline railroads with bigger railroads affect passenger train service throughout the state ( Hauling freight vs. Passenger Trains)
Railroad system turned to mergers to help in promoting the industrys competitive position in relation to the other railroads and trucking companies. By the end of the 90s, major railroads in the nation were on boom times and were struggling to handle the traffic, but the shortlines were prompted with a lack of traffic, and their decisions were to initiate major changes in the 2000s.
The mergers in the railroads system affected the passenger train industry in a sense that without the use of mergers, no amount of regulatory or tax reform could have preserved the railroading private industry. It has been said that railroads are venturing on mergers to be able to build strength. Eliminating competition and increasing density over a lessened track structure are considered to be included in the aims of mergers.
Railroads in the United States are venturing into mergers as such action could permit railroads to do more operations with less track, fewer yards and terminals ad far lesser number of employees. Since 1980, major freight railroads in the nation have increased revenue ton-miles by 50 percent while decreasing route miles by one-third and jobs by two-thirds.
The increased marketing strength of mergers as geographic reach is widened, and the increased operating efficiency of the other kinds of mergers have been of positive impact in most every courses knowing the fact that the mergers aided to boosting rail market share of new automobiles by more than 20 percent to 70 percent and fuelled a three-fold increase in intermodal loadings, reversed a slither into insolvency in the railroad system, and empowered a record investment of some 5 billion per annum in the past years.
But it has been suggested that the mergers have been describing the operation of the modern railroad system. Had several railroads continued competing with each other and with government-aided highways, there were half a dozen railroads competing with each other and trucks for freight in various traffic lanes, no initiatives for regulatory reform or tax abatement would have helped the private-sector railroad industry.
The decline of the passenger train service in the United States was confirmed through the emergence of the new modes of transportation such as the automobiles and airplanes. Strict government regulation, heavier taxes, lack of pure government support, faulty mergers and the impact of wars have been the contributing factors which eventually led to the demise of the passenger train service.
The first and second World War can be considered as the defining moments for the trains as they were being forced to perform heavy functions which they were not ready for such as carrying massive number of passengers. The wartime period in the United States had been a crucial element in measuring up to what extent do the trains will be able to exist knowing that there had already been inklings on the rise of new modes of transportation systems which were being tagged as the refinement of trains.
With improvements being done to be able to level with the new modes of transportation particularly the automobiles, it was noticed that cost and convenience provided by trains were nothing compared with the speed, freedom, dependability and lesser cost offered by automobiles. Although hardly surviving at present, mergers and services provided by the nations passenger train service are on a crucial make-or break stage that can define the future of the trains.
Critics are at one is saying that the classic passenger trains had met their demise and their survival is quite unpredictable. It is written that as every mode of transportation has its own strengths and weaknesses, the passenger trains had its fair share of benefits that may entail their resurgence.
The disintegration of the passenger rail service in the United States dates its beginning at the World War I era in which railroads were losing their monopoly on the intercity transportation. The industry of the train service was not alarmed at first due to the conception that the emergence of the automobiles and buses allowed the railroads to negate money-losing short-haul and branchline operation. Following the advent of highways and jet airliners in the 1950s sidetracked by the blossoming national acceptance of the private automobiles was the doomsday for most of the remaining passenger trains.
In the light of the ongoing pursuit to revive the passenger train service in the United States, this paper aims to provide valuable information on the decline of passenger train service in the country. This research will focus on the prediction that the rise of the automobile in the 20th century causes the decline of railroad service.
This paper will include historical details as well as the contribution of the passenger train service in the United States and then shift the discussion to the impact of the railroads in the country. This research will also discuss how the growth of technology affected the transportation system especially the railroads.
The Use of Train Service in the First Half of 20th Century U.S.
This section will describe the impact the railroads on the country in the first half
of the century. The rise of the railroads and the effects of the World War I and World War II on the railroads during the given period will also be explored.
A. The Rise of the Railroads
It is deemed that the establishment of the American railroad was one of the most important phenomena courtesy of the Industrial Revolution. The formation, construction and the operation of railroads were noteworthy factors in bringing crucial economic, political and social change and transformation to the 50-year old country of America.
It is said that the story behind the development of the railroad was story of the country itself in which both the railroads and the United States grew up together to be able to foster a relationship that turned American from an isolated, post-colonial, rural country to a leading industrial nation.
The start of the 20th century in the United States saw the nation becoming the world leader in the railroad industry not only due to the success of the steel mills in the East but also because of the frontier and steadfast development of America. Following the close of the war with England in 1815, the United States focused their attention from the Atlantic to the domestic problems that came with the flourishing agricultural production, small but expanding factories of eastern cities, and the largely untapped natural resources of the nation which also evidenced the dire need for improvements in transportation.
Soon, the progressive commerce in the Eastern part of the country made a quantum leap during the first half of 1800s as the development of the railroads provided commercial revolution for the flourishing markets of the nation.
It was noted that the Baltimore, the third largest city in the country, had not yet invested in the possibility of the developing railroads until the city realized that it was 200 miles nearer to the frontier than the city of New York and it would be of extreme of advantage for Baltimore to invest in railroad to make it a more competitive city. Railroads were considered to be the major big business in the American scene as the rail network grew to more than 30,000 miles in the decade which cemented the country as the industry leader. The many benefits of the railroads overshadowed the imperfections and technical glitch that came with the innovation. It was recorded that amid the limitations of the American rail network, railroads had furnished the nation during world war with a transportation system far beyond anything made available by earlier forms of internal improvement.
B. The Effects of the World War I and the World War II on the Railroads in the First Half of the 20th Century
The onset of the World War had its impact on the nation as the railroads received a rude awakening in the first World War when it became vivid that the railroad system of the United States was not up to the daunting task of moving unprecedented numbers of passengers and tons of freight, a scenario that led to the establishment of the United States Railroad Administration. The agency was built to standardized the operation of the railroads as well as their equipment and physical needs.
The period between the World War I and World War II saw the substantial increases in the operating efficiency of the railroads being augmented through various improvements in track and by the advances in signaling. Such period saw the establishment of the Centralized Traffic Control which had its own major contribution to the operation of railroads in the country amid the war.
It was recorded in the history that ever since the World War I, American railroads have experienced a general decline. The period following the application of railroad systems down to the World War I, it was believed that there was no other industry that was as much the output of state intervention as the railroads. Wartime took its toll on the railroad industry as it put the nation in crisis. Despite the growth in freight traffic on all modes after the first World War between 1916 and 1957, the overall percentage of that freight hauled by rail dropped from 77 to 46 percent.
Such decline was said to end the golden age of railroading in which the nation reached an all-time high in rail mileage and operations with 254,000 miles of line service. It was noted that the year was near the close of he Progressive Movement, the period of political reform and stringent governmental regulation of the countrys economy which eventually led to the toughness in railroad regulation and the rise of competitive facilities and modes of transportations such as the water and pipeline transports.
After the continuous decline of the railroad system, improvements were still made on the system to make it more appealing than the already blossoming new modes of transportation. But even with the improvements after the 1920s, the railroads failed to recapture the kind of progressive status they used to possess due to tight competition from the automobiles, the bus, long-distance trucking and the airplane.
In the World War II, when the pursuit of gasoline rationing forced citizens to abandon their cars, the increased use of railroads was not enough to recapture the railroads former prosperity. Major traffic losses were felt as the railroads lost freight and passenger business to the better service, rates, and fares being offered by new modes transportation systems. The natural decline of the national rail network service was at less than 213,000 by 1966, with most of the abandonment taking place by year 1930s and 1940s.
Did the railroads want to continue to provide train service for the country or did they become engrossed in the amount of money that could be made from freight service
Based from various observations regarding the politics and history behind the passenger train service, it can be said that the trains were used as milking cow of the government as fares rose and strict regulations were being imposed to the industry. Despite the fact that there were urgent needs for the rail system during the war, it was noted that trains were ill-capacitated to the job and were unable to immediately capture the post-war boom in travel and trade.
As the trains were there to serve its commercial and military purposes, still the railroad system did not receive any help from the government but instead, there was the delay in the production and lesser advertisements for the railroads. Even after the war, the government did not provide the passenger train service any assistance. In fact, it imposed 15 excise tax on tickets meant to discourage wartime civilian train service still in effect, keeping train fares higher than what was needed.
The passenger train service continued its operations with no valuable support and with so many burdens in tow.
Strict government regulations, increasing municipal property taxes, and small towns using such kind of taxes to aid in subsidizing air travel, added to expenses for rail system and stopped its ability to establish improvements in passenger train service. A big number of independent railroad industries made the situation more problematic by competing among them, undercutting each train services ability to strategically compete against the emerging transportation industries.
Bankruptcies, faulty mergers and acquisitions of several railroad companies appeared during the second half of the 20th century because of the decrease in railroad travel, freight and mail service. In the 1970, airlines possessed major portion of passenger rail travel. The establishment of the Amtrak, the national rail passenger system in 1971, were viewed as one of the method of providing some balance to transportation options, reduce the automobile traffic congestion, and to continue the operations of the passenger trains.
The public image of the Amtrak increase during the oil embargo but that increase in ridership was not maintained for long period. The government-operated agency seemed to be not the perfect solution for revitalizing railroad service. It was written that the onset of the new modes of transportation, strict government regulations and rising cost for train service necessitated the use of research and development for high-speed trains particularly the northeast commuter corridors.
With the research progressing sidetracked by the problem on the overloading of the highways and airlines at the end of the 20th century is somehow giving the railroad industry increased incentive for the expansion of the American train service.
The Introduction of the Eisenhower Interstate System
This section will discuss how the U.S. dealt with the need to connect the country from the East Coast to the West coast. This portion will discuss if the Cold War has an impact on Eisenhower in constructing the Interstate System. Also, this section will include details on Eisenhowers push, the Communist threat, and industry lobbying.
A. Eisenhowers need to connect the U.S. with updated roads.
America lives on wheels, and we have to provide the highways to keep America living on wheels and keep the kind and form of life that we want.
George M. Humphrey
Secretary of the Treasury
May 2, 1955
For many decades the, the leaders of the United States highway transport and road construction had debated on the pace, financing and direction of newly built highways, the costly express highways in particular. The development of the Interstate Highway System traces its roots from the critical mind of President Dwight Eisenhower.
It was said that the was noted after the era of the Golden Age and the dawning of the crisis in transportation, leaders of in-state and national road-user associations, farm group executives, as well as county engineers had pursued that more attention should be rendered in road system. This is in line with the increased use of transportation by the Americans which had pressured road officials to develop enough mileage in key areas of the state.
Early in 1954, the leaders and competing groups and President Dwight Eisenhower had rallied for the added attention for high-volume Interstate System. The president had recognized then need for an update interstate structure after he came to know that the existing level of highway construction formed in the Golden Age era had failed to solve the traffic crisis and failed to serve its purpose to become the long-range foundation for economic growth.
Federal and state highway engineers and planners have established a wide network of highways that despite numerous criticisms, boasts some artistic points. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) named the Dwight D. Eisenhower System of Interstate and Defense Highways as one of the Seven Wonders of the United States due to the fact that the Eisenhower Interstate System is meant to mobilize a dream of the national, uninterrupted system of highways. But the development of the intestate highway system was not without the pressure and glitch coming from the opposition parties.
The transition of the interstate highway system from the old two-lane U.S. system to modern interstate had encountered detours which slowed its construction. The local opposition, particularly in urban areas caused massive delays and increased the cost of freeway projects. It was in between January 1953 and early 1954 that Eisenhowers top officials had failed to affirm the essentials of a remodelled highway program, a program that would make the highway sufficient enough for handling traffic upsurge and bolstering the economy.
Prior to the conceptualization of the modern interstate system, the 1960s came to an official end in 1973 with the Arab oil embargo pursued to quadruple oil prices from 3 to 12 a barrel, scenario that led to the disruption of commerce in the United States.
With the doubling of the prices, citizens cut short their driving habits which caused the recession as all unnecessary travel were lessened to be able to save fuel. As the interstate system nears its completion, the shock due to oil embargo was only felt for a short period of time and the actual vehicle mileage, likewise continues to climb which tagged the 1970s as the era wherein highway travel took on a more serious tone.
The development of the Eisenhower Interstate Highway System is considered to be one of the greatest legacies of Eisenhower as the system proved to be the symbol of the blanding of America and its progress. While the highway system is being continuously redefine in accordance to todays transportation needs, the system had its massive impact on railroads.
It was said that the development of the interstate highway system plus the sucker of the Boeing 707 jet airliner having its quick emergence in the 1950s were too much for the railroads as they were undeniably insufficiently glamorous and not fast enough for a society suddenly fascinated with the Space travel, speed, and rocket travels.
The Effects of Buses, Airplanes, and Automobiles to the Railroads
This section will describe how the surge of the new modes of transportation affect the railroad service and will provide description on how the society evolved with technology and have been fascinated with the promise of buses, automobiles, airplanes to life and leisure. This portion will also discuss the growing popularity of automobiles in relation to the decline of the railroad system.
The advent of the 20th century saw the coming of the new modes of transportation particularly the automobiles. Prior to the rise of the automobiles, buses and airplanes, there was a time when the railroads made money through passenger trains both from long-distance and short-distance travels.
Before, passengers cater to freight in the sense that long hauls are where money is generated and the short hauls are done for customer convenience and as feeders and paid for the by the money generate from the long hauls. It was in the 20th century that the revolution in the modes of transportation signalled the demise of the railroad service.
A. Money
It is said that the primary reason why automobiles became popular so quickly was that they freed passengers from the cruel railroad timetables particularly for short-distance trips and because the a long family trip by car usually cost less than travel by railroads. Cars or automobiles had already existed before the Twenties but they were considered as toys for the rich as they were expensive, unreliable and popular across the social circles.
What made the automobiles so influential in the 1920s were their increased availability and dependability. In addition, people wanted freedom to travel quickly at the lowest possible cost. It was through careful scientific management the factory productivity was increased while decreasing cost which in turn made the automobiles more affordable.
B. Schedules.
The popularity of automobiles can be attributed to the freedom that they were able to give to passengers in contrast with the scheduled trips offered by trains. The 1920s was the era in which the society wants to exercise independence through travel and wanted to show no sort of monopoly to come in their way. Automobiles along with the other new modes of transportation addressed the popular want for greater individual control on travel and a sense of independency.
Undoubtedly, the honest appraisal for automobiles was that they render dependency for the owners due to the fact that cars were built and equipped with sophisticated technology which allow the owners to take charge in case of mechanical inconveniences. With the dependability offered by automobiles came the idea of cars as status symbol expressing individual styles.
It was noted that the decline of the passenger train service was due to the scheduling of the trips. It was noted that rail executives had their fare share in the decline of the passenger service because they did not work on the schedules of the trains which is one of the factors why people prefer the automobiles. Rail companies continued to dispatch trains out of the same cities at the same time instead of spacing departures throughout the day on a cooperative basis.
Peoples freedom to travel
With added features of dependability, style, and freedom from scheduled trips, automobiles and other modern transportation systems became the most relevant catalyst for social change during the 1920s as it served to liberate American citizens from restrictive neighbourhood situations and give them the opportunity to expand their horizon from jobs, leisure, education and to all kinds of thrills-all courtesy of cars.
The development of the Eisenhower interstate highway system also contributed to the liberating travel of the citizens as it lets the people explore the city without the hazard of traffic and scheduling. The interstate system allowed the citizens to access the nations vast riches at any time.
D. The cost of automobile operation
The automobiles were created to give the people the freedom and access to all parts of the nation without the hazards of scheduled trips. As it is said that cost was one of the main attributes that eventually led to the decline of passenger trains, it was noteworthy to say that the automobiles operating cost was lesser than that of the trains.
Affordability was the main premise of the automobiles. This notion was explicated based from the conception that since the era of the 1920s was the period of revolution for the transportation system, the scientific management applied by automobiles required the productivity of the vehicles to be increased while decreasing their cost.
The comeback of the railroads sourced out from the infusion of advanced technology borrowed from Western European knowledge. The United States was importing rail technology from Europe mainly because the nation wanted to make use of what was once considered a transportation that was able to render the country the flourishment that it needs. The cautious comeback of the passenger rail service is being engineered by Amtrak, the popular name for the National Railroad Passenger Corporation.
It was reported that the Amtrak project was hardly a clear manifestation of the governments aim to revitalize the railroad industry as the agency was provided with insufficient funds and equipment to the project. It has been said that even with the project to revive the railroad service through the Amtrak initiatives, it was reported that Amtrak failed to attain anything close to the world-class status.
The comeback of the railroads in the later part of the century saw the Amtrak slashing the existing passenger system in half to about 23 miles. Amtrak also decided to cut the train service in half from about 400 runs a day.
This initiative proved to be of help to the staggering status of the railroad system as the measure put a stop to the 25-year decline in the railroad ridership. Despite the lowdown on the services of the agency which was continually being deemed as something that had fallen short of excellent services, it was noted that the Amtrak became a success somehow as the Congress had been willing to give funds to the agency.
The support of the Congress for the Amtrak paved the way for the resurrection of the railroad as it was recorded that during the first quarter of the ridership initiative, the Amtrak had over 400,000 advance reservations compared to 35,000 in the previous estimate. Despite the positive estimate of the Amtrak initiative, critics were at one in saying that the agency was being too dependent on the government that does not put high regard to increased expenditures on the United States railroad system. It has been said that there was a little chance for the passenger train service to be given enough funds for its revival. This notion translates to the fact that funding was the most crucial factor in the real comeback of the railroads.
How did the Automobile Cause the Decline in Passenger Train Service in South Carolina
This chapter will focus on the passenger train service in South Carolina. It will recount the history behind the popularity of the automobiles in the region and will dwell on the impact of the rise of automobiles to the railroad sector. This section will explicate how the automobiles cause the decline of the railroad service in the state and will provide factors that will evidence that decline.
A. Travel by Train vs Travel by Automobiles
The automobile industry in South Carolina is reportedly a thriving and strong business given that the company Michelin has been investing in the region since 1973 as its very first United States production location. The region has its own contribution in the transportation system of the United States as the Southern Railway traces its roots in the South Carolina Canal and Railroad Company which was ran the nations first regularly scheduled steam powered passenger train and was chartered in December 1827 prior to the operation of the wood burning train Best Friend of Charleston.
Known today as the Norfolk Southern Railway Company, the railway transformed into a rail system that was spread over thousands of miles across the southern part of the United States. Given that the region pioneered the use of steam engine trains, the evolution in the transportation system in the United States had provided the state with so much road problems and glitches due to the massive use of the automobiles.
It is written that the widening of the rail network in the state was hindered by wars and the destruction of most of the railroads was blamed to the federal force. The impact and loss of the war, the fall of the Confederate government and the restoration and Federal control over the Southern states set the railroads on a limbo for some five years during which little change was undertaken to the nature and operations of the rail network in South Carolina. The rebuilding of the railroads in South Carolina saw the United States Military Railroad taking over some of the major railways in the region.
The development of the Interstate Highway System sped the decline in the use of the railroads basically because American families favoured the much more convenient and cheaper travel for distances of several hundred miles rather than to take the passenger trains. Also, air travel was robbing the railroads pf long-distance travellers.
It has been recorded that even in a market where passenger trains should have been competitive, business travels of less than 300 miles, the trains were squeezed out by cars and airplanes. The suffering railroads were furiously beaten by the modern modes of the transportation as more and more Americans regard airplanes and automobiles as the preferred mode for business travel. Business travel was crucial for an economically flourishing state like the South Carolina.
Adding to the diminishing industry of railroads, people perceived trains as unreliable, inconvenient and old-fashioned products of technology. The development of the intestate highways had a special and profound impact in shaping American cities as they aim for competitiveness and dominance in various personal and commercial fields. In the later of the twentieth century, South Carolina had become one of the American states to thrive on the promise of interstate highways and modern transportation system.
Scarred by civil wars before, South Carolina is now a thriving state dependent on urban development patterns brought about by the modern transportation systems and had became an automotive state in which several automobile business are located. It was written that after Michelin set up one of its businesses in the state, BMW soon followed when it started manufacturing automobiles in South Carolina. It has been considered that BMWs facility set up in the state was the companys first full manufacturing facility outside Germany. Since then, the German company has continued to invest and expand in the southern part of the United States.
The transportation landscape in South Carolina prompted industries to spread out from one city to another and workers are now able to live farther from their workplaces minus the hazards which the old-fashioned ways of trains bring. The urban interstate highway system accentuated the modernized business trends and lifestyles and also turned the comprehensive urban transportation planning more complicated and difficult.
In this sense, it was believed that the highway planners of the government were aiming at providing steadfast highway system and that they were not grounded on building an integrated transportation system.
With a conflicting idea behind their main mission, highway planners did not try to coordinate their plans concerning the highway system with the current or possible future mass-transit transportation systems. It was a cruel fact that the previous pursuit of the interstate highway system did not foresee its future effects to the growing urban and business sectors.
Today, the people in the state face the stigmatization that the South Carolina highways were included in the list of the deadly roads in the nation considering the fact that the number of car owners in the area is growing at the fastest pace. As the numbers of motorists grow, so are the accidents in the state due to the fact that the majority of the travellers prefer to use the highway system than go by trains. It was estimated that about eighty-five percent of all the crashes appear on both the primary and secondary roads in South Carolina.
In validating the massive use of the automobiles in the state, it has been reported that an average of three people die in the roads of South Carolina everyday. In addition, each motorist in the state spends an average of 265 per annum-791 million statewide for vehicle repairs.
Such scenario was due to the fact that automobile use has eventually led to poor road conditions. It was a noted fact that nearly one-third of the regions primary and interstate highways are not in their excellent condition. In the history of the United States transportation system, it was deemed that the region has the fourth largest state-maintained highway system in the nation which seemingly neglects the efforts to revive railroad transportation system.
B. Cost (Train Vs. Automobiles)
It was recorded in the transportation history of the United States that the train travel in the South Carolina was fraught with perils such as the potholed direct roads, unpredictable ferries, noisy and dirty railroads, and steamship travel plagued with squalls and hurricanes. As it was said that both the railroads and steamships were products of innovations of the 1830s and 1840s, and in there initial years of use the travel through them was frequently hazardous and costly with the government already starting to impose higher fare for the passenger train service.
Today, the passenger service in the United States is alive and well courtesy of the passengers who opted to go the longer way to reach their destination because they are not in a hurry and are not bound to a tight and strict schedule. The cost of passenger service in the nation is about the same as an advance fare airline ticket. It is said that the pricey cost of passenger train travel can be justified in terms of adventure and fun in long travels.
Discounts are available for various train travels and most of the discounts are taken off the rail cost only which is the base price before you add in the sleeper cars and other services. Train travel in South Carolina is not necessarily a bargain especially if such travel to get through to the desired destination. Travel by train also has a lot of perks for passengers as they do not need to tire themselves with searching for parking spaces.
In fact, public transportation such as train travel in the larger areas of South Carolina is a convenient way to get around without a car if travellers want to avoid parking. Reportedly, it is said that the car rentals in the region are becoming more expensive than train rides which is the main reason why there are people favouring the use of train service. It is noted that train fees are somewhat cheaper and often less than the price of gas and train packages are also offered which include discounts on rental cars once the passengers reach their destination.
For the transportation critics, Amtrak still charges too much for its present services, and future operators should aim at lowering prices to maximize ridership. Given this notion, the discussion concerning the potential progress in the use of high-speed rail in the nation is said to be overshadowed by the expensive price of the Amtrak services. It is noted that the tickets are too expensive for the faster operations compared to competing bus and airlines. Cost is basically the reason why few Americans would choose to ride an expensive passenger train when they can get into their automobiles for far less money.
How did the mergers of the shoreline railroads with bigger railroads affect passenger train service throughout the state ( Hauling freight vs. Passenger Trains)
Railroad system turned to mergers to help in promoting the industrys competitive position in relation to the other railroads and trucking companies. By the end of the 90s, major railroads in the nation were on boom times and were struggling to handle the traffic, but the shortlines were prompted with a lack of traffic, and their decisions were to initiate major changes in the 2000s.
The mergers in the railroads system affected the passenger train industry in a sense that without the use of mergers, no amount of regulatory or tax reform could have preserved the railroading private industry. It has been said that railroads are venturing on mergers to be able to build strength. Eliminating competition and increasing density over a lessened track structure are considered to be included in the aims of mergers.
Railroads in the United States are venturing into mergers as such action could permit railroads to do more operations with less track, fewer yards and terminals ad far lesser number of employees. Since 1980, major freight railroads in the nation have increased revenue ton-miles by 50 percent while decreasing route miles by one-third and jobs by two-thirds.
The increased marketing strength of mergers as geographic reach is widened, and the increased operating efficiency of the other kinds of mergers have been of positive impact in most every courses knowing the fact that the mergers aided to boosting rail market share of new automobiles by more than 20 percent to 70 percent and fuelled a three-fold increase in intermodal loadings, reversed a slither into insolvency in the railroad system, and empowered a record investment of some 5 billion per annum in the past years.
But it has been suggested that the mergers have been describing the operation of the modern railroad system. Had several railroads continued competing with each other and with government-aided highways, there were half a dozen railroads competing with each other and trucks for freight in various traffic lanes, no initiatives for regulatory reform or tax abatement would have helped the private-sector railroad industry.
The decline of the passenger train service in the United States was confirmed through the emergence of the new modes of transportation such as the automobiles and airplanes. Strict government regulation, heavier taxes, lack of pure government support, faulty mergers and the impact of wars have been the contributing factors which eventually led to the demise of the passenger train service.
The first and second World War can be considered as the defining moments for the trains as they were being forced to perform heavy functions which they were not ready for such as carrying massive number of passengers. The wartime period in the United States had been a crucial element in measuring up to what extent do the trains will be able to exist knowing that there had already been inklings on the rise of new modes of transportation systems which were being tagged as the refinement of trains.
With improvements being done to be able to level with the new modes of transportation particularly the automobiles, it was noticed that cost and convenience provided by trains were nothing compared with the speed, freedom, dependability and lesser cost offered by automobiles. Although hardly surviving at present, mergers and services provided by the nations passenger train service are on a crucial make-or break stage that can define the future of the trains.
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