Midweek Takes #5

7/14's small thoughts and links.

It’s Bastille Day, so it’s time to talk about chemins de fer.

To scale: France is about 80% the size of Texas. Image Source.

Look, I’m not saying that it’s time to storm the Capitol¹ to get the United States to invest in rail². But I am saying that it’s time to take up the cause of state-sponsored rail travel with gusto: enough with the $x trillion infrastructure plans; enough with the “definition of infrastructure” distractions; enough with “no one will use it” or “it’s too expensive.” We spend how much money building new roads each year? And its justification is…what exactly? Freedom? Mobility? Inertia?

France has spent at least 40 years modernizing its rail system, which includes a mixture of high-speed (TGV) and non-high-speed (Intercités), international, national, regional, and local services. In essence, France feels connected by road, rail, and air services. Travelers can make a true mode choice based on costs and timing, and many French residents and visitors still choose to drive …