A new film, Trainsforming America, takes a look at passenger rail in the US from the passengers’ perspective. This is a documentary produced by two concerned citizens, Katie Chen and Rebecca (Autumn) Sansom, who are worried (like many people are) about what an increasing population combined with climate change is going to do to our beautiful country.
Europeans’ lives involve mass transit, large bike paths (more like streets in some places) much more so than Americans’ lives. So, regularly riding modern trains is like drinking water for many, something one is doing naturally in the course of a day or week. So, in Trainsforming America, Katie and Rebecca talk to passengers who are used to living in a train culture. They contrast this experience with that of Americans, who are used to living in a car culture. The intent is that they get everyone to understand that our transportation systems need to change over to mass transit to a much greater extent. We have to improve our infrastructure in considerable ways, and it needs to happen soon.
I’d recommend that you make your own American Train Story someday. Travel San Francisco to LA on the Starliner, for example, going over the Pacific and watching as flickering beams roll over waves. Smooth motion and movement of the train over the ocean lulls one to a most relaxing state. I’ve made this trip (as well as several others) and thoroughly enjoyed it.
One of the filmmakers, Rebecca Sansom, recently spoke with Transportation Radio’s Bernie Wagenblast about the film. (You can listen to that conversation at th link above.)
Image Credit: Ocean under moonlight by lakewentworth
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