While tripping merrily through the mail, Gregory Procter was overheard
 GP> There wasn't any attempt to cater for commuters, the fares are too
 GP> high anyway. 
 GP> The European city trams seem to work well, they're great "people
 GP> movers". From TV pictures of Los Angeles I've seen, they could do with
 GP> something more efficient than their present system of paving over
 GP> everything so the cars can drive quicker to the next traffic jam!
 GP> (that should draw someone else into the arguement ;-)
OK, I'll bite :-)
I am probably a bigger fan of trolley (trams) than anyone, I even model
the old Milwaukee street cars and the "North Shore" (the high speed electric
interurban that used to run between Milwaukee and Chicago), but I have to
admit, that with very few exceptions, light rail in the United States is
just NOT practical anymore.
It worked well when you had large concentrations of people living in
"area A", and working in "Area B", but commuting patterns just aren't
like that anymore.  Now you're as likely to have someone living in the
central city and commuting to the suburbs to work as you are the traditional
commute "downtown" in the morning.  Also, what about the people who live
on the west side and work on the north side.  There's just no consistant
traffic pattern that will support a viable light rail system anymore.
As far as "intercity" traffic, the same thing applies.  It used to be you
had business in downtown Chicago, it made sense to ride the North Shore
down, but today, you would have to get to the depot, and when you got to
Chicago your business was a likely to be out in Arlington Heights as 
owntown,
so by the time you transferred to a suburban train and got back out there,
you've spent twice as much time and dollars as to just drive the 90
miles from your home to your destination in the first place.
Don
... CNS&M, America's FASTEST Interurban.
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