On February 3rd, 2023, a train owned by a private company (Norfolk Southern) derailed and exploded inside an Ohioan town named East Palestine. Many have pointed out that without the existence of trains in the first place, this derailment would not have happened. I mean really, what is the purpose of those things?
In investigating this disaster known as the “modern railway network”, my confoundment only grows as to why we let these things continue to exist. For example, did you know that apparently the term “horsepower” originated only as a marketing tool? One of the dumbest terms in the English language was created just to sell trains. If that doesn’t scream abhorrent to you, I don’t know what could.
Also, according to this map I found, this Norfolk Southern company seems to own almost one third of railways in the United States. Yet another corporate monopoly trying to take away our right to government owned utilities.
It becomes obvious that trains have been subjected to decades of propaganda when you realize that so many children’s cartoons feature trains. Thomas the Tank Engine comes to mind, also, why did they have him going in circles in such a tiny island? This only caused me further confusion.
Many will say that trains can be an incredibly efficient mode of public transport, resulting in a massively reduced cost of travel when compared to the United States’ auto infrastructure. However, can you imagine having to sit in the same vehicle as random people for over 10 minutes at a time? Not to mention the danger they could pose, you would also risk having to give up any personal space. No thanks.
In conclusion, the Ohio derailment has come to prove that trains should be phased out or outright destroyed in favor of better methods of travel, such as SUVs or pickup trucks. Compounding the controversial history with the apparent monopoly that these train companies hold, along with the decades of propaganda and loss of personal space shows that trains have really no advantage over simply driving everywhere. As a nation, we would be better off if this stance would become more common.
