The Transit Museum Nostalgia Train excursions offer an unforgettable nostalgic trip into New York’s not to distant subway past. As passengers board the historic rail fleet for a non-stop trip between destination the magic of the Nostalgia Train unfolds. According to Roxanne Robertson, the museum’s director of Special Projects, “The onboard atmosphere is relaxed as the passengers transcend their roles of hurried commuters and enter the world of the nostalgia, waving to bemused people on the platforms as the train rolls by.”

Passengers also enjoy the bouncy wicker seating, ceiling fans and the non-stop ride between destinations. Another perk of the Nostalgia Train experience are the very friendly and knowledgeable subway enthusiasts that can answer almost any question about the subway system. The first Nostalgia Train departs Sunday, June 15, 2008, and celebrates 50 years of subway service to Far Rockaway. Boarding at 10 a.m. the day-long excursion ending at 5 p.m., features the Museum’s vintage R1/9 railcars. Nostalgia Train passengers will travel from Midtown Manhattan to Queens Plaza and then proceed to the New York Transit Museum for a look at the museum’s latest exhibits and Museum Store. After an hour’s layover, the Nostalgia Train proceeds to Rockaway Park where passengers can break for lunch or stay on the train for an additional trip to Rockaway Avenue. At 4 p.m. the train leaves Rockaway Park via the A line to Jay Street, and the F line to 42nd Street for the conclusion of our trip.

On Sunday, July 13, 2008, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the New York Transit Museum’s second Nostalgia Train excursion is Coney Island Bound. Once again, the museum’s popular R1/9 fleet of vintage rail cars departs mid-town Manhattan for a day at the legendary amusement park. Passengers can ride the cyclone roller coaster, stroll the boardwalk, begin working on your summer tan or stay on the train for an additional ride to Whitehall Street in Manhattan. The train will then return to Coney Island to pick up passengers and at 4 p.m., the train leaves Coney Island via the F line to 42nd Street.

The museum’s last scheduled Nostalgia Train “Multi-Anniversary Tour of the IRT” excursion commemorates the 100th Anniversary of service to 242nd Street-Van Cortlandt Park. On Saturday, August 2, the post WW-II IRT SMEE cars will depart from Grand Central and proceed to Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn, then head north to Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. Enjoy a day at the park or stay on the train for an express run to 103rd Street. At 3 p.m. the train heads down to 96th Street and goes via the 2 line to Jackson Avenue, before returning to Grand Central.

Reservations and advance payment required: $30, Museum members $25, children 3-17 $10 (Become a Museum member when you reserve and save $5 on your adult ticket!) For reservations the public may call (718) 694-1600.

Oddly enough, the biggest selling point for the line has not been Duluth as a tourist destination, but the small (pop. 1,600) town of Hinckley, roughly midway between the two cities, which has an Indian-owned casino. Ironically, this casino already offers private coach bus service to patrons needing transportation from the Twin Cities. This would be subverted be the passenger rail line. No wonder the casino is one of the biggest campaign contributors.

Recent demand forecasts have suggested that the line would attract 800,000 to 900,000 annual boardings (2,000 to 2,500 per day). Most of this would come from the section actually in the Twin Cities, which is being bundled as a commuter rail spur. The actual long-haul service would be lucky to see even a few hundred trips per day.

The proposal is economically absurd, yet still enjoys some residual support. Of course, the man behind the curtain is none other than pork-barreling legend Rep. Jim Oberstar (D-MoneyTrain), who represents Minnesota’s northeast congressional district. Duluth makes up between 1/2 and 1/3 of the district’s population. Oberstar and other supporters are trying to tout the project’s “economic development benefits” which are being said to be in the range of $2 billion. That’s mind-bending logic. Of course, throw in some scary talk about peak oil and global warming and people start to get uneasy.

There may also be simply a difference in the size of barge that’s considered reasonable. European improved waterways date back to when barges were most readily towed by a line to a horse walking a (constructed) path on the bank. By modern American standards, such a barge couldn’t carry enough freight to be worth manning, but Europe built many canals and locks sized to such craft and still keeps most of the waterways in reasonable repair.

In 98, the US had 1 billion tons of domestic freight moved by water (5.7 btons truck, 2 btons rail, total = 9.8 billion). (source)

“Inland waterways carried 12.5% of Europe’s freight tonnage in 1970, but only 8% by 1990 though the actual tonnage decline was slight” (source)

While those aren’t exactly the same years, that’s 10% (US) versus 8% (EU) for freight carried via water.

The Mississippi allows you to cover almost 2/3 of the US via major tributaries. The transition between ocean-going vessels and river boats is New Orleans’s reason for existing. Plus you have lots of other major inland waterways (see the Great Lakes ports mentioned in this thread and the East coast and Northwest have lots of rivers that will get you at least 100 miles inland)

But your figures (well the anti-planner’s) seem funny, Europe’s trains have “6 percent of the passenger travel market”? Perhaps 6% of journeys, including walking to the corner for a coffee? A journey that, in the US, would probably require a car…

It’s also worth noting that the TGV-class trains almost always run on new completely separate rails. If freight trains are competing with passenger, it’s the slower ordinary kind.

Much freight also moves through Europe on rives and canals, I don’t know the numbers, but this is a big “geographic” difference between the US and Europe.

For the reasons cited by Warren, the opposite is probably true for passengers. Passengers need a high-density of people and short distances, like the subway in NY City.

Of course, government can “get around” any economic problem by simply taxing enough bystanders.