[Chris Herold]

Hey,
as a European (German), I think I know the value of trains. The trains are usually faster/cheaper than the most other alternatives. Especially the high speed trains are very good for Europe since flights are not necessary to cover most distances. Unfortunately, the trains lost a lot of their networks and its popularity since WW II. My town doesn't have any train access since the 1960's. Surprisingly though, trains are very cheap in Europe. I would pay for a bus to our neighbor community more than for a train to Hanover (about an hour away).
I had to make the experience though that the Northwest here is not able to do provide anything similar at all. Seattle has buses and (pretty soon) a light rail but cargo has the attention on the tracks. Passenger trains are seldom and to funny times. I know back East its different. But in order to achieve a switch from flights to trains, America would have to spend billions and billions of dollars! I don't know how one would finance such a massive project!