Before travel shifted to the highways and the skies, the railroad connected Americans and developed the country. Trains built the Eastern seaboard cities, connected the distant coasts, populated and glamorized the West, determined the outcomes of wars, and, when regulated and subsidized, shaped our ideas of government and economy. Today, barring some commuter rails and urban subways, trains are underutilized across the country, particularly in California, where discount airlines are cheaper and faster, and cars run everywhere on any schedule. But with the promise of high-speed train technology to connect California, buzz about L.A.’s subway to the sea, ever-more crowded roads, and federal and state governments ready to fund job-generating infrastructure projects, rail seems ready for a comeback. Is rail the future of transit, or is it a waste of resources? Zócalo invites a panel of experts — including KCET’s Val Zavala, L.A. County Metropolitan Transit Authority Board Member Richard Katz, Gloria Ohland of Reconnecting America and Adrian Moore of the Reason Foundation — to consider the rise, fall, and potential return of rail.

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