Allen Dee
Lead Service Attendant
The Great Depression severely hurt both of these industries. The tremendous growth of passenger volume during World War II overwhelmed both industries.
After the war, both industries experienced heavily declining ridership. What was the cause of this?
During the war, military personnel were usually transported by bus and/or train. The bus companies and railroads generally assigned their oldest equipment to military moves. After the war, many of these veterans vowed to never ride a bus or train again. The advent of the affordable automobile and improved highways furthered this decline.
Surplus military cargo aircraft were rapidly being converted to passenger airplanes. As a result, by the mid 1950s, the airlines surpassed both rail and bus for total passenger mileage; and this was well before the jet age.
The railroads responded by introducing more streamliners, many of which lasted into the Amtrak era. The bus industry responded similarly. GM offered its model PD-4104 in 1953. This was the first mass-produced intercity bus to offer air-ride suspension, and, to this day, it has never been surpassed in number of coaches produced. In 1954 Greyhound introduced the Scenicruiser (GM model PD-4501). A short time later Trailways came out with the Eagle coaches.
Then came the jet age. The first American-made pure-jet transport was the Boeing 707, but it came about because the USAF needed a faster aerial refueling tanker than the KC-97. The resulting KC-135 is actually the same airframe as a Boeing 720, a shorter-range version of the 707.
Next came the Interstate Highway System. Automobile drivers found an easier way to travel long distances. Trucking companies discovered this, too.
The intercity bus industry also realized they could offer express service over these new highways.
This became the bane of the railroad industry. They were losing freight to the trucking industry. They were also losing passeners to the airplane, the bus, and the private automobile.
Let's take a look at the system today: most of the airlines are in or near bankruptcy, the truck lines are the railroads' biggest customers, Greyhound is cutting service to many communities, and Amtrak is recording the highest passenger counts of all time.
After the war, both industries experienced heavily declining ridership. What was the cause of this?
During the war, military personnel were usually transported by bus and/or train. The bus companies and railroads generally assigned their oldest equipment to military moves. After the war, many of these veterans vowed to never ride a bus or train again. The advent of the affordable automobile and improved highways furthered this decline.
Surplus military cargo aircraft were rapidly being converted to passenger airplanes. As a result, by the mid 1950s, the airlines surpassed both rail and bus for total passenger mileage; and this was well before the jet age.
The railroads responded by introducing more streamliners, many of which lasted into the Amtrak era. The bus industry responded similarly. GM offered its model PD-4104 in 1953. This was the first mass-produced intercity bus to offer air-ride suspension, and, to this day, it has never been surpassed in number of coaches produced. In 1954 Greyhound introduced the Scenicruiser (GM model PD-4501). A short time later Trailways came out with the Eagle coaches.
Then came the jet age. The first American-made pure-jet transport was the Boeing 707, but it came about because the USAF needed a faster aerial refueling tanker than the KC-97. The resulting KC-135 is actually the same airframe as a Boeing 720, a shorter-range version of the 707.
Next came the Interstate Highway System. Automobile drivers found an easier way to travel long distances. Trucking companies discovered this, too.
The intercity bus industry also realized they could offer express service over these new highways.
This became the bane of the railroad industry. They were losing freight to the trucking industry. They were also losing passeners to the airplane, the bus, and the private automobile.
Let's take a look at the system today: most of the airlines are in or near bankruptcy, the truck lines are the railroads' biggest customers, Greyhound is cutting service to many communities, and Amtrak is recording the highest passenger counts of all time.