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A Rail System (and Patience) Are Stretched in Chicago
In Chicago, it is apparent that the century-old railroad system is becoming increasingly dilapidated. The deteriorating tracks and financial shortcomings are falling upon a region that is extremely dependent on the rail service of the El. With its 190 rail cars and 222 miles of track, it is the rail component of the transit authority, the second-largest public transit system in the country after New York’s. It immensely accounted for 195 rides last year. The C.T.A. needs 5.8 billion to bring its system, including buses, into a sufficient state of repair .
This situation is similar to the railroad circumstances back in the times of J.P. Morgan and how the railroads were too overbuilt and to expensive to upkeep. The Northern Pacific, was the first northern continental railroad. Inevitably the Northern Pacific slipped into bankruptcy on June 30, 1875 when critics realized that it was too overbuilt for its upkeep and maintenance. Even though both instances have occurred centuries later it is still apparent that there are flaws within the transportation system and also within the financial outbreaks of massive structures. One would presume that a nation that is as technologically advanced as the United States would strive to abandon old habits, however the charm and authenticity is a factor in both situations that is apparently timeless.