During spring break in Finland, I spent over 24 hours riding public transit.
A train hauled me from Helsinki, the country’s capital, 450 miles north to Rovaniemi, a small town just south of the Arctic Circle. From there, I boarded a bus that drove another 50 miles north to Jääskö, where I spent the next two nights.
Without renting a car or even taking a taksi, I ended up almost 500 miles from where I started. That is the power of Finland’s public transport system. During those hours in transit, I was able to sleep, read and even eat.
Here in Bloomington, making a similar trek, say, to Atlanta, is difficult. A bus could make the journey, but very slowly and for a price. They also don’t provide the same amenities that many trains do, such as restaurant or sleeper cars. Unfortunately, Bloomington lacks an active train station, meaning the nearest is 46 miles away in Indianapolis. Even if you reach Indy, passenger rail is available for very few cities, and the trains that do run are few and far between. The train to Chicago runs three times a week.
The train from Helsinki to Rovaniemi runs three times a day.
Given how often Helsinki’s trains run, planning a spring break trip was easy. It was a huge stress relief to know I wouldn’t need to worry about getting a rental car or driving in the snow. I was also able to save money I would have otherwise had to spend on gas, all while relaxing in the comfort of my cushioned train seat.
In the United States, the same luxuries aren’t always offered. Due to infrequent runtimes, you will need to craft your trip around the trains’ schedule, rather than the other way around. Plus, if you wish to go anywhere that doesn't have a station (ahem, Bloomington), you’re simply out of luck.
Trains are significantly better for the environment than buses or cars. Among your transport options, trains emit the least carbon and a single cart can fit around 300 people. Cars, by contrast, cause nearly one-fifth of U.S. carbon emissions and typically allot space for no more than five riders at a time. On average, only 1.5 passengers are in any given car. While electric trains would produce zero carbon emissions, even diesel-powered trains would be more sustainable than cars.
Shouldn’t we be investing more in passenger rail?
Imagine if a high-speed rail line linked Bloomington to Indianapolis or, really, any part of the state. Commuting to and from Indianapolis can be daunting and time-consuming for many Bloomington residents, but a train would make that commute for a job or internship easier, quicker and cheaper. Visiting home during breaks would become trivial. Seeing friends in Purdue? No problem; a train would render that two-hour trip into half of one.
The United States used to have a much more expansive rail network. Then in the late 1970s, many train stations and rail lines were discontinued or destroyed. If we were able to maintain a sprawling train network up till then, what's stopping us now? One might say that the United States is too large to support a fleshed-out train system. However, with modern technology, developing larger and more advanced networks would be even easier than before. The newest bullet trains travel at speeds of over 300 miles per hour!
The “freedom” of cars leads to waiting in traffic or budgeting around inconsistent gas prices. With trains, delays are rare and travel is cheap. A more developed railroad system could grant just as much access to the country that interstate highways could. In fact, rail would provide a much safer traveling experience.
For the ninth year in a row, Finland topped the chart as the happiest country in the world. Maybe the United States should take a page out of Finland’s book.
It's time to invest more in public transit.
Ben Peters (he/him) is a junior studying English with a minor in Game Design.
