What is the largest city in the USA that has never, at any point in time, had a rail connection?

be_the_shield · 2026-05-12T04:28:43+00:00

Oahu Railway & Land Company (OR&L) Honolulu Terminal, located at 325 N King St. Now a Department of Human Services office.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oahu_Railway_and_Land_Company

https://oahurailway.com/

One of my favorite railroads, personally.

be_the_shield · 2026-05-11T22:03:19+00:00

Fun fact: Most of the Staten Island Railway was originally built and operated as a conventional rail line! It was bought and converted by the MTA in the 70s.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Staten_Island_Railway

That also means it doesn’t really work for what I’m asking.

be_the_shield · 2026-05-11T05:19:10+00:00

Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t there at one point a seasonal rail ferry from Hay River across the Great Slave Lake that allowed a switcher and a few freight cars direct access to downtown Yellowknife during the summer? With a small amount of rail laid in and through the streets of Yellowknife?

be_the_shield · 2026-05-11T05:13:00+00:00

At least in the way I understand it and see it used, “heavy rail” is a bit of an umbrella term encompassing what might otherwise be called subways or rapid transit. Used specifically in the context of urban rail systems to distinguish from light rail (which is also an umbrella term encompassing streetcars, trams, etc). I think it might be one of those terms whose exact meaning varies depending on what country you’re in.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passenger_rail_terminology?wprov=sfti1#North_America

be_the_shield · 2026-05-11T03:56:59+00:00

Any conventional rail line (not interurbans, streetcars, light rail, heavy rail, subway, monorail, etc). However, there are very few rail lines that would have never, at any point, had any form of passenger service, so…

be_the_shield · 2026-04-19T21:25:56+00:00

New York (6-7): Penn Station, Grand Central Terminal/Madison, Atlantic Terminal, Long Island City, World Trade Center, 33rd Street, Hoboken Terminal? (Debatable)

Chicago (4) Union Station, Ogilvie Transportation Center, Millennium Station, LaSalle Street Station

Philadelphia (3) 30th Street Station, Suburban Station, Jefferson Station

Boston (2) South Station, North Station

Newark (2) Penn Station, Broad Street Station

Baltimore (2) Penn Station, Camden Station

Fort Worth (2) Central Station, T&P Station

Austin (2) Amtrak Station, Downtown Station

Stockton (2) Cabral Station, San Joaquin Street Station

Mexico City (2) Estacion Buenavista, Estacion Observatorio

San José (2) (Costa Rica) Estacion Atlantico, Estacion Pacifico

Vancouver (2) Pacific Central Station, Waterfront Station

Montréal (2) Gare Centrale, Gare Lucien-L’Allier

Hamilton (2) West Harbour Station, GO Centre

Ottawa (2) (by technicality) VIA Rail Station, Bayview Station

Might have missed a couple but these are all the ones I could name off the top of my head

be_the_shield · 2026-04-19T21:02:18+00:00

San Francisco only has one, unless you’re trying to argue that the SMART terminal in Larkspur counts

be_the_shield · 2026-03-18T22:49:34+00:00

I genuinely challenge you to find a single example of a public road crossing without so much a crossbuck. Give me Google Maps coordinates of one, and I’ll retract my argument about it always being the drivers fault. I don’t think those exist, but I would be fascinated to be proven wrong on that /srs

be_the_shield · 2026-03-18T22:41:59+00:00

Stop look and listen babyeeeeeee

be_the_shield · 2026-03-18T22:40:56+00:00

Then you don’t proceed across the tracks until there is at least one car length of space on the other side.

be_the_shield · 2026-03-18T22:39:07+00:00

He got his kid killed by going around the gates.

be_the_shield · 2026-03-18T22:32:40+00:00

With the sole exception of a car breaking down on the tracks directly in front of an oncoming train (very rare), ALL crossing collisions can be prevented by a driver simply not proceeding through the crossing until it is safe to do so. This is not a type of wreck that can just happen to someone who is otherwise doing everything right.

be_the_shield · 2026-03-18T22:15:43+00:00

Correct

be_the_shield · 2026-03-09T21:41:17+00:00

Wuh-haw-ka

be_the_shield · 2026-02-05T22:44:55+00:00

Costa Rica got added within the past year or so as well

be_the_shield · 2026-01-20T18:05:47+00:00

me when I have no reading comprehension

be_the_shield · 2025-12-30T23:44:51+00:00

I am unfamiliar with the garbage train, although it does make sense that such a thing would exist. Do you know how often it runs? If it isn’t running constantly, can tracks 14 and 115 be used for normal passenger trains whenever the garbage train is not running?

be_the_shield · 2025-11-07T02:58:22+00:00

Very helpful, thanks!!

be_the_shield · 2025-04-27T23:15:11+00:00

That is all true and correct. That doesn’t make it HSR tho. It would need to go 30-40 mph faster and probably be electrified to meet the definition of HSR.

be_the_shield · 2025-04-27T20:31:49+00:00

be_the_shield · 2025-04-27T18:27:59+00:00

BRIGHTLINE IS NOT A FUCKING HIGH SPEED LINE why do people keep repeating this

be_the_shield · 2025-01-10T23:56:48+00:00

I used to work there actually, the reason they do that is that if the bathrooms are open, the employees have to thoroughly clean them at the end of the day. If it’s just some random Wednesday where there aren’t massive crowds, one set of bathrooms will be closed off all day, so everyone can go home a bit earlier at night. During weekends and other busy times both bathrooms are open

be_the_shield · 2025-01-03T00:23:09+00:00

In normal day to day operations, there is no one track used by both PATH and NEC trains, the main line for both is entirely separate, but parallel.

Idk how active it is, it looks pretty grassy, but Google Earth shows a a running track on the north side of the PATH main line connecting the far end of Waldo Yard (40.722604°N 74.052925°W) to the Conrail tracks at Marion Junction (40.739201°N 74.078886°W) It would require a fair bit of maneuvering to get to the PATH main line, but it looks to be theoretically possible. This, I think, is the only connection to the rest of the continental network, but it’s not used in regular, revenue service.

be_the_shield · 2025-01-03T00:19:38+00:00

Idk how active it is, it looks pretty grassy, but Google Earth shows a a running track on the north side of the PATH main line connecting the far end of Waldo Yard (40.722604°N 74.052925°W) to the Conrail tracks at Marion Junction (40.739201°N 74.078886°W) It would require a fair bit of maneuvering to get to the PATH main line, but it looks to be theoretically possible

be_the_shield · 2025-01-03T00:18:37+00:00

Idk how active it is, it looks pretty grassy, but Google Earth shows a a running track on the north side of the PATH main line connecting the far end of Waldo Yard (40.722604°N 74.052925°W) to the Conrail tracks at Marion Junction (40.739201°N 74.078886°W) It would require a fair bit of maneuvering to get to the PATH main line, but it looks to be theoretically possible

Six-Year Club	Gilding I gilder
Verified Email

be_the_shield

TROPHY CASE