America's public transportation systems have been on a treadmill since the end of World War II, and they have had intensive financial difficulties during these years. Whether public or privately owned, few systems have been able to maintain service or equipment. Systems have dwindled, become overcrowded and less popular. In 1945 four citics, New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Boston, had rail rapid transit (sub- way or elevated) lines with trackage that totaled 1,222 miles. Today, even with the addition of a new line in Cleveland, the total national trackage is only 1,255 miles.
In an era of great technological advance there have been few dramatic improvements in rail rapid transit. Average speeds are about what they were years ago. So are stations and fare- collecting systems. According to American Transit Association figures, 2,891 of the 9,273 subway and elevated cars in opera- tion in 1966 were cars that also were in operation in 1940 and as many rapid transit passengers can testify, the other newer 6,382 cars are, at most, only slightly less bumpy, better lit, or more comfortable.
Almost 700 million fewer revenue passengers rode rail rapid transit lines in 1966 than in 1940, a 30 percent decline from 2.3 billion to 1.6 billion passengers. Partly because of increased fares, passenger revenues nearly doubled during that period, but net revenues declined by over 50 percent. (Refer to fig. 1.4 and 1.5.)
Figure 1.4. Trends in revenue passengers of urban public transportation billions of revenue passengers
SOURCE: Transit Fact Book, 1967, American Transit Association; Statistics of Railroads of Class I in the United States, August 1967, Association of American Railroads.10
