The United States has one of the worst passenger rail systems in the world. Excluding the Acela route, Amtrak trains are infrequent, expensive and more prone to delay than their European and East Asian counterparts. In rankings of high-speed rail network length, the United States falls in 11th, just behind Sweden, which has a population roughly the same size as North Carolina’s.
Next Thursday, 146,000 autoworkers in the United Auto Workers (UAW) union will be authorized to go on strike if they are unable to reach a satisfactory agreement with Detroit automakers Ford, General Motors and Stellantis. On August 25, the strike was authorized by a vote of 97 percent in favor, signaling significant solidarity among autoworkers ahead of a walkout that could seriously impact an industry that comprises three percent of the United States GDP.