America Loves Trains. Why Can’t We Build Them Anymore? Inside NYC’s Second Avenue Subway [from American History Hotline]
America Loves Trains. Why Can’t We Build Them Anymore? Inside NYC’s Second Avenue Subway [from American History Hotline]  
Podcast: American History Hotline
Published On: Fri Feb 13 2026
Description: It takes decades to build a new subway line in the United States. Meanwhile, China is building entire high-speed rail networks in just a few years. So, how did America's once-great love of trains get derailed?  We use New York City’s Second Avenue Subway as a test case to answer this bigger question: Why is building trains in America so hard compared to places like China? Bob calls up Dan McNichol, author of Second Avenue Subway: Building the Most Famous Thing Never Built in New York City, and transportation expert Joe Stanford to break down how the U.S. went from a rail-building powerhouse to a country where major transit projects feel nearly impossible. In this episode we bore deep into:  America’s century-long struggle to complete the Second Avenue Subway China’s rapid expansion of subways and high-speed rail How politics, regulation, and Americans' LOVE for their cars shape infrastructure Why the cost of expanding passenger rail lines is so much higher in the U.S. (like, WAY higher) than in Europe and Asia All aboard! Next stop: a brief history of American rail. (Toot! Toot!) 🚂  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.