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With a POD of your liking of late 1940s to no later than 1951, assume that the Interstate highway system in the United States and corresponding freeways in other countries were never built. Also, by the same POD, assume air travel remains relatively expensive.

In 1945, railroads in America accounted for about 62 percent of passenger travel. Highways accounted for much of the rest, with airlines a much smaller percentage. For freight, the railroads carried a somewhat larger share, around 70 percent or so.

Let's assume that railroads' share of the US passenger market fell to around 40 percent by the mid-1960s and has stayed constant since. Airlines account for about 25 percent, with most of the remaining 35 percent on the highways, including both private vehicles and buses. There's a very small number of steamboat lines for internal travel hanging in there.

We'll also assume that railroads have dropped to around 50 percent of the freight market, with maybe 5 percent each carried by air freight and barges, and trucks accounting for the remainder (usually shorter hauls). Although railroads have a smaller percentage, they're actually carrying more people and stuff, because the freight and travel markets have grown, because the population has grown; it's a smaller piece of a larger pie.

Finally, let's assume that these percentages by 2017 are pretty much the same worldwide. For travel over seas, assume that airlines constitute about 50 percent (with fares reduced by subsidy) and ocean liners, still a thing, the other 50 percent. Overseas freight travels overwhelmingly by ship, of course, and that doesn't change.

A quick disclaimer: I know some people are already getting ready to type "but this could never happen and it's ASB because of this that ntheotherthing." Your objections are duly noted. I'm not asking "could it happen." What I'm asking - assuming it did happen - is:

What would this world look like? What would be the effects on society? On industry and business? How would cultures be affected? Can you think of any interesting things that would be built, or not built? Feel free to be as specific as you want. Time to fire up your imaginations here, gang! :extremelyhappy:

(For starters: Buffalo, New York, is a city I can think of right off the bat that probably would have required a new railroad station.)
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