by SouthernRailway
In consuming Patrick Dorin's fine book, "Commuter Railroads", I learned that commuter railroads have almost never had first class cars on them, even before public ownership of them.
Why not? These days, I can see that NY-area commuter railroads have so much demand that they try to cram in as many people as possible and there is no space for lower-density first class seating, but elsewhere in the US, commuter trains often have space to add more cars. Further, when commuter trains were privately operated, why didn't private railroads try first class seating? European commuter trains often have 2 classes of service.
Thanks.
Why not? These days, I can see that NY-area commuter railroads have so much demand that they try to cram in as many people as possible and there is no space for lower-density first class seating, but elsewhere in the US, commuter trains often have space to add more cars. Further, when commuter trains were privately operated, why didn't private railroads try first class seating? European commuter trains often have 2 classes of service.
Thanks.