I Rode One of the Greatest Train Systems in the World. It Taught Me a Lot about My Own City...

The realm of rail and public transport is easily one of the most diverse industries that we have created, and it's always fascinating to look around and see what else is out there, and what sets each system apart from others. But even with all of the diversity out there, there are sometimes when you find out about systems that are simply better than others, and it's only when you experience them for yourself that you truly understand what makes them different, and what makes them better than what you may be used to. I experienced that for myself this summer on a trip to Copenhagen, Denmark, where alongside many other experiences, I got the chance to ride on a commuter rail system generally considered to be one of the best in the world, the Copenhagen S-Tog, one of the most refined versions of the S-Bahn, a form of commuter rail that cities countries around the world dream of having. And it turns out that my home city of Philadelphia had that dream of an S-Bahn as well for their sprawling Regional Rail system, and one that could have been well suited to such a system. But whereas Copenhagen succeeded brilliantly, Philadelphia's ambitions failed. And today, I wanted to share my experience, and where Copenhagen succeeded and where Philadelphia failed, and if Philly could truly borrow ideas from across the ocean. Let's find out.

Special thanks to my friend Nick for letting me stay with him in Denmark on this trip!

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0:00 Introduction
3:17 Hej og Velkommen til København!
4:50 A Brief History of Denmark's Railways and the S-Tog
9:20 Riding the S-Tog Network in Brief
14:24 What Makes the S-Tog so Incredible?
24:07 Philly's S-Bahn Fantasy Begins
28:48 What Did They Need? Everything.
30:58 So Easy, and yet So Hard.
35:18 An Underlying Problem from the Beginning
37:37 Was SEPTA (and the State) Even Trying? (Yes and No)
43:48 My Takeaways from a Wonderful Trip

Keywords: #copenhagen #denmark #dsb #danish #scandinavia #metro #sbahn #philadelphia #pennsylvania #usa #septa #amtrak #train #railroad #electrictrains #americantrain #usarailway #passengertrain #history #pennsylvaniarailroad #readingrailroad #conrail #urbanism #urbanplanning #trolleys #buses #lightrail #subway #bridges #tunnel #intercitytrain #commutertrain #transit #publictransport

Contact your state reps and senators to tell them to fund transit to keep Pennsylvania strong for our present and future:
https://www.palegis.us/find-my-legisl...
State Senator Joe Piccozzi: https://senatorpicozzi.com/
State Senator Frank Farry: https://senatorfarry.com/
State Senator Tracy Pennycuick: https://senatorpennycuick.com/
Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman: https://senatorpittman.com/
Governor Josh Shapiro: https://www.pa.gov/governor.html
Speaker of the House Joanna McClinton: https://www.pahouse.com/McClinton/

Link List to major advocacy groups for transit in the city and state:
Transit for All PA: https://www.transitforallpa.org/
Save The Train Coalition: https://savethetrain.org/
Transit Forward Philadelphia: https://www.transitforwardphilly.org/
Save SEPTA: https://savesepta.com/
5th Square: https://www.5thsq.org/
Philly Transit Riders Union: https://phillytru.org/
Chamber of Commerce of Greater Philadelphia: https://chamberphl.com/2025/04/join-o...