After buying a minecart, I tried to go on the spawn tour, and the minecart won't launch, I press the launch button, and nothing happens. The cart just sits there. It it just incredible lag, or what?

We'll have a look into this, until we can get to fixing it you can push the minecart to get going. Thanks for reporting!

Spawn rail was never finished. The numerous updates of Minecraft have caused the system to be outdated and abandoned. Using that system will more then likely result in death due to falling, as there are complete segments of the tracks and rails missing. Sorry, but I'm speaking from my 2 years of experience, back when it was the TCTS (Trans-Continental Tram System) I made, that promoted spawn's rail system and it's development.

I have some ideas of how to improve the rail system. With all the things that 1.5 gave us, command blocks, hoppers, and the like, I'm suprised the rail is abandoned. I know of a few improvements that could be made, including rebuilding the station and track entirely.

I would love to be involved in this, if it is done, as I am fond of rail systems in Minecraft, and this one could be completely automated, the only thing the player doing, chosing a destination.

It would be nice, but not practical, since we do have the Warp system. However, I do happen to be part owner of a large station that I would be more than happy to have WE'd to a good spot for the Grand Central Station should SpawnRail be resurrected.

I loved using it to just see towns faster, exploring rapidly! I remember seeing a way into the command house and figuring out how the whole thing worked, i just couldnt fix anything. Still a good idea to get it going. aesthetics.

What if we had a rank for that, that would actually be sorta difficult to work on, but spawn rail is a trademark on MT

I would love to have it used again. Like it was mentioned above, warps do somewhat make it obsolete but new players could always ride the tracks out away from spawn as opposed to walking for 10 Km to find clear land. I think that Main2 may still have a limited number of warps for each player and that would limit them to main locations as opposed to different floors in a house or the like. (exaggeration with the different floors but you get what I mean). Since there are far fewer warps on Main2 there is a higher incentive to use a rail system, especially with how vast Shamballah is. The lack of structures on the server right now could make it easy to world edit track further out with interim stations that branch off into smaller lines. Town owners could always extend track to connect to these satellite stations. Each town would obviously have to fund their own connection but it's just an idea. This could always encourage trade between towns as they allow rail to pass through their territories. I would want to see the rail lines protected though since people seemed to enjoy dismantling the spawn rail on Main.

I'm seriously contemplating continuing the SpawnRail Program.

Count me in

Im really quite good with rails, especially copying stuff thats been made