Posted on 11/05/2008 7:20:49 PM PST by Lorianne
After half a century as more of a curiosity than a convenience, passenger trains are getting back on track in some parts of the country.
The high cost of energy, coupled with congestion on highways and at airports, is drawing travelers back to trains not only for commuting but also for travel between cities as much as 500 miles apart.
Californians are considering selling billions of dollars worth of bonds to get going on an 800-mile system of bullet trains that could zip along at 200 miles per hour, linking San Francisco and San Diego and the cities in between.
In the Midwest, transportation officials are pushing a plan to connect cities in nine states in a hub-and-spoke system centered in Chicago. The nine states included in the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative are: Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska.
The public is way ahead of policymakers in recognizing trains as an attractive alternative to cars and planes, said Rep. James Oberstar, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
"I think we're at a transformational point in intercity passenger rail service," said Oberstar, D-Minn.
Amtrak, the passenger rail service that struggled for years to attract riders, drew a record 28.7 million in the year ending Sept. 30. That is 11 percent more than the year before and the sixth straight year that ridership has increased. Ticket revenue hit a record $1.7 billion, a $200 million increase from a year earlier.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
That’s all very nice, but remember that the socialization of American rail transportation was the brainchild of a Republican administration, just as was the socialization of the American capital markets.
“Well then, fuel taxes and weight fees could build the railroads too.”
Just eliminate passanger rail traffic and the railroads are profitable.
Public money shouldn’t transport people at any time, and that includes seniors!
BTW, i’m 71.
Don’t come up with avaition, in the early 80s we allowed a hugh increase in the avaition fuel tax on the promise that it would be used to improve the airports and Air Traffic Control System and they have stolen most of it for the general Fund.
I say this as a 28 year member of AOPA and a signer of that petition.
The California Zephyr? Are you crazy? It's notorious as one of the worst on-time records in all of Amtrak, which is saying something. The on-time record for September was 5%. YTD is 22.3%. They went nearly a year from mid 06 to mid 07 with a record of 0% on-time arrivals. Amtrak has its record here.
Strangely, people don't object to publicly-funded roads the same way they oppose publicly-funded train service.
Both are "public transportation" in that they are paid for, at least in part, by tax dollars. For some reason, though, people rail against Amtrak but don't have much of an issue with roadbuildig, which is a notorious pit of corruption and waste.
Which would be a very dumb move in the Northeast. Amtrak up here works very well in the Boston-DC corridor.
As far as i’m concerned all public transportation should be eliminated
Which might very well kill some major cities like DC and NYC, where public transit is necessary due to infrastructure issues.
Tehachapi Loop?
No, I’m not crazy, but apparently very lucky. I’ve taken the Zephyr at least 6 times the entire west bound trip. Never, never a problem. I’ve had similar experiences with the Empire Builder and Southwest Chief.
My nightmare train is the Cardinal (Tardinal), always very late. Generally when I’m traveling by train its at the beginning of a vacation and I don’t really mind being late. For me first class train travel is the best part of the vacation.
“
Tehachapi Loop?
“
No...and I do thank you for mentioning that cool bit of railway building.
(Wikipedia below for the forum)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tehachapi_Loop
The one I remember was highlighted on a “California’s Gold” show
by (sp?) Huell Houser.
Although the series aired on KCET, the PBS “mega station” of Los Angeles,
it did have some nice presentations of California sites involved in
the history of the state.
The “loop” or “bend” I recall was (IIRC) in the San Luis Obispo area.
I’ve done a bit of Internet searching but can’t seem to find any
reference to it.
Correct. I rode on it when I took the Coast Starlight from San Luis Obispo to Seattle last year.
You're just an idiot who lives in his parallel universe of socialist superiority brought to him by ARD, ZDF and a cookie cutter German public education teaching the merits of a Ordentliche Sozialpolitik.
There is a reason why we have to raffle off green cards for Germans, and it's not to so they can stay in the economic utopian paradise you think you have. Maybe someday you can grow up and be like Fischer and sit in the US telling us how great it is in Germany.
You're right. Two weeks ago I bought my wife a new GMC Yukon with a little 5.3 liter V8. Nice car, lots of room, very safe, great for towing, and if it's like the Jeep we had before, we'll easily get 200K ~ 250K miles on it with no major repairs and still sell it. Do you know who developed Active Fuel management? Who was among the front runners with Variable Valve Timing? Do you realize my wife's Yukon gets better mileage than a smaller, lighter, less powerful VW Touareg? You live in a world of cliche. http://www.fueleconomy.gov
In Texas we are building “toll roads” so that those who use them pay for the costs and those who don’t, don’t have to pay. Guess what, many of these projects are even completed on time and on budget! Better yet, the roads aren’t full of pot-holes, are clean, and well marked. http://www.pegasusnews.com/news/2008/jun/15/ntta-celebrates-early-opening-lanes-sh-121-preston/
And yes, companies that have been bankrupt several times over and bailed out with government hand me outs like Amtrak, does bother many people who pay for these economically “non-viable” firms to exist.
You lived in germany for 24 Years and still don’t have any german friends nor speak german properly ?
You are one expert for sure.
How can it be even clearer that you don’t give a wet fart about reality concerning germans or germany ?
How poor is that attitude ?
Oh and before I forget - certainly the yukon has more power then a Touareg - if you buy the small one...
There’s a 350 Hp modell of the touareg that gets 21 mpg still has a torq of 850 Nm from only 3 Liters - this motor gives you double power to the yukon but weighs only half of it.
Great car otherwise that yukon - looks hunky with its nearly flat surfaces - must be easy to build.
But don’t go faster the 55 or parts will fall of.
Your words speak volumes about you.
besides - you don’t need my words - you know germans (from your imagination)
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