[Willie Green]

Actual Title: "New Study Shows Pennsylvania, A Leader In Rail Manufacturing, Is Poised To Benefit Economically If Next U.S. Transportation Bill Invests In Public Transit"

Edited to fit.

[SatinDoll]

What will the government do — force people at gunpoint to ride trains?

What a friggin’ waste of the taxpayer’s money!

[thecabal]

“Invest” == take taxpayer dollars at the barrel of a gun to subsidize train fanatics’ big toys.

[Wolfie]

This is what Federally subsidized transit spending does for Pennsylvania. Those who forget the past, and all:

Trolley Extension a 'Tragic Mistake'

[snowsislander]

The Duke University rail study found that manufacturers with facilities in Pennsylvania are Bombardier Transportation (Pittsburgh); Brookville Equipment (Brookville); Hyundai Rotem (Philadelphia); Kasgro Rail (New Castle); GE Transportation (Erie and Grove City); Amsted Industries (Camp Hill); Ansaldo STS USA (Pittsburgh); Bentech (Philadelphia); CAM Innovation Inc (Hanover); Converteam Inc (Pittsburgh); Mitsubishi Electric (Pittsburgh); North American Specialty Glass (Trumbauersville); ORX Railway (Tipton); Penn Machine Company (Blairsville); PHW (East Pittsburgh); Standard Steel (Pittsburgh and Burnham); USSC Group (Exton); UTC Rail Inc (Morton); Westcode Inc (Wilmerding and Greensburg); WEXCO Industries (Philadelphia); Young Windows (Conshohocken); and ZF Sachs Automotive of America (Pittsburgh). They produce a variety of equipment, including driving control systems, door systems, engines and windows.

That's it? Duke couldn't find any more than that? And quite a few of those are foreign companies: Bombardier, Hyundai, Ansaldo, Converteam, Mitsubishi, Westcode, and ZF Sachs. And I believe that most of the American companies listed are small ones.

[craigster_nc]

It would be more productive if the government just paid them to dig holes and fill them in. At least we wouldn't have to subsidize the holes to operate later with more government workers and pensions!

[mikey_hates_everything]

“Although the U.S. rail manufacturing industry is small — the report’s authors estimate its employment at between 10,000 and 14,000 employees — industry analysts expect it to grow due to pent-up demand for intercity and urban rail service.”

If unions are involved, expect that business to go to China.

[LibLieSlayer]

Do you support this?

LLS

[Mikey_1962]

Detroit to Chicago this weekend round trip via Amtrak: $142

Detroit to Chicago this weekend round trip via Southwest Airlines: $137

Why would I choose Amtrak?

[School of Rational Thought]

The Duke University rail study found that manufacturers with facilities in Pennsylvania are Bombardier Transportation (Pittsburgh); Brookville Equipment (Brookville); Hyundai Rotem (Philadelphia); Kasgro Rail (New Castle); GE Transportation (Erie and Grove City); Amsted Industries (Camp Hill); Ansaldo STS USA (Pittsburgh); Bentech (Philadelphia); CAM Innovation Inc (Hanover); Converteam Inc (Pittsburgh); Mitsubishi Electric (Pittsburgh); North American Specialty Glass (Trumbauersville); ORX Railway (Tipton); Penn Machine Company (Blairsville); PHW (East Pittsburgh); Standard Steel (Pittsburgh and Burnham); USSC Group (Exton); UTC Rail Inc (Morton); Westcode Inc (Wilmerding and Greensburg); WEXCO Industries (Philadelphia); Young Windows (Conshohocken); and ZF Sachs Automotive of America (Pittsburgh). They produce a variety of equipment, including driving control systems, door systems, engines and windows.

This is 22 companies. Where are the other four?

[Opinionated Blowhard]

I know Amtrak is a favorite target around here. I agree that Amtrak should not be subsidized but the true scandal here is that the government has made rail travel the mess it is. There is a place for an “Amtrak” with some level of government subsidy. Keep in mind that trucking companies get a huge subsidy in that they don’t own and maintain the roads. Airlines get a huge subsidy because they don’t own and pay for airports and the air traffic control system. A chunk of the Amtrak subsidy goes for maintaining the tracks. In addition, Congress really meddles in where Amtrak stops, how many stops it has and, of course, pressures Amtrak to give in to union demands. Rail unions are the most powerful unions in the country—no question. More powerful than teachers’ unions and government employee unions. If Amtrak were allowed to operate in a relatively free market (free of government direction) and got a reasonable subsidy for track building and maintenance, passenger rail travel would work.

[Erik Latranyi]

Rail in Pennsylvania is a great example to use!

First, they have subsidized rail lines that nobody wants to use and have no consistent demand.

Second, the Lackawanna Cutoff, a route that could be restored cheaply to connect the Poconos to NYC for daily commuters, received no funding. They only need about $40 million to restore old rail lines to serve several hundred thousand commuters and the Feds instead allocated $8 billion to new, high-speed lines with no promise of ridership.

[Republic of Texas]

If it’s such a great idea, why does Pennsylvania need Federal money?

[jimt]

Let’s all rush out and break a window to stimulate the economy !

Pissing away money on loser trains is just as stupid.

[BfloGuy]

industry analysts expect it to grow due to pent-up demand for intercity and urban rail service

There is no pent up consumer demand for rail service. Why would there be? If demand existed in the first place, the market would have met it.

Do not fall for justifications of passenger rail subsidies with phony economic blather. They're as fake as claims that cap-and-trade is a market solution to pollution.

[SoothingDave]

Willie, if you really think mass transit boondoggles are not a waste, try coming to town and looking at that giant useless tunnel they’re digging under the Allegheny.

BTW, PAT is again claiming it has no funds to operate its normal routes and must raise fares and cut services.

[Lurker]

Government sponsored thieves nearly always benefit from other peoples money.

It's the stolen from who are the losers.

[dalereed]

Flat out welfare, kill it!

[avid]

Rail in the US is unbelievably underdeveloped. Amtrak only served 29 million passenger in 2008 and has 19000 employess. Deutsche Bahn served 1.9 billion passengers in 2008 and has 240000 employees! And Germany has a much smaller population than the US.