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Amtrak speeds up, adjusts Michigan schedules
What the article is tell me is now Amtrak is able to get to Chicago in the same amount of time as a bus. Before the supposed 110 MPH speed, a bus was faster.
Instead of wasting taxpayer money on unconstitutional pork laden big government welfare transportation, cut the spending, which will cut the growing debt. Amtrak at best is the poster child for everything wrong with government shoving its collective nose in where it doesn’t belong.
I would really love it if Bob Johnston would call MDOT and ask them why they are STILL in negotiation with NS over this line. I though this was a done deal quite some time ago.
Jeffery, if the government got out of transportation spending as you suggest, the highway transporting the bus would be shut down and the private railroads could go back into the passenger train business.
I might inclined to agree with you, Mr. Guse except for the fact that the Bus companies don’t design, build and maintain their own highways. Who does? Federal and State governments! There go those darn governments again: sticking their collective nose where it doesn’t belong!
It is always interesting, no one notes the fact we had a strong transportation system operated by “Free Enterprise”. Then the Feds can in an built a competitive system at government expense and helped dismantle the competitive, profit induced system. No we can’t even maintain, let alone to build more “Super Slabs”, even with the mythical miracle funding set up in the '50’s. By the way, although the Federal Government gives welfare to Amtrak, the physical plant most trains operate on pay local taxes, something the highways DO NOT.
I hate to bust your bubble but the nus pays hwy use tax on fuel purchased in each state. They just have to physically maintain their plant the way R.R. do.
On September 12, 2012, I was a passenger on Train 351 and the train arrived in Chicago twenty-five minutes ahead of the scheduled arrival time. The total travel time to Chicago was faster than if I had driven my car or taken a bus - and much more enjoyable. Good for Michigan! We need more high speed
rail in other states and less cars and buses on the roads.
Good job, Mr. James! You thoroughly discredited Mr. Guse’s comments. I would have used the same argument. Mr. Guse also conveniently leaves out that Megabus et.al operates between Amtrak’s major endpoint cities, like CHI-DET and CHI-STL non-stop. And if, I am not saying they are, but if the bus drivers are operating over the posted speed limits, no one is watching. Locomotive engineers in any service cannot get away with that.
If the bus companies had to design, build, operate, and maintain their own rights of way the fares would be in the stratosphere.
Train #351 must have the fastest schedule on the Amtrak network - the 138 miles from Kalamazoo to Chicago Union are supposed to be rattled off in 72 minutes, I make that an average speed of 107 mph!
Trains towards Chicago appear to have been speeded up more than those heading away from the Windy City,
Kudos to those who have refuted Mr. Gue’s comments. Railroads, unlike highways, pay property taxes. Leave it up to government to put private enterprise out of business for a “tax and spend” project known as the network of Interstate Highway Defense System. Needed? Yes, but it never paid for or bought into it by itself. If privatizing the system is such a good idea by selling off the right of way to private enterprise, don’t forget to collect property taxes on those private roads.
By the way, you can drive your car on those private roads at your own risk, since the government will no longer be liable, which will have attorneys smiling. Who’s going to buy I-94 for the worthless crappy condition it has been in for years? Most of these private investors can’t even make a decent mercy bid to buy out the road.
Victor - the story notes the 1 hour time change going from Kalamazoo to Chicago. If I’m taking that correctly, it means the travel time is actually 2 hours and 12 minutes, but turning back your watch enroute makes your arrival time in Chicago just 72 minutes after you left. Like taking the Concorde across the Atlantic from London to New York and arriving before you left.