Here is an editorial that appeared in in this mornings San Antonio Express-News.
NOTE: This covered Texas in scope but its good reading nevertheless:
http://www.mysanantonio.com/opinion/stories/MYSA060406.McWilliamscomment.en.4e4b0444.html
I just read the article and agree with much of it.
But let’s do this for the whole country and not just Texas. The Federal Government and State Governments could look into lines that have been Rail Banked and also look into taking back lines that have gone into Rail To Trails.
It is time to stop looking for airlines and roads to be the major transporation areas. I don’t want to fly and I certainly don’t want to drive long distant either.
If even a small amount of money, compared to the VAST sumes given to roads and airlines/airports, were put into a true national rail system it would be good for the country. It would create jobs, reduce the demand for gas/oil, and be environmentally friendly all at the same time. It would also reduce the amount of traffic on the hiways and possibly even reduce the number of traffic deaths. It is a win-win situation all the way around.
I would like to see at least one more east/west line running from the east coast to the west coast about the middle of the country. Right now the only east/west choices are way north or way south. From where I live you must go either to Dallas or Chicago to go east/west on a passenger train. [:(!]
I just read the article and agree with much of it.
But let’s do this for the whole country and not just Texas. The Federal Government and State Governments could look into lines that have been Rail Banked and also look into taking back lines that have gone into Rail To Trails.
It is time to stop looking for airlines and roads to be the major transporation areas. I don’t want to fly and I certainly don’t want to drive long distant either.
If even a small amount of money, compared to the VAST sumes given to roads and airlines/airports, were put into a true national rail system it would be good for the country. It would create jobs, reduce the demand for gas/oil, and be environmentally friendly all at the same time. It would also reduce the amount of traffic on the hiways and possibly even reduce the number of traffic deaths. It is a win-win situation all the way around.
I just noticed that the day I posted in the thread it made 2 copes of it. I came back and wrote a little more in the first one but didn’t realize it had a copy.
The forum was having some trouble that day too.
Anyway, I am all for doing things like Amtrak to get cars/small trucks off the road and save gas/oil.
I think we need a national energy plan that includes Amtrak as a way to reduce our need for foreign oil. It will be necessary for the state and feds to all work together to accomplish it.
I also think that some states, like Texas and California, could be the forefront in leading the nation into a better national rail system.
I agree,
At a public hearing on the TTC in Hill Co. I spoke on this very subject…Rail is the only way to go,get cars off the road ,put people on trains and let the trucks have I35…I think if everyone who read this article would send a email to the paper and let them know how much support there is for rail travel it might get Washington’s attention and get something started…[2c]
I am a young railfan (26) who aspires to work for one of Americas railroads. I believe Amtrak is a necessary mode of transportation that is in need of investmernt in America. Anything I can do to help Amtrak survive I would like information so that I can do or try to do. Thank You for reading this.
Cedric,
Join the national rail passengers assoc…They lobby for rail passenger service nation wide…If there is a state or region association in your area join it to…My son works for bnsf and loves it…
I read the article. I must confess I found the responses to it to be a little mis-directed. Amtrak is a joke so let’s spend even more money on the idea? The only way you are going to eliminate such extraordinary travel times like 8 hours to get to Dallas is if Amtrak had its own rail network - completely independent of any freight traffic at all. This would inlvove a lot more than a fraction of the money currently spent on roads. You are taking about numbers in the tens of billions of dollars. Maybe even hundreds of billions. Is a national rail passenger network in that great of a need? (Keep in mind, by need I am referring to it being in demand, not somebody deciding that this is something we should ‘have’). While passenger rail networks are a success to a certain degree in European countries, I don’t think the same principle applies here. There is a far greater are to cover with a substantially larger infrastructure to build. All this in the hopes that people ‘may’ choose to ride it over their personal automobile. Such a choice is not one that most Americans would make. Would people give up their freedom in a car for a train? Yes, at one time this was the way to travel across country, but those days are over. People like their cars, even if gas is three bucks a gallon. I hardly think investing billions and billions in a system that would most likely not earn back its cost in investment capitol is the solution to this. And where would the money come to pay for all of this? The taxpayer of course! Why not. They have deep pockets, right?