The freight railroads lobbied congress to take passenger rail away…Congress, getting re-election money from these railroads, did just that. Lifted the responsibility right away.
This federal program of passenger rail, called Amtrak, just didn’t work. As easily as Congress took these railroad’s responsibilities away 34 years ago, let’s just give it back.
President Bush is all for making business live up to its commitments. Its time to admit that Amtrak just didn’t work. The taxpayers just need to throw this ball back to the server, private enterprise - THE FREIGHT RAILROADS!
…I’m sure that will not happen. They had to get out from under the expense of it to survive…So I don’t know how the Adminstration believes it can go to priviate enterprize and run it like a business…Businesses need to make money to survive and the passenger rail operation is a service that is not going to make money.
I can hear it now, all those high moral, family value republicians jumbing on this band-wagon! Let’s get private enterprise envoled with passenger rail! Give it back to BIG BUSINESS! They can make this failed government operation work!
THe freight roads need to run passenger rail. or find someone who know what they’re doing, and who WANTS to make a profit. if someone wants it bad enough it’ll get done
Give it back to the owners that gave up on it back in the 60’s? Passenger rail has been hurting since long before Amtrak was formed. Even Amtrak is failing and the government finally got rid of the subsiderary. It was a waste of the average taxpayers money to support railways when they would rather drive their own cars or fly.
Next year it will have been 50 years that air has had more passengers than rail. Cars, busses, and airplanes have become prefered modes of transportation over rail. Even Freight railroads don’t want passenger trains around anymore.
I personally like the convenience of my car over any other modes especially rail.
Why would they take it back? If they were forced why would they run first/second class trains? Just think how late your train would be!!! It would take weeks to travel from Chicago to NY.
During the fifties, it was decided that a defense of US soil required an investment in what we call the “Interstate Highway System.” For more than twenty years a big stipend from the Defense budget went to build the Interstate Highway System!
Everyday the city of SPARKS and RENO along with WASHOE county sends money to the airport. Gosh, what do you call that?
President Bush, has so much enthusiasm for privatizing of government programs, again, lets just give it back to “BIG BUSINESS,” those people that spent good money pushing congress to take it off their hands! They where private and in business! So if anyone could make money - they could because they are in business and are companies!
You’re theory of, “The railroads used to run passenger trains, and now that the government doesn’t want to, the railroads should have to.” Makes no sense to me, perhaps I’m just not educated enough, but I don’t see why.
The railroads didn’t force the government to make Amtrak, the Railroads just didn’t want to run passenger service anymore. It was the government that
Try Canada and the C.P.R. they were Given thousands of square miles of land for free -----------provided-----they supply passenger service, well, they are not, do we get our land back?? somehow I don’t think we will. Now they have a private museum of antique passenger cars and locomotives they run on their lines for their favorite customers.
Mostly it makes no sense to you because, you’ve never witnessed the regulation of the industry and that industry’s responsibility to the community!. You have no sense of right or wrong! Much to young to understand!!!
If Congress gave Amtrak the Money it gives Highways 35 Billion this Year and Airlines 15 Billion Dollars Amtrak would be great shape. Last Year 25 Million people ride Amtrak. [8D]
…They did provide passenger service - for about 6 decades, and later in history when passenger service was no longer as necessary as it was in the pioneer days, the railways asked to get out of it - MANY times, and eventually the government did let them out of it, sounds like the railways did a pretty good job of holding up their end of the bargin to me.
It’s not like the RRs set up passenger service for a few months or years, then stopped willy nilly, the government gave them permission to stop (AFTER 6 decades of service), and therefore the railways did nothing wrong.
Well, that comment didn’t really help me understand you side of the discussion. All I got out of it was that the government is almighty and everyone should do what they say no questions asked. That sounds a little Fascist to me.
If nobody can run passenger train service at a profit I’ll just take the bus or learn to stay close to home. I don’t care to fly and I won’t starve because I can still walk or take a bus to all the necessities of life.
…I don’t know what the answer is but one thing is clear…The Railroad Co’s couldn’t and won’t return to major rail passenger business…They can’t afford it for one thing and they would not agree to do it again. It nearly drove them out of ready cash {business}, before Amtrak was formed to releave them of the responsibility.
It seems to me that there’s a type mismatch between passenger trains and freight trains. Passengers are a very low-density and easily hurt type of cargo, while the bread and butter of freight railroads is high-density and tough cargo.
The only effective solution I see is to seperate the two types of train and keep them apart. Freight can plod along at 10-25 mph while passengers can whizz along at 150 mph. (I am talking high-speed rail.)
Amtrak service should be discontinued where its losing money, the engines and cars reassigned to trains as needed and then less money spent overseas and more spent on US. JMHO.