I have thoroughly enjoyed Bob Johnston’s article: A Winter’s Tale on the Builder in June 2007 issue of Trains. I particularly appreciated the way he showed the important role long-distance passenger trains have in moving people safely and comfortably across the country (any country).
He used the example of Amtrak’s Empire Builder service on Wednesday, Feb 28 this year. Bob was able to show that one can’t just say “just fly ‘em, it would be cheaper” as the critics resort to. Not everyone’s origins and destinations fall nice and tidy flight routes.
His final paragraph really said so much with so few words when he said:
No. this Builder wasn’t bulging with vacationers. It was a wounded duck in winter. But it provided travelers a safe, dignified way of getting from everywhere to everywhere.
Well said!
Similar situation down here in the state of Queensland. For example, the Sunlander travels about 1,000 miles, from Brisbane in the south east corner, northwards, up the coast to Cairns in the Far North (of course and back again). Along the way, it visits many towns and cities.
Yes, many of the passengers are senior citizens travelling on discounted tickets, and yes, this service like other long distance pax trains, are subsidised by the state government. Surely these folk, who have paid taxes their working lives, are entitled to be assisted to safely, travel from A to B, especially when their “A” and “B” don’t fit in with flight routes.
Additionally, down here, many regional flight routes aren’t that cheap and rail is a safe, affordable alternative for many people.
A big Thank You to Bob Johnston for his article which