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Trains News Wire EXCLUSIVE: Thanksgiving weekend trains packed
Gee, Amtrak and the state of Illinois did something right, and it worked. This will blow the silly Guse’s mind.
I can add to the report that although there were no extra Hiawathas, the regular ones were packed.
Making a bunch of dollars accommodating a lot of people and AMTK and Michigan did not want to staff the cafe car? Hard to fathom.
Steal even more from the provider class to subsidize the recipient class. Of course, more recipients will use the almost free transportation. There can be no other result. That is basic socialist economics. Saul Alinsky would be very proud of Amtrak. While this dog and pony circus act was happening, I noticed red state America gets around just fine without Amtrak, despite being forced to pay for it in full. But how about those bus companies and airlines. Why don’t they require full subsidy of their crews and equipment? And they pay taxes while Amtrak receives taxes, sorry, I meant welfare. Then there are those private sector freight railroads. Why don’t they require any subsidy to turn a profit? Could it be that big government almost wrecked them during WWI and the owners decided government imposed welfare isn’t the answer? If anything, the freight railroads have to subsidize Amtrak by holding back several profitable freight trains to allow a money loser on the track for free.
Forget politics, I just hope to see all those extra trains travel and arrive safely, and I hope that the rest of the USA can see Passenger Train availability increase!
Bus companies get the subsidy of tax dollars to provide roads and the airlines get the subsidy of FAA. Look at the federal budget Jeffrey and you would realize that user fees don’t support the full amount that government spends to provide infrastructure for your supposedly private business enterprise of buses and planes you allude too. Have an honest discussion instead of being a troll.
I’m sure the governor of Michigan doesn’t want Amtrak to succeed.
Silly Guse, you are wrong several ways.
Red State America does not pay for the extra trains that ran last weekend, they are all state supported trains, so IF they lost money, it only came from Illinois’, Michigan’s, and California’s budgets.
In case you haven’t noticed, freight railroads are also getting subsidies from federal and state governments. Ever hear of the Norfolk Southern projects to improve clearances for double stacks from Chicago to Norfolk and from Harrisburg to the South? CSX’s similar project from Chicago to Baltimore? Lots of state and federal money going into those. And you know why? Because the states figured out that it’s cheaper to improve the railroads than to add highway capacity to move the same amount of freight. Amtrak doesn’t even run on most of the lines involved, so you can’t blame it on that.
Why did the railroads almost die after WWII? Because government taxed them up the wazoo and spent the money to build highways to compete with them!
Also, one of the reddest states there is, North Carolina, is spending gobs of money on Amtrak because it has figured out that it makes more sense than building more highways. It even owns some of the trains Amtrak runs for it.
The best government policy is not always the cheapest way to do something.
As chairman of the Western Michigan Region, Michigan
Association of Railroad Passengers (WM-MARP) in 1984
when the Pere Marquette Amtrak train service was
started, I have waited nearly 30 years to see this
amount of cooperation. A BIG THANK YOU! ! ! to
everyone who made this happen!
Mr. Guse-
Three things. I’ll keep it simple.
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Red states, in general, get more federal dollars than their “provider class” pays in. In particular case, Fed fuel tax flows from states like NJ to states like South Dakota. This makes the red states a “recipient class”. Why isn’t this an issue for you?
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Red state mobility: Talk to anyone who drove I-75 through GA last Sat or Sun and get back to me about “red state America gets around just fine”…even with their subsidy from the blue states.
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There is a lot wrong with Amtrak, but full trains and better equipment turns over the holiday is not one of them I suspect these trains netted Amtrak some free cash flow.
Your opinions are devoid of supporting facts…conveniently. Most ideologs who try to divide Americans into classes do this. Try some milk with that Christmas cookie instead of Kool-aid or Tea…
“High ridership on Thanksgiving” really?? I’m a passenger conductor, T/giving is always the highest travel time of the year; just ask any passenger trainman or anyone who travels at this time. The news is that you let that nitwit Guse continue his baseless rants in this forum. The guy doesn’t have the brains that God gave to a coupler knuckle. I bet if you check passenger manifest records you will find T/giving has always been the busiest travel time of the year. Or just ask the old heads that are now retired. How about it guys; hasn’t T/giving always been hell week? Be safe everyone
Wow! The dispatchers and schedulers must be Experts at the game of Chess!!
New York and California pay more in federal tax dollars then they receive in federal tax dollars. Texas receives more in federal spending then they pay in federal taxes as do the vast majority of red states.
Guse, your political comments are akin to goose excreta all over a park during winter or migration season! Highways are heavily subsidized, ditto with airports. I would like to see passenger rail service return to my region, I detest flying anymore, mainly because of the TSA goons, which are nearly as idiotic as you!!
From the big red state of Texas. This guy Guse sure can enjoy a Thanksgiving drive on I-45 from Houston to Dallas . You’ll get to see a lot of scenery going 15 to 35 mph! Btw who the hell pays for IAH,HOU,DFW?
Mr. Oltmann and Mr. Streeter: Your comments made my day. It’s really so easy when you pay attention and THINK.
doing more turns on a busy travel day is surely better
equipment utilization and a means to generate more revenue –
but let’s face it, it also helped people get where they needed to
go – however many thousands of extra people rode amtrak
over the weekend of thanksgiving, they didn’t ride because
they are the “provider” class or the “receiver” class – they rode
because they were trying to get somewhere and amtrak
was the means to this end. that, in itself, is a good thing.
i had to fly – and my regular airline (an airline i like, by the
way) did not add one single extra plane, to anywhere.
i also had to drive – in a red state – and there was a period
(on thanksgiving day) when we all put on the emergency brakes and just waited on I - 25. we did meet some nice folks
parked in the cars all around us, tho…
It is great seeing people get back into those passenger cars. After seeing all the planes sitting at the airport and cars sitting on those super convenient highways it is making more sense every holiday travel to let the trains do the pulling. No politics here the Trains is making a great come back.
Many toll roads on the highway system LOST A TON OF MONEY because they failed to increase the toll rates and abolish the discounts to reduce traffic congestion and bring the debts down on the roads we owe money on. They lost far more and several times over than what Amtrak did over the holiday weekend. It’s strange we never hear the silly Guse rant about the tolls or support his principles of supply and demand to toll road traffic. That’s really worth that discount to sit and creep along at 15 MPH for use of the toll road when using a secondary road or highway may have been quicker and cheaper(best of all-free from tolls!). that will make driving look very appealing to go about 5-10 MPH faster. Needles to say, and worst of all, especially with privatized toll roads, the money does not even go to either red or blue states-it is shipped off overseas to pay off greedy foreign investors. I’m not about to fall for that foolish mistake and using those toll roads is UN-AMERICAN!