Amtrak Rides Again

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One good aspect of the proposed Obama budget is that Amtrak will get a significant increase in funding. If we truly want to reduce use the of gasoline, we need to make a significant commitment to rail travel. Amtrak can be a significant alternative to driving and air travel if it received proper support. The underfunding of Amtrak by the Bush Administration, and other administrations before it going back to the Reagan Administration, has been a sin.

To get people to drive less and still travel, we need to give them an alternative. Trains can be that alternative. We should be promoting
  • Faster trains between major cities - Chicago to St. Louis or Seattle, LA to Las Vegas, are just some routes that come to mind. If people felt the train could be reasonably close in travel time to flying, the comfort, easier security, and fact that trains deliver them downtown, would win over converts.
  • More "car train" routes - trains would be significantly more attractive if the riders know that at the other end their car will arrive with them. Getting a rental car in Orlando is both easy and cheap. But that is not true in the majority of cities. Consider taking a train to Myrtle Beach from Philly where I live. Amtrak stops at cities near Myrtle Beach but arrives at an hour when the rental agencies are not open. I'd have to rent a hotel room and get a car the next day. Allowing the rider to bring their car would make taking the train a very attractive alternative to driving that long distance.
  • Adding more trains arriving at better times - see the discussion of the trip to Myrtle Beach above. The other deterrent to taking the train is having to get off near my destination after midnight. A train arriving at a more favorable time would generate more riders.

Promoting trains will get people off the roads. This means less gas consumed for travel. It also means less wear and tear on the highways, which lowers road construction costs and lowers the use of oil, because oil is used in making asphalt for highways.

Unfortunately, Amtrak has been neglected up until now, primarily due to the efforts of Republican Administrations and Republicans in Congress. I welcome the Obama Administration's efforts to fund Amtrak and I hope someone at Amtrak is creative about making their trains competitive with other modes of transportation.

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