Amtrak shows what it can do

Waterbury Republican-American ^ | August 25, 2007 | Editorial

[calex59]

But I think it's also ridiculous. Rail would have collapsed under its own weight a very long time ago, as would the airline industry have more than once, as the auto industry nearly did, as the steel industry did.

Everyone to their own opinion. Ridiculous? Hardly, government influence and largesse kept railroad passenger service running far beyond when it should and caused the railroads ultimate demise(at least on paper). Freight is still a viable option for trains. Passenger service would have had a revision with fast rail but railroads are so overloaded with subsidies now that they can 't make a profit no matter what. Short distance rail would outshine airplanes, especially the way planes are regulated and cause a person to spend about 5 hours waiting for layovers and departures for every hour spent in the air.

[SuziQ]

If I were a bidness traveler, going between the larger cities in the Northeast, I’d sure prefer riding the train over going on an airplane. Especially nowadays with all the delays in flights for weather, etc. Also, riding a train gets you right into the heart of the city, not way on the outskirts where you still have to get an expensive cab to get into town.

[SuziQ]

I had my first, "you're out of luck" experience flying this summer. It was July 3rd, and we were delayed leaving Gulfport MS, flying into Memphis. I missed my connection by about 5 mins. There were about 12 of us who missed the connection to Boston, including a lady in a wheelchair, for whom the arrival gate had called the departure gate in order to hold the plane, but they didn't do it.

So I was stuck in Memphis and not looking forward to sleeping in a chair, when I remembered that one of my brothers and his wife had recently moved to Southhaven MS! I called them, and fortunately, they had decided not to go anywhere that week, even though my brother was on vacation. They picked me up and I was able to spend a lovely evening visiting with them, had a nice shower and a comfortable bed, and my brother drove me back to the airport the following morning.

[elkfersupper]

Amtrak shows what it can do

The main thing it can do is suck up tax dollars while providing marginal benefits.

[goldstategop]

Amtrak can turn a profit... if the politicians stop saddling it with money-losing long distance routes.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[GAB-1955]

Let’s be clear. Rail hasn’t collapsed. Passenger rails have collapsed. Passenger service makes sense from 50 to 400 miles’ travel. The Northeast Corridor works well. Over that distance, flying is cheaper and takes less time.

[ericc4]

I agree security on trains is virtually nil.

That's exactly what I LOVE about rail travel. No having to stand in a long security line, walk through a metal detector, get my carry-on x-rayed, and get groped by some government stooge because I forgot to take my keys out of my pocket. If Amtrak really is seeing an increase in passengers, I'd bet the farm that the lack of security is a reason for it.

[JohnLongIsland]

amtrak is just another pork barrel project.

[JohnLongIsland]

BTW I once heard from a railroad employee that there was a train on the east coast that carries personal vehicles to Florida. I don't know if it is still running.

http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/am2Route/Vertical_Route_Page&c=am2Route&cid=1081256321200&ssid=136

[the invisib1e hand]

Let’s be clear. Rail hasn’t collapsed.

OK, let's be clear. I didn't say it has. This very fact refutes the other argument ("subsidies destroyed the railroad").

I am not an expert, but even I can see that the economics of rail transport are far different today then they were in the 70's and 80's; or the 50's and 60's.

[lentulusgracchus]

Passenger service makes sense from 50 to 400 miles’ travel. The Northeast Corridor works well. Over that distance, flying is cheaper and takes less time.

I think you just contradicted yourself. Flying is cheaper over a distance of 50 to 400 miles?

And how long is the NE Corridor? As the crow flies, my atlas makes it look like Boston-to-Georgetown is a shade over 350 miles.

[GAB-1955]

No, I said over 400 miles flying is cheaper and easier.

[meyer]

May I suggest wishing to be able to walk on water? You’ll be able to do that before trains with auto cars cars can average speeds of well over 150 mph.

Unfortunately, we live in a political climate that makes high-speed individual travel an impossibility. It took over a decade to get rid of Jimmy Carter's 55 mph speed limit. Imagine what effort it would take to design and build a highway worthy of 150+ mph travel.

[Fishrrman]

BigFinn writes:
Where’s the security on the trains??? I saw ZERO. They had better address this lack ... or they will have a Spain on their hands... mark my words.

The problem is that you simply can't monitor and screen passengers boarding a train in the same way you can screen passengers boarding an airplane.

You can't "control the space" at the entrances to a train like you can a plane, because a train has so many doors. Have you ever seen a Metro-North commuter train board at a busy stop? A 10-car train has 20 doors, a platform 900 feet long teeming with riders, and when the doors open, a rush to get in and off.

The TSA tried a few passenger-screening tests, using a detector that folks had to walk through. What's informative is that these "tests" were tried ONLY at a few stations that had a very low passenger volume. Of course, they didn't dare attempt to screen hundreds of passengers per minute at any BUSY stations, which would have resulted in frustration and tumult, as riders waited in line to pass through the machine while the trains they were waiting for arrived and then departed without them.

I have noticed a few "sniffer machines" installed at Penn Station, which I believe are there to detect the presence of common explosives. This is the only workable approach, in my opinion: to monitor and [hopefully] to intercept explosive materials as the jihadis enter the station perimeter (or move around BEFORE they get to track level). Once they're in the door of the station, it's too late, because they can do their damage even before they get on a train. If you blow up one train, another will pull in. Blow up the station, and the entire operation is out of business for a while.

Airplanes are the prime target for terrorists, of course. But they are also by far the easiest public transportation mode around which to build a ring of security. You simply can't put the same precautions in effect on trains, subways, or buses.

- John
(disclaimer: 28 years on the railroad this coming Friday)

[Fishrrman]

And how long is the NE Corridor? As the crow flies, my atlas makes it look like Boston-to-Georgetown is a shade over 350 mile

About 229 miles from Boston to New York.

And 229 more miles from New York to Washington.

- John