[Publius]

Building a first class rail system has nothing to do with Amtrak. They can abolish it for all I care. The idea is to use federal help to build first class rail infrastructure. Once that is done, American ingenuity in the private sector can take care of passenger rail.

[caddie]

Publius is saying what I meant. The Feds could establish an infrastructure, an arena in which railroad companies (private) could compete and actually get good.

Rodney, I would be so pissed if I could not get a beer on an Amtrak -- seriously, I know how you feel.

I would go to Holland, where the trains run to the second on time, get you from city to city in nothing flat, and, some Dutch gal comes down the aisle with a cart bearing candy, coffee, papers to read and Heinekens to drink.

And go check out the TGV.

It goes so fast, you can't look out the window sometimes without getting a little queasy.

Smooth, quiet, it would beat a 737 in a race between two cities as far apart as Indianapolis and St. Louis, and anything nearer. No kidding.

Don't bum out because you are seeing Amtrak and imagining that as the future of the American Rail System.

If I believed it were, I would not be arguing my points.