train to nowhere?

[yarrow]

train to nowhere?

 

[John Bredin]

train to nowhere?

I've been to Milwaukee several times, both by car and Amtrak, and I can attest that (1) it is not "nowhere" and (2) people do ride the trains. I've also been to Madison, alas by car because there's no rail service, and it also is not "nowhere." University, state capitol, and all that.

I am tired of the "billions to build roads and millions to clean and police them, but not a penny for rail" attitude. But I am utterly sick and tired of groundless opining that nobody will ride trains because the given author or commentator won't. The Big Lie theory lives.

 

[Bootman4U]

I read the artricle and I see there is the usual whining about the cost...compared to some other "ventures" our Government is in the middle of right now I'd say the whole rail thing is a bargain.

BUT, the overall attitude here in the US just does not support the idea of frequent public rail transport,,and once you GET there, the current infrastructures/public transport systems in our destinations don't support the whole concept either..unfortunately.

And as to the 'cost' whine..well, later ON there'll be this amazing realization about how we should have done it years ago....and now that it is even MORE costly.....

 

[KurtisB]

Agreed. Before they make such statements, they should try to see for themselves.

For example, if someone were to say to me "No one rides trains in Atlanta", I'd tell them "Go to the Amtrak station at 8AM and you will see the station, even if it is small, crowded."

Until they are willing to see for themselves, they should simply not make totally uneducated and biased guesses.

Hate to be so harsh, but I tell it like I see it, my friends.

Just my $0.02

Kurtis

 

[saxman]

I just left a tactful comment for them. I guess the author thinks one train a day, the Empire Builder, is enough. Also I'm not aware of any shuttle bus from Columbus to Madison?

 

[la native]

train to nowhere?

You need only look at the success of the Pacific Surfliner route, esp. btwn San Diego and LA, to put the like to the point of this commentary.

There were only 3 trains in each direction in 1980, when the State of California began augmenting the meager Amtrak service. Now there are as many as 12 a day in each direction, and most are nearly full all days of the week. The use by students at UC San Diego is just one example of a previously unserved population flocking to convenient hearby rail service.

And everyone needs to remember that the Surfliner operates on a clogged, mostly single-track line pretty much unchanged from a century ago. Even with high-speed rail, double-tracking of the line--for a pittance of the cost for hi-speed rail, would bring running times under two hours, faster than you can drive the I-5 at 2 a.m., about the only time these days when it's not congested.

 

[CORECTDla native]

train to nowhere?

You need only look at the success of the Pacific Surfliner route, esp. btwn San Diego and LA, to put the like to the point of this commentary.

There were only 3 trains in each direction in 1980, when the State of California began augmenting the meager Amtrak service. Now there are as many as 12 a day in each direction, and most are nearly full all days of the week. The use by students at UC San Diego is just one example of a previously unserved population flocking to convenient hearby rail service.

And everyone needs to remember that the Surfliner operates on a clogged, mostly single-track line pretty much unchanged from a century ago. Even with high-speed rail, double-tracking of the line--for a pittance of the cost for hi-speed rail, would bring running times under two hours, faster than you can drive the I-5 at 2 a.m., about the only time these days when it's not congested.

QUOTE (yarrow @ Thu, Mar 4, 2010, 09:10 AM) *

train to nowhere?

GEEZ, I had more typos than the snowbound Empire Builder had delays last month!! Here's a corrected version that might make more sense!

You need only look at the success of the Pacific Surfliner route, esp. btwn San Diego and LA, to put the LIE to the point of this commentary.

There were only 3 trains in each direction in 1980, when the State of California began augmenting the meager Amtrak service. Now there are as many as 12 a day in each direction, and most are nearly full all days of the week. The use by students at UC San Diego is just one example of a previously unserved population flocking to convenient NEARBY rail service.

And everyone needs to remember that the Surfliner operates on a clogged, mostly single-track line pretty much unchanged from a century ago. Even WITHOUT high-speed rail, double-tracking of the line--for a pittance of the cost for hi-speed rail, would bring running times under two hours, faster than you can drive the I-5 at 2 a.m., about the only time these days when it's not congested.

 

[the_traveler]

When I first read the title of the thread, I thought it was about one of my trips! :lol:

Nobody rides trains? I know KIN is on the NEC, but it is far from a major station. There are 10+ Regionals that stop at KIN each day in each direction, and I don't think I've seen under 10-15 people board each train! And not only on the NEC, most trains I've been on are nearly full

 

[JSmith]

Oh, a $6 million a year subsidy to get rail from Milwaukee to Chicago... cry me a river. John Norquist, former mayor of Milwaukee, pointed out that for the $500 million that the state DOT was spending to upgrade a single highway interchange in downtown Milwaukee, they could have built a 20 mile commuter rail system connecting the Milwaukee suburbs to downtown.

 

[BigBlueBuddha]

train to nowhere?

The writer is a complete idiot.

"A bus connects Madison to Amtrak service at Columbus. The Empire Builder covers the 65 track miles between Madison and Columbus in one hour, 10 minutes."

Huh? :blink:

1) Madison to Columbus is 30 miles, not 65 miles.

2) The Empire Builder does not go to Madison.

3) There is no bus between Madison and Columbus (as others have pointed out).

 

[Monon81]

Oh, a $6 million a year subsidy to get rail from Milwaukee to Chicago... cry me a river. John Norquist, former mayor of Milwaukee, pointed out that for the $500 million that the state DOT was spending to upgrade a single highway interchange in downtown Milwaukee, they could have built a 20 mile commuter rail system connecting the Milwaukee suburbs to downtown.

And, a few years later, we can use figures on the same order of magnitude for the Zoo Interchange, a few miles west of the recently finished Marquette Interchange.

I-94 from Madison to Milwaukee is nearly saturated. Same deal with I-90/39 Madison-Rockford. Driving is unpleasant and a waste of time. Hiawatha Service CHI-MKE is well utilized, and I look forward to its extension to Madison.

Even a meager second frequency CHI-MSP would be a tremendous improvement.

As was mentioned already, the writer of that letter is sadly misinformed.

 

[Bob Dylan]

train to nowhere?

The writer is a complete idiot.

"A bus connects Madison to Amtrak service at Columbus. The Empire Builder covers the 65 track miles between Madison and Columbus in one hour, 10 minutes."

Huh? :blink:

1) Madison to Columbus is 30 miles, not 65 miles.

2) The Empire Builder does not go to Madison.

3) There is no bus between Madison and Columbus (as others have pointed out).

Probably heard it on a local version of Rush Limbaugh/Glenn Beck or read it on the internet (that damn commie liberal conspiracy to undermine "our" country! Like most things right now concerning government and help to those that need it the "red hots" and their Republican stooges in Washington are against everything! If only we had those Presidents that wanted to kill Amtrak (this includes Carter and Clinton too, not Bush bashing!) we could fix it so everyone had to drive, fly! or ride a bus! That's the ticket, yeah!

 

[wayman]

train to nowhere?

The writer is a complete idiot.

"A bus connects Madison to Amtrak service at Columbus. The Empire Builder covers the 65 track miles between Madison and Columbus in one hour, 10 minutes."

Huh? :blink:

1) Madison to Columbus is 30 miles, not 65 miles.

2) The Empire Builder does not go to Madison.

3) There is no bus between Madison and Columbus (as others have pointed out).

Also, the whole idea that someone from Prairie du Chien -- population 6,108 -- writing in the La Crosse newspaper, thinks Madison -- their state capital, and major university city -- is the middle of nowhere is pretty hilarious.

 

[hoosierboy]

I always love it when a "media" type suddenly discovers that taxpayers are "subsidizing" something. Gee, I didn't know that police and fire services were "subsidized" and "losing money." Wow, I didn't know that government money paid for schools, roads, bridges, airports, locks and dams, river dredging, or any of that. We lost a ton of money putting GPS systems up there in space, but I don't hear any of these "investigative" reporters wanting to either give up their Garmin's or start paying a service fee to use it. And didn't the space program give us insulated socks and "Tang"? Priceless!

Sometimes government actually works and gives us a way to get what we need and want as a civilized society. Then again, sometimes government wastes a ton of dollars padding their pockets and enriching their good buddies.

 

[Guest]

I always love it when a "media" type suddenly discovers that taxpayers are "subsidizing" something. Gee, I didn't know that police and fire services were "subsidized" and "losing money." Wow, I didn't know that government money paid for schools, roads, bridges, airports, locks and dams, river dredging, or any of that. We lost a ton of money putting GPS systems up there in space, but I don't hear any of these "investigative" reporters wanting to either give up their Garmin's or start paying a service fee to use it. And didn't the space program give us insulated socks and "Tang"? Priceless!
Sometimes government actually works and gives us a way to get what we need and want as a civilized society. Then again, sometimes government wastes a ton of dollars padding their pockets and enriching their good buddies.

kind of like in Monty Python's Life of Brian