Amtrak Forums

[BuzzKillington]

Amtrak forums have become a lot more upbeat and interesting over the past 6 months or so. While all that used to be talked about was on board service cuts and train cancellations, now it is a completely different story. People are looking at long term growth for Amtrak instead of wondering how they are going to survive when their old equipment gives out. Now, new equipment is coming (hopefully) and new services may be in the making. This is a far cry from under the Bush administration who would have rather have seen this business die.

While it used to be pretty much a given in these forums that we were only holding on to the services we had then for a while before they got worse, it is now a new age in railroading (hopefully) where soon, the slow speeds, padded schedules and diner lites will be a thing of the past!

 

[Guest_Birdy_*]

Yes, it sure is. I'm a recent arrival to the forum after a highly marginal (yet hugely successful) commuter rail came to my town.

NYT this morning has an article to the effect that transit ridership is at 50 year high and holding steady despite decrease in gasoline prices. Interest seems to be up all over, as people awaken to the possiblities.

The latest is that there will be a transportation bill in the fall, with considerable expectation that there will be yet another round of funding for rail in addition to the 13 bil already planned, as the first two rounds were so well received by the public.

The republicans have been adamantly opposed to all this, and the new administration has decided that they can make considerable political hay by being on the other side of the issue, so now rail appears to be heading into something like "wedge issue" status--which should be the political sweet spot.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

Whatever else he may be, Obama has been good for Amtrak. I'm not going anywhere else with that.