Should Amtrak Stay?

[Conrail]

VOTE

 

[capltd29]

WOuld you mind elaborating on what you mean by "should Amtrak stay"?

Do you mean in it's current form?

 

[Anthony]

I'm going to hold off pinning this until we have some clarification

 

[Rick]

Yes...absolutely Amtrak should remain, and with the additional/proper amount of funding that it deserves. Amtrak is not a moneymaker and never will be.....it should be viewed as a service, for that is what it is. A country the size and scope of the continental United States deserves an efficient national passenger rail system...not some privatized piecemeal mess as proposed by the narrow minded Bush administration. There are those here who certainly have a better knowledge of the political and fiscal realities that Amtrak faces than I. Yes, possible reforms within the system can be made...within reason, but this can be said of any organization from the corner "mom and pop" grocery store to the largest of corperations. All I can say is that having recently experienced Amtrak with family in tow, the service and overall encounter was excellent. I, for one, am so tired of seeing Amtrak being held at the brink...hopefully I will live long enough to see a change in the political climate that will view and treat Amtrak as the necessary and viable entity that it is now and shall ever be.......hopefully be, anyway!!!

 

[Chatter163]

Is such a poll even necessary in an Amtrak forum? I mean, what does one reasonably EXPECT the results will be? :blink:

 

[AmtrakFan]

I want to stay put America needs trains. Amtrak needs proper funding to keep going.

 

[Guest]

I need proper funding to keep going, too. Send some money my way.

 

[Eric]

I believe Amtrak should absolutely stay. It is a public service - it is not about making cash. The fact that this is even a question for an administration throwing hundreds of billions of dollars into operations that benefit an elite few and do no good at all for the citizens of this country (and even kill many) should come as no surprise, I guess - but it is really a sad state of affairs. I, for one, am sick and tired of the corporate greed that is bleeding those of us here in the mid-lower class dry. I'll be on an Amtrak train in a few days time for the annual vacation - and it is something I look forward to every year - I will be very disappointed if egos and the short sited desire for personal gain destroy a system so intertwined with the roots of this country.

As for the poster who said that he/she needed help and some cash to make ends meet - those programs are called disability, social security, unemployment, welfare, federal student loans, pell grants, low income housing, etc - so playing that card is, to me, not an effective argument.

~ Eric

 

[saxman]

of course it should stay. This is a Amtrak forum...oh and who the heck voted NO???

 

[GG-1]

of course it should stay. This is a Amtrak forum...oh and who the heck voted NO???

Bush and Company :lol:

 

[AmtrakWPK]

Hmmmm.. 2 No votes. I guess we've been "graced" by both Bush and Mineta. OK, who taught 'em to use computers???? "Fess up!!

Or maybe it's just a couple of people who have bad aim with a mouse.

 

[Conrail]

you the heck would vote no?????????????

 

[racer1735]

Yes, it should stay. But there should be ongoing input into how it can better utilize funding (it should receive funding as do the airlines, highways, etc.). Possible solutions could be as drastic as dropping lines that are showing low ridership or implementing Amtrak for local commuter service in markets where mass transit isn't currently offered (but would be desirable). Pie in the sky? Yes. But you asked.

 

[Guest]

What an idiotic survey.

 

[haolerider]

I agree. There is really no need for this survey, since everyone on this Forum has already made their thoughts known - especially since it is an Amtrak board. What do you expect to accomplish that hasn't already been said or stated?

 

[Anthony]

Conrail, I have cleaned up some of your posts in this poll. I am going to lock this and refer you to this post, an announcement from some time ago. Thanks and happy railfanning.