As I was looking at Amtrak posters and artwork, the question came to mind, will train travel ever get back to the success it once enjoyed? I don't mean the white linen and fresh flowers, but Frequencies and Expansion of services. Since I have been on this form, we have lost part of the Sunset Limited, but gained more Virginia service. But, no other increases or decreases. Sunset Limited reduction was inevitable, it just needed an excuse. I wonder if the public has had enough of air travel expenses and airport hassles to return to trains. Travel by car is even an outlandish expense, last time I drove cross country it was $1000 plus stress and fatigue, no more of that for me.
Republicans seem to hate trains
Democrats embrace the train travel concept.
Who will win the White House dictates how/if Amtrak succeeds, I suppose.
The massive cutbacks promised, did not happen, as many predicted here.
So, I am thinking out loud, will the increase of Amtrak routes continue with the new equipment arrivals and will states anti up for their fair share?
Is Amtrak back on track for success and the re-invention of Rail Travel?
NO !!!!
1. America has a love affair with the automobile and it is hard to convince them to take a train if they can get to a destination in (2) 8 hour drive days.
2. Most of America does not know Amtrak has long distance train travel. When I got on Facebook to tell family/friends about my 12/11 LAX-CHI-BAL and 1/8 return, most said "A train ?". Most of my family/friends are college educated, cross different
political parties and are social media and techno savy. Other than my daughter/SIL and son virtually none were aware of LD train travel. They live from Maine to S.C. and MD to UT. Yet they were unaware of LD travel, but knew of the ACELA (Northeast US family/friends) and their local Metro/Metra/ LTrains.
3. So, what is causing this. Go to this site (
http://www.infrastru...ough-the-years/). It shows Amtrak ads from the 70s which I remember. Could you envision 2012 Amtrak ads for the CS with the CA coast, the EB
going through Glacier/Montana, the CZ going through the Rockies, the SWC going through the AZ/NM desert/canyonlands, the SL going through Texas pararie or New Orleans. You can't sell your product if people don't know it exists.
If people think the President or the GOP hopefuls care about Amtrak LD trains you are delusional. The HSR serves Obama's base. The inner city, the metro state/county/federal union workers, the Democrat voting rail fans, the inner city businesses and assorted special interest groups(union construction). The Amtrak cuts from the GOP are red meat for conservatives like me.
But I am not fooled. The sausage is made in the sub-committees and all the Obama/GOP yapping is political B.S. Below is a piece I penned on another thread. The (4) Congress critters from my former home state of 62 years (3Rs/1D) have a vested interest in freight/passenger train expansion for the reasons I outlined. Those are the ones you need to watch. Bud Shuster Sr ® was the king of pork from PA with John Murtha (D) and their successors see Amtrak/freight as the future for PA's economic development. Below is my screed from a previous post.
" I hear rumblings from fairly reliable offices that the 1 billion plus deficit that AMTRAK runs is a drop in the bucket and relatively safe as certain Congressmen in Pennsylvania have an interest in getting more money NOT less money to AMTRAK.
Number one is the desire to extend the "Morristown Line" that presently goes from N.Y. Penn Station to Hackettstown, NJ in western N.J. all the way to Delaware Water Gap/Stroudsburg, PA just across the state line. The program is to buy the right of
way from a freight line whose name escapes me right now that would complete the system. Although it is not an Amtrak train, it is a line that receives Fed money.
The N.E, Pennsylvania area has exploded in population over the last (20) years I lived there. A line from the PA/NJ state to line to NYP serves (2) important purposes. First it would provide transportation for some of the approximately 2,000-3,000 people who commute Mon-Fri 1 1/2- 2 hours one way by bus/car to work in eastern NJ and NYC. The prices of houses/taxes and quality of education continues to draw more NJ/NY residents year after year after year to move to Northeast PA. The second reason are the all season resorts and ski resort that are reachable within 1 1/2-2 hours by car. A daily train would support both these endeavors. It would help PA very much economically.In addition there is a casino within 20 minutes of where a train station terminus would be in Stroudsburg, PA.
Secondly of the (28) members on the sub-committee that funds trains and infrastructure, (4) are from Pennsylvania. We have the committee stacked as a lot of interstate commerce goes through PA. It has always been that way. Three (Rs) and one (D). All (4) share two things in common. Each one represents a district that encompasses part of Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Northeast Pennsylvania that the Pennsylvanian runs through or near. Each one of those has a casino less than 4 years old. Their dream is to have a DAILY Pennsylvanian run from NYP and past Pittsburgh to Cleveland. The reasons are thus:
1. Casinos
2. Baseball/Football/College/Hockey in the cities or along the route
3. Lancaster, PA- Amish country and Pennsylvania Dutch.
4. Ski resorts at or near (5) of the spots
5. Business travelers
6. Leaf peepers during the fall<br style="mso-special-character:line-break"> <br style="mso-special-character:line-break">
75% of the tourists in PA are from NY, NJ, DE, and Ohio. The casinos weld a lot of power. Why do you think Sen Reid wants the HSR to Las Vegas. The faster you can get them there, the more time they have to spend money. The PA group doesn't want speed, they just want them there.
You can forget all the loud mouthing off from Mica. ALL politicians speak with forked tongue. He wants what he wants and to get the (4) votes from PA for his pet projects he is going to support more money for their projects. And the Pennsylvanian/Amtrak is big on the radar screen of those for (4) guys.
Amtrak is not going away. It's a **** ant on a very large ant hole as far as expenditures go. So sleep good tonight, Amtrak will live to fight another day."
NAVYBLUE