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[quote]QUOTE: Originally posted by ohlemeier [quote]QUOTE: Originally posted by futuremodal Ohlemeier, you have failed the test. I gave you references for my points of argument, you did not. Furthermore, even IF the groups and people who come out with these so-called anti-Amtrak talking points are biased against the current Amtrak structure, at least they themselves have referenced DOT studies to back up their arguments. For your information, I also went to NARP's website to find any contrary information regarding market share, and there is none. They just BS around the issue the way you do, telling us how Amtrak's market share has increased such and such percent, but not what the base number is. Who cares if Amtrak has increased market share 36%, when the base market share is 0.4%? A 36% increase of 0.4% comes to a whopping 0.5%, well within the range of variability i.e. statistically insignificant. Why are people like you so opposed to trying to improve the passenger rail situation in the U.S.? Even you admit the current Amtrak situation is not ideal, but you offer nothing other than increased subsidies as your solution. What Amtrak needs is not so much a complete makeover, but a complete destruction and rebirth with a different government oversight and a willingness to foster passenger rail operations in a private market spectrum. BTW, if you have any website links which reference a different analysis of Amtrak, I will gladly go to them to search for an opposing point of view that hopefully is backed up with facts, not feelgoodism. [/quote] Trouble is, the sources you referenced weren't legitimate. They're one-sided. They're not just biased against the current Amtrak structure, THEY'RE BIASED AGAINST RAIL PERIOD. I haven't conducted lengthy studies of Amtrak. Those sources conducted studies that were designed to ridicule Amtrak - AND commuter rail and SHORT-DISTANCE passenger rail corridors, BTW . They'll often castigate Amtrak for having only 1% of the market, yet not mention air only has 12% or automobiles hog 85% - both of which are generously paid for by federal funds. No one respects Wendall Cox. Even when he was on the Amtrak Reform Council, the other members stated how all of them were there to improve Amtrak - except Cox. He's purely a highway man. Google his name and light rail, short-distance Amtrak and ANY rail. He's there and he's again' it. Using those sources is like writing a paper on a certain political issue that only sourced one political viewpointt. -- You said you didn't care about the facts. You said it didn't matter if Amtrak had a 1%, a 5%, a 10% or a 50% market share (paraphrasing), you still were going to hate Amtrak and blame it for its market share. That ended the discssion right there, pal, since you had already made your mind up and nothing anyone could do or say would change it. I've told you it was impossible for Amtrak to improve its market share when it isn't given enough money. I've pointed out WHY Amtrak has a low market share. Those points don't matter to you, apparently. With Amtrak carrying a record number of passengers - 25 million - I imagine market share is improving, if by little. Still, I imagine there will be those that will take issue with that statement. Of course Amtrak can't compete against airlines that have 4-12 departures a day from a single airport. Congress - by reducing funding - gave Amtrak only enough money to run ONE TRAIN, not two, which are needed on most LD routes to provide decent service and- BTW- increase ridership. You apparently aren't interested in improving Amtrak, just bashing it and those that support passenger rail. I [/quote] It's real simple: Go to a search engine (Yahoo, Google, etc) and type in "Amtrak market share" and see what comes up. Just because it takes a Wendall Cox to use the DOT studies to support his views doesn't delegitimize the DOT study, does it? Facts are facts, no matter the source, and frankly you are a bit off saying such people hate rails. Reformers are not the enemy, they are your only chance at salvation for retaining a national passenger rail market in some form. By demonizing them, you come accross as hyperbolic and irrational, and if every Amtrak supporter is like you it won't be long until the nation gets so tired of the same old same old that they end up killing the whole thing for everyone, and then passenger rail in any form is a thing of the past.
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