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Why Amtrak hasn't kept up with market share

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[quote]QUOTE: Originally posted by andrewjonathon I think it is a little ridiculous to argue that two trains per day should be running on the California Zepher route when much of the year the existing train has excess capacity. By way, do you know how much of the expenditure on highways is paid for through fuel taxes? [/quote] Motor fuel taxes - so-called user fees - only pay half or so of the bill. And that doesn't even touch traffic enforcement, traffic lights, law enforcement, DUI patrols, court costs, snow removal and the hundreds of other hidden subsidies. Guess what? This country actually spends more removing animal dung or snow from highways than passenger rail. It's not ridiculous at all to advocate more frequencies on LD routes. Most routes could use a second frequency, one timed 12 hours or so apart, so cities like Salt Lake and Omaha and others that have lousy boarding times could have better times and more travel options. After all, you don't have just one flight once a day departing your local airport. Amtrak's former product line manager for the CZ stated in a recent NARP meeting that there was enough demand for a second CZ, an all- first-class, sleeper line, for those paying a premium. Certainly, demand exists for trains from DEN to SEA and SLC to Vegas and LA. Just because there isn't a train there NOW doesn't mean there isn't demand. Ditto for CHI-Florida, KC-Dallas, Denver-Dallas, a 2nd MSP-SEA via southern Montana, CHI-ATL, ATL-FL., PGH-STL, and some others. A good passenger rail map would be similar to the high-speed Interstate highway system the goverment built entirely out of federal funds - NOT user fees. More trains to more places = less losses that are spread to more trains generating more money from more passengers.
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