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Refocusing Amtrak
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My wife and I just got back from riding round trip on the <i>Coast Starlight</i>. <br /> <br />Mostly, the trip was a joy. We were wined and travelogued in the parlor car, dined and introduced to new friends in the diner. <br /> <br />The train is a gem...BUT, in my opinion, it's more of a national landmark than a viable means of transportation. We arrived in Seattle over two hours late and in Los Angeles five hours late. No problem for us diehard railfans, but I doubt if the young couple that we met en route will ever take a train again. Fifty years ago, the Southern Pacific's trains ran faster and almost always ON TIME. And, like every Amtrak train we have ever experienced, there was a staff of dedicated employees...and one rude individual who had no concept of customer service. <br /> <br />As much as I love trains, I don't think that the government should be running a railroad...especially over vast distances of the American landscape. <br /> <br />When Amtrak started in 1971, Congress talked a lot about it developing corridors, between cities about 400 miles apart, distances inefficient for either air or highway travel. In the 34 years that have followed, only one new corridor has been sucessfully inaugurated, the Portland-Seattle corridor, and that with a lot of state funding. Most of Amtrak's resources in the meantime have been spent on an attempt to keep the long-distance system running, with mediocre results. <br /> <br />If Mr. Bush is smart, he will leave one or two good long distance trains (I'll vote for the Coast Starlight) and focus on high speed rail in the most heavily populated corridors. <br /> <br />Dean In Cincy
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