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[quote]Yes, remote communities are hit hardest by passenger rail closures, but the thing about remote communities is, not very many people live there. [/quote]Apparently many enough for their Congressmen to fight for the trains serving their areas.  [quote]If you want to look at a passenger rail network that actual moves people, look across the Atlantic. You'll notice busy railway stations like the main terminal in Frankfurt Germany typically handles 70-85 departures per hour through the day during the week.[/quote]That's true.  But the fact that most parts of our country don't have such frequent train services does not mean that the limited number of existing trains are not integral part of the national transportation system.  And the reason that we don't have such an extensive network is not because public doesn't want it (as I said before, it does), but because highway and aviation lobbies have done a "good" job.  I don't know what you mean by saying that selling out an LD train is 'inconsequential', but the fact remains the fact.  The trains are running full.  I'm not saying that they are filled by same people for the entire length of the route.  But that's exactly the point.  A flight from New York to New Orleans serves just these two cities, while Amtrak's "Crescent" serves Charlottsville, Charlotte, Atlanta, Birmingham, and many other smaller locations - all in one run!  A Chicago-to-Seattle flight does not stop in Twin Cities or many little places such as Havre MT.  But Amtrak's Empire Builder does.  [quote]If this premise is sound, then it is incumbent on the government to run long distance passenger trains to every town and village in the country.  Just serving those along the current routes leaves out the greater part of the population.[/quote]Ideally, there would be nothing wrong with this :)  In reality, however, it's impossible for railroads (even in Europe) to cover every little spot.  Buses and cars exist everywhere in the world.  But for the lucky towns and villages that are located along the major railroad lines, it's noteworthy that many of those locations (e.g. Havre MT) are not even served by Greyhound.  Even though Greyhound serves much more locations than Amtrak, it does not go everywhere either.  And, as a private company, Greyhound is more market-based.  Therefore, Amtrak is critical at least as a public service to the locations that are not served by other transportation providers.[quote]Amtrak relies on buses for numerous connections.  Why buses, which presumably are used by the handicapped, ill, etc., are okay to connect with the train but not as replacements for the long distance trains that are used by a tiny percentage of the traveling public.[/quote]Again, I never said that buses have no place in transportation system.  However, they only make sense for short-distance connection, but not for long-distance overnight travel.  Also, let's look at efficiency of both modes.  Let's say an average bus carries 55 passengers and is operated by one driver.  It means, seven drivers are needed to carry 385 passengers.  To carry the same number of passengers on a train [b]with a same level of service[/b] requires only one motorman (okay, let's say two, including an assistant) and, say, two conductors (total of four people).  Now, the level of service on most Amtrak trains is significantly higher.  Besides the dining and/or cafe cars, as well as the sleepers, which do employ extra staff, look at overall comfort of travel, even in a coach class.  I don't remember the last time I saw a running water in a bus lavatory, while train restrooms always have water and soap.  And it's much more convenient to relax and read a book on a train than on a bus.  Therefore, replacing LD trains with buses would not only be unfair, but also inefficient.  Speaking of the comfort of service vs. "waste" of money, let's face another thing.  Do you want America to be totally unattractive and unpleasant to live in, just in exchange of a little less taxes?  I wouldn't want that!  Europeans don't want that for their countries either.  That's why they invest in trains.  So should we.
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