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[quote user="Paul Milenkovic"] [quote]Our transportation policy should be, "What is the next best step?"[/quote] So tell me, what is that next best step?  How much do you want to spend on Amtrak/HSR over what period of time, and what do you propose to get from that in terms of route miles?  What contribution will this make in terms of reduction of imported oil or reduction of greenhouse gases?  What is your projected traffic level.  How many freeway lanes will this replace? We may not be able to afford it, but the incoming President has pledged from 150 billion on up to be spent on "green energy", "green infrastructure", and the like.  What piece of this do you think should go to trains, and how much "green" (environmental benefit) do you expect to get from that amount of "green" (money). I am not debating anything about the economics.  What plan do you support and why?  The Vision Report?  More than the Vision Report? [/quote] Quick, frequent, convenient, safe, and economical passenger trains in relatively short, high density corridors, e.g. New York to Washington, Chicago to Milwaukee, Los Angeles to San Diego, Dallas to Fort Worth, Austin to San Antonio, etc., make sense.  Long distance trains do not.  Does the U.S. need high speed rail?  No!  At least not the models that have been put together in many other countries and favored by some U.S. proponents!  Unless the U.S. taxpayer is willing to pay much higher taxes, which is the case in all the countries that some of the people who post to these forums think we should emulate. The U.S. does not have unlimited resources.  Rightly or wrongly, the nation decided on a transport system built around the airplane and the car.  It made the right decision. The current economic crisis should convince all but the most Pollyannaish that the U.S. does not have the money to build and support a third national transport system, i.e. a full blown national passenger rail system in addition to its excellent highway and airways. If Amtrak eliminated the long distance trains, it would save approximately $515 million per year.  By 2050 the future value of this saving could be worth between $54 and $59 billion.  Clearly, these amounts could go a long way toward upgrading America's existing passenger rail corridors and implementing new ones where they are justified.  The improvements could be achieved with little if any incremental financing. In October I took the Acela from Philadelphia to New York.  The train was quick, comfortable, convenient, and safe.  It is an example of where trains make sense.  Taking a train from New York to San Francisco makes no sense.
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