I can't believe this discussion took a turn towards ill-willed political banter. I'm going to lock it now before too many feelings are hurt (and before I myself start throwing Biden jabs).
Erik
We need more politicians to take Amtrak and its future funding seriously. The election of VP Biden is the most promising development on this front for many years.
henry6 Phoebe Vet . That last sentence says it all. To fit with people's travel needs it must go where people need to go at the times people need to go. One train a day going in one direction only will not get Amtrak into the transportation mainstream. \ For Amtrak to succeed: Add: service and marketing.big time Remove: politicians and politics big time.
Phoebe Vet . That last sentence says it all. To fit with people's travel needs it must go where people need to go at the times people need to go. One train a day going in one direction only will not get Amtrak into the transportation mainstream.
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That last sentence says it all. To fit with people's travel needs it must go where people need to go at the times people need to go. One train a day going in one direction only will not get Amtrak into the transportation mainstream.
For Amtrak to succeed:
Add: service and marketing.big time
Remove: politicians and politics big time.
Had it not been for the politicians most intercity passenger trains in the U.S. would have died a little noticed death in the late 1960s or early 1970s. A few corridor trains might have survived, e.g. New York to Washington, LA to San Diego, etc., but most of the long distance network would have been history.
Amtrak is a political creature that has drained more than $25 billion from the national treasury since its inception. If it went away, without a national or regional government replacement, there would be little significant intercity passenger train service outside of the NEC, California, and Illinois corridors.
What I think most matters is that the Vice-President said kind words about Amtrak and train travel, which makes him as a politician much more outspoken than anyone else I can think of in recent years.
Biden has traveled on the (first Metroliner, then) Acela thousands of time and lists improving service as a top priority: That seems to resonate well with people living outside the NEC, or that Biden's experience traveling first-class on our only real HST could itself stand a little improving! Either way, or both ways, he seems to have his ear closer to the ground than anyone else I've heard from in years.
Phoebe Vet . That last sentence says it all. To fit with people's travel needs it must go where people need to go at the times people need to go. One train a day going in one direction only will not get Amtrak into the transportation mainstream. .
RIDEWITHMEHENRY is the name for our almost monthly day of riding trains and transit in either the NYCity or Philadelphia areas including all commuter lines, Amtrak, subways, light rail and trolleys, bus and ferries when warranted. No fees, just let us know you want to join the ride and pay your fares. Ask to be on our email list or find us on FB as RIDEWITHMEHENRY (all caps) to get descriptions of each outing.
I agree that Amtrak SHOULD be able to make it's own case, but we all know how politics works.
If more people were exposed to Amtrak, more people would use it. Monday morning, I was talking casually with a fellow passenger as we waited at baggage claim. He stated, totally unprompted, that this was the first time he had taken a train, and that he was impressed and would use Amtrak in the future whenever it fit with his travel needs.
Incidentally, I went through Union Station in DC twice in the last week. There was a huge crowd coming and going from the trains, and no one seemed the slightest bit concerned that they weren't being treated like prison visitors at the gate entrances. I guess train passengers are braver than airline passengers.
Dave
Lackawanna Route of the Phoebe Snow
Phoebe Vet Good going guys. Amtrak has a fan in the administration and you guys are bad mouthing him.
Good going guys. Amtrak has a fan in the administration and you guys are bad mouthing him.
For all I know Hunter Biden is a capable individual. I believe he is Attorney General of Delaware but currently serving as a member of the Reserves on active duty in ( not sure which conflict ).
However, I seriously doubt that is what landed him on Amtrak Board, nor what will get him into the Senate when an election for that seat is held.
I detest this tendency in America for politics to become the family business to be handed down from one generation to the next.
I don't think Amtrak needs this "special friend" nor his father to prosper; the case for passenger trains should heard simply because the logic is so compelling.
Maybe Biden can oversee Amtrak, Ted Kennedy can oversee GM, and Barney Frank can oversee Citi.
Bruce KellyIf Biden personally oversees the proposed service improvements, timetables will list cell phone numbers for all Amtrak conductors. That way, passengers who are late getting themselves to the station can call and ask for the train to be held for them.
Perhaps when Hunter Biden assumes the Senate seat now being warmed by a Biden asssociate, Amtrak will see fit to assign a train to the transportation of the family to/from Delaware.
Yesterday while watching the Yankees-Oriole's baseball game from Baltimore on ESPN, VP Biden was a guest in the broadcast booth for a couple innings after throwing out the first pitch. Jon Miller brought up Amtrak, which created like a 90 second chat on the topic. It has been estimated Biden has taken 7000 roundtrips on the NEC in the years he was in the Senate. In addition, he thanked all the Amtrak workers for their hard work and said the adminstartion was dedicated to improving service nationwide. We'll see on the latter comment but it was atleast nice to see passenger rail get a nice plug from a supporter on national tv.
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