Home
»
Trains Magazine
»
Forums
»
General Discussion
»
Amtrak reform council should be liquidated

Edit post

Edit your reply below.

Post Body
Enter your post below.
As a moderate I'm amused that this debate seems to boil down to an "evil,conservative,big business/airline lobby plot" or an "evil,liberal dominated media plot" to destroy Amtrak. I think that many passenger train fans see this as sort of a political Rorshach test,but I digress. <br /> I feel that the future of intercity passenger service in the United States lies in the development of high speed,regional corridors,which have a chance of competing both with regional/commuter air routes and with the interstate highway system. This is particularly crucial in areas such as the Northeast where the existing transportation infrastructure is pushed to capacity. However there is no question that implementing this will require significant investment in public funds at the municipal,state,regional,and yes, the federal level. This is a tough sell,if improperly implemented it can be seen as a "build it,and they will come" boondoggle. The allocation of infrastructure funding in the United States strikes me as one of the most wildly illogical parts of our public policy,coming down in many cases to a dual of competing lobbyists(politically powerful big labor vs. politicaly powerful big business,although that is somewhat oversimplified). <br /> I also agree with the argument that Amtrak was set up to fail,because there was no political will to develop a comprehensive transportation infrastructure plan,and that as a result Amtrak has been the red headed stepchild of American transportation ever since. <br /> These issues faced us before 9/11/01,they are with us now ,and they will be with us in the future. <br /> I would however maintain that attempting to exploit public fear over recent events to promote rail travel is extremely misguided. While it is true that traveling by rail is safer than air travel(I'm aware of the safety and security issues which have long been underaddressed),both of these modes of travel are statistically far less risky than every Americans favorite mode of travel,the Automobile. In the long run convenience and economics(not panic)will ultimately decide the future of rail travel in this country,as they will the future of other modes of transportation. For Amtrak to not just survive but prosper those of us who understand the importance and potential of passenger rail service within the total transportation outlook must sharpen get our message out,not just to our elected officials but to the public and the industries involved.
Tags (Optional)
Tags are keywords that get attached to your post. They are used to categorize your submission and make it easier to search for. To add tags to your post type a tag into the box below and click the "Add Tag" button.
Add Tag