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SWOT. Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats Any effective plan to make passenger rail an effective player has to address the above. The political issues are to change the playing field so rail option is truly viable. Amtrak or rails strengths include: Potential for the most fuel effiecent service point to point. Comfort Scenery Weaknesses: Speed and reliablity Inflexible route structure Route structure overcapacity from freight trains Excess baggage of various protectionest labor contracts Required subsidy for both operations and capitalization Threats Freight rail does not want the hassle and liability of sharing track without profit Taxpayer = congress & president resent paying subsidy Opportunity Revisit express service... but price to make a real profit Auto ferry service... Must be able so serve intermediate points, not just ends Global Warming & Rising Oil Prices... If we are serious about slowing use of fossil fuels, tax laws (oops politics here) changed to penilize oil and coal use would favor rail. Rail (including freight) could benefit both by increasing costs to road and air and by electrifing using wind, solar, and hydroelectric power which are very difficult for road and air. Most likely rail would be the travel of choice 150-500 miles, road 0-100 miles, and air 750+. Long distance rail would be for nuts like us who like to go by rail and would link intermediate distance trains. Karl
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