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[quote]But McCain has shown some support at times for light rail and commuter rail. And freight congestion relief. This may mean he can be talked to.[/quote] Maybe it's true to some extent. Indeed, as I mentioned above, McCain did give an encouraging word during the 2002 crisis that he'll do what he can to avoid a shutdown of Amtrak. In other words, if anyone accuses him in being completely anti-rail, there are some points in his defense. who knows, maybe he can even propose some useful ideas that would actually improve nationwide passenger rail in the U.S. But his reputation as Amtrak's critic cannot just be ignored. And, since Weyrich quotes McCain as saying that shutting Amtrak down would be a "non-negotiable issue", it is hard to imagine the Arizona-Senator-turned-US-President becoming an active supporter of national passenger rail. Maybe Weyrich exaggerates the real picture. Maybe McCain never spoke about his "non-negotiable" issues with Amtrak. I don't know. McCain's campain website does not list any items on a keyword search for Amtrak. That might be because he realizes that his view on this issue is extremely unpopular and would chase away potential voters. [quote]Some of us have asked some very "hard" questions about Amtrak in general and the LD trains in particular. It's not that Amtrak and the LD trains don't serve any useful purpose - the do - but at what cost? [/quote] At what cost? At a very low one. The small percentage of all transportation funds Amtrak receives is quite proportional to its market share. Divide the current year's $1.3 billion by the number of taxpayers in the U.S.  An average taxpayer, even if his town is not served by Amtrak, probably does not even feel this silly amount being taken away from him, forget about being a "burden".  True, cost efficiency is important, and Amtrak should not be an exception. But micromanaging and threatening to cut funding is not of any help. Since 2003 (or rather since the near-shutdown experience of summer-2002), Amtrak is at least getting enough money not to throw itself into any further debt. That is good. But this amount is still too small for real expansion. Also, the operating portion of these funds is not that big - some $300 million (out of $1.3 billion). [quote]You can't just say "the Empire Builder is a vital transportation link in Montana". That's like putting lipstick on a pig. It's still pork. You have to back it up with cost/benefit numbers, showing it's the best, or at least a good way to provide the service.[/quote] Just read NARP website more carefully. It has a lot of useful analytical data.
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