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[quote]You are putting words in my mouth.   No, I'm not suggesting the LD trains go away.[/quote]Good.  At least, we agree on that.  But how do you envision running the LD trains other than by Amtrak with subsidies?  Unfortunately, there are no better models available just now.  Indeed, government has kind of missed the boat in establishing a dedicated funding source.  Of course, it's never too late.  With gas prices soaring, it seems that America will sooner or later [i]have to[/i] make some adjustments of its policies and lean towards the rail side.  But it would be certainly easier to achieve in the 50's (or even before) as all these highway and aviation programs were just starting to emerge.   [quote]No, I'm not suggesting coach passengers be barred from the diner if it were a contract operation. [/quote]It might be more complicated than we think.  I'm not expert in that, but it seems that Amtrak knows what it's doing regarding the way of providing the diner service and sleeper accomodations.  If some better options were available, it would probably follow them up.  As for Amtrak being interesting in limping along rather than doing a real business, between 1998 and 2002 it did try to be more aggressive in its attempt to demonstrate to officials that it is on its way to operational self-sufficiency by 2003, as was mandated in 1997.  Unfortunately, it was not more than a beautiful facade.  The system almost ran out of cash in mid-2002, and Administration had to provide a loan guarantee to avoid a shutdown.  I'm sure Amtrak is interested in more than just limping alone.  Recently, Kummant appeared on TV, saying that the system could expand between 50% and 100%.  But let's be realistic: this is only possible with adequate capital funds.  [quote]The Crescent will have 4 coaches on Friday.  You can bet on it. [/quote]That's normal.  Of course, it's not as good as five, but definitely better than three. :)
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