A window into the plight of America’s railways: Are Amtrak’s long-distance routes coming to an end?

I first notice that America was declining during the mid 1970's.

Just never thought it would have gotten so bad as it is today.

 

Drive to airport (through traffic) - 45 - 60 min
Come 1 hour earlier to make sure get through the security - 60
Get off from airplane get from airport 30 - 60 min.
Total will be 5 - 7 hours if you lucky.

Trains usually depart from the city center and unload passengers in no time.

 

Why not just require all rail companies to have passenger service under the old laws, using existing rail lines and bring back competition and you could add a couple cars to a standard train if one wants based on likely demand a rural route could be two cars perhaps and for more popular routes it might be a larger set of cars. Since rail isn't really an in demand mode of travel but could be of value in a limited way.

 

Car service to airport (no traffic@ 4:15 AM) - 35 min from door to door.
The airport I go to opens at 5 AM for check in for 5:45 AM flight.
Get off from airplane get from airport 30 - 60 min. Does the train drop you off at your door? Subtract this one......
Total will be approx 1.5 hours.

Good luck getting to the "city center" unless you live there, you'll be doing the TSA screening to board trains pretty soon.

 

The Amtrak California Zepher takes 40 hours to get to the east coast from California.

 

The Constitution requires a series of federal highways.

 

Where in the Constitution does it say there has to be federally built/run automotive highways? In 1776? Before cars were invented? Wow...those Founding Fathers had vision.

I think you are referring to Act's...not Amendments.

And Act's can be tossed.

 

Why not require trucking companies to attach a passenger car to their trucks?

 

What the heck were Harvey Girl's? Escorts who dressed alike? Wandering the trains looking for customers?

Never mind...I found out who they were.

 

For some people, time has no meaning. People who are retirees, businessmen, families vacationing, those who have a fear of flying, people who hate the long delays at airports due to bad weather, etc. On the plane, you cannot get up and go to the lounge to have a drink or dinning car for a nice meal where your not squeezed into a seat on a plane.

We are so far behind Europe and Asia when it comes to our transportation infrastructure its not funny. Not just for passenger rail service but for freight operations as well. I hope Trump actually spends money upgrading our railroads; it'll pay off in the long run.

 

You don't think there were roads and turnpikes in 1776?

Article 1 Section 8 clause 7

 

Thank God the money pit is coming to an end. If passenger rail is so viable and so many people want to ride the train, then they don't need tax dollars to survive. Sounds to me like it's just corporate welfare to the freight companies like BNSF, so the taxpayers maintain their tracks under the guise of making passenger rail safer.

 

Well done.

But it states:

'To establish Post Offices and Post Roads;'

The post office no longer needs roads to deliver mail. There are other ways now - rail and aircraft to name two.
Besides, it says nothing about Interstate Highways. It just says 'roads'.

 

Distinctions without merit. Interstate federal roads and Authorized under the Constitution and it would also come under "provide for the common defense". It was also a consideration at the Constitutional Convention of the revenue such roads would generate for the federal government in the way of commerce.

 

Planes are still faster. And when autonomous cars can get us wherever we want trains will be even less wanted. Our country is not laid out like EU or China. Trains don’t work until we don’t need cars. The vast majority can’t walk to a train station and NEVER WILL.

 

^ An even more massive thread win!

 

^ What I wish Truman and Ike had said to the auto industry when it was criminally destroying some of the greatest mass transit systems in the world.

 

^ Thread win, forum win.

Shut 'er down.

 

Yup; people conveniently slice off the huge inconvenience and discomfort of flight, including the awful, stale cabin air - sick-making in winter to be sure.

 

Light rail. Buses. Shuttles. Vans. Standard bikes. Electric bikes. Scooters. Electric scooters. Segways. Even car pooling.

We need to think differently, and realize that trains are the coolest thing since, well, trains.

 

Lol...you made the point originally and showed where in the Constitution it was located. And then when I point out the flaw in your logic...you then claim 'distinction without merit'. Come on now.
The Interstates did not exist before the 1950's and cars did not exist when the Constitution was originally drawn up...so please stop trying to make some sort of Constitutional thing out of them....they are not. They have NOTHING to do with the Constitution whatsoever.
And the national defense of America does not depend on the government owning a gigantic, interstate highway system...this is not 1930's Germany. Besides, the fastest travel across the nation would be by rail or aircraft...not road. You are not going to ship an armored division (with hundreds of 70 ton M1 Abrams tanks) by road, if speed was of the essence, across the entire United States...you would ship them by rail.

And where is your sense of free enterprise? You cons knock libs for their love of big government without end...until the government comes anywhere near things you are fond of - like the military or automobiles. Then you cannot spend enough taxpayer monies on them.
Big government is almost always wasteful, corrupt and woefully inefficient. And private enterprise should own and mange the interstates. And they would do it far better, more efficiently and not cost taxpayers one penny in taxes to do it.
If you truly understood macroeconomics and free enterprise - you should know that.
Travel in America should be left to free enterprise...let them (and the public) decide what is the fastest, most efficient way to move people/goods around the nation.
Personally, I think if the Interstates went private - that would allow high speed rail to gain a foothold across America.
Instead of driving from Chicago to Seattle - you could just board a high speed train (with your car). And be in Seattle much quicker and probably much cheaper (especially since you might skip the hotel stay along the route if travelling by car).

We are done here as I believe your mind is closed on this issue...so further discussion is pointless, IMO.

Good day.

 

Who are you? Sheldon?

 

Wil Wheaton.

 

Is there any wonder why the left is now considered regressive? If I wrote an article describing the green renewable energy potential of an equine based transportation system would anyone be able to tell if it was satire or sincere?

 

Then show me where the SCOTUS has ruled federal highways/roads/turnpikes are unconstitutional. Your semantic argument has no basis.

road
/rōd/
noun

• 1.a wide way leading from one place to another, especially one with a specially prepared surface that vehicles can use.synonyms:street, lane, avenue, boulevard, freeway, highway, parkway, thoroughfare, thruway, turnpike