Here is one area where I disagree with the political Right

[Mikeoxenormous]

The US has a penchant for world war two era society, we still have the same number of subs we had then...

Are you on some sort of drugs?

You would think so, but i just think he is a few chromosomes short....

 

[Meathead]

Amtrak is a fossil that should probably have been euthanized decades ago.

The US has a penchant for world war two era society, we still have the same number of subs we had then...

BS

The US Army class A is modelled on WWII era uniforms. It was just changed during Trump....Boogie-Woogie anyone?

In addition to being a bit of a moron, you're getting weirder.

 

[Care4all]

I love riding trains! When I first got my job in Massachusetts and the Company moved us there, they asked if I had a preferred airlines for them to fly us there, (our cars were moved, with the home movers on a big truck)... And I asked, could you book us on Amtrak, with a cabin? And they said, sure!

So, from Florida all the way to grand central station it was the one train, it took about a day to get there. Then we had to switch trains to get a direct train from NYC to Boston.

I also did the auto train/Amtrak once, bringing my car down to Florida from the north...when I was really young....

Loved both trips! loved the restaurants and different bars on the trains!

And also loved riding the subway in Brooklyn or Brooklyn to Manhattan, to go shopping at Macys on 34th street at Christmas time, when we lived with my grandparents off and on, between job transfers of my father who was in the USAF.

 

[Moonglow]

Amtrak is a fossil that should probably have been euthanized decades ago.

The US has a penchant for world war two era society, we still have the same number of subs we had then...

BS

The US Army class A is modelled on WWII era uniforms. It was just changed during Trump....Boogie-Woogie anyone?

In addition to being a bit of a moron, you're getting weirder.

I didn't change the uniform some golden idol who pretended to be president did.

 

[odanny]

Amtrak is a fossil that should probably have been euthanized decades ago.

The US has a penchant for world war two era society, we still have the same number of subs we had then...

BS

The US Army class A is modelled on WWII era uniforms. It was just changed during Trump....Boogie-Woogie anyone?

And it's about fk'in time! The blues were awful, but the pinks and greens are amazing!

 

[Moonglow]

Amtrak is a fossil that should probably have been euthanized decades ago.

The US has a penchant for world war two era society, we still have the same number of subs we had then...

BS

The US Army class A is modelled on WWII era uniforms. It was just changed during Trump....Boogie-Woogie anyone?

And it's about fk'in time! The blues were awful, but the pinks and greens are amazing!

The ones I wore look like Wal Mart specials...

 

[odanny]

Amtrak is a fossil that should probably have been euthanized decades ago.

The US has a penchant for world war two era society, we still have the same number of subs we had then...

BS

The US Army class A is modelled on WWII era uniforms. It was just changed during Trump....Boogie-Woogie anyone?

And it's about fk'in time! The blues were awful, but the pinks and greens are amazing!

The ones I wore look like Wal Mart specials...

Those were the dress blues, like a 1980's era Sears special!

 

[Anathema]

The day I gave up on AMTRAK was the day that I realized I could DRIVE from Worcester, MA to Buffalo, NY faster and cheaper than I could take AMTRAK. It’s a six to seven hour drive (with stops). It’s supposed to be a 10 hour train trip. The day I took it... 13 hours.

 

[odanny]

The day I gave up on AMTRAK was the day that I realized I could DRIVE from Worcester, MA to Buffalo, NY faster and cheaper than I could take AMTRAK. It’s a six to seven hour drive (with stops). It’s supposed to be a 10 hour train trip. The day I took it... 13 hours.

You're missing the point, you take Amtrak so you don't have to drive. Of course you can drive there faster but not everyone can drive (no car, out of town visitor, disabled, etc.), or wants to. When I visit my sister in Baltimore, I love taking an Uber to the train station, and then take Amtrak into Union Station in D.C. to go wandering around the National Mall and visit the museums. And when I drive a half hour from my home to a local station, I'm in Chicago in three hours, when it would take 2 to 2.5 hours of driving to get there, and that's if there are no accidents or road construction.

I'm much happier taking the train, and the cost of the ticket is almost equal to the cost of fuel. Amtrak wins.

 

[GMCGeneral]

Biden celebrates and prepares to expand Amtrak despite decades of cost overruns and bad service

President Biden headed Friday to Philadelphia to celebrate Amtrak’s 50-year anniversary and push for better funding of rail service that has a decades-long history of red ink.

www.foxnews.com

AMTRAK loses money. So what? All mass transit loses money. But they are a PUBLIC BENEFIT that are a necessary component to a successful, mobile society. ALL of the countries in Western Europe and Asia that we "admire" have passenger rail service that makes ours look third world. It is an embarrassment.

A big city that does not have good mass transit is not a good city. You have to be able to get around without your own car. It's as simple as that. And the same thing applies to a country that doesn't have good, inexpensive passenger rail.

AMTRAK has its issues. Maybe it is not as well run as it could be. But to whine that it is losing money is just stupid. It is a public benefit that should be happily and well subsidized.

Rail transport is obsolete and inflexible. Would prefer improving motorcoach line service.

 

[Mikeoxenormous]

I love riding trains! When I first got my job in Massachusetts and the Company moved us there, they asked if I had a preferred airlines for them to fly us there, (our cars were moved, with the home movers on a big truck)... And I asked, could you book us on Amtrak, with a cabin? And they said, sure!

So, from Florida all the way to grand central station it was the one train, it took about a day to get there. Then we had to switch trains to get a direct train from NYC to Boston.

I also did the auto train/Amtrak once, bringing my car down to Florida from the north...when I was really young....

Loved both trips! loved the restaurants and different bars on the trains!

And also loved riding the subway in Brooklyn or Brooklyn to Manhattan, to go shopping at Macys on 34th street at Christmas time, when we lived with my grandparents off and on, between job transfers of my father who was in the USAF.

Riding a train today has a whole new meaning....

 

[Mikeoxenormous]

Biden celebrates and prepares to expand Amtrak despite decades of cost overruns and bad service

President Biden headed Friday to Philadelphia to celebrate Amtrak’s 50-year anniversary and push for better funding of rail service that has a decades-long history of red ink.

www.foxnews.com

AMTRAK loses money. So what? All mass transit loses money. But they are a PUBLIC BENEFIT that are a necessary component to a successful, mobile society. ALL of the countries in Western Europe and Asia that we "admire" have passenger rail service that makes ours look third world. It is an embarrassment.

A big city that does not have good mass transit is not a good city. You have to be able to get around without your own car. It's as simple as that. And the same thing applies to a country that doesn't have good, inexpensive passenger rail.

AMTRAK has its issues. Maybe it is not as well run as it could be. But to whine that it is losing money is just stupid. It is a public benefit that should be happily and well subsidized.

Rail transport is obsolete and inflexible. Would prefer improving motorcoach line service.

I will just stick with my ole reliable automobile, i dont have any trains going to Chic Fil A or Starbucks.

 

[Anathema]

You're missing the point, you take Amtrak so you don't have to drive....

For me the point is to find the best combination of speed, cost, and timing to get from Point A to Point B. I’m not interested in scenery or anything like that.

Especially here in the Northeast corridor, AMTRAK is almost never the fastest, cheapest or most efficient way to get anywhere.

 

[DGS49]

Certainly there are problems with AMTRAK. The trains are frequently late, the ride is bumpy, the service is "spotty," and the costs are much greater than one would hope. Essentially every government operation could use improvement, and AMTRAK is no exception.

Quasi-privatization was tried, without success. Maybe one of the 330 million people living in the country can figure out a way to improve things.

But "affordable" passenger rail is a legitimate aspect of infrastructure, and "we" should be supporting it. If I were Emperor I would reduce the rates to the extent that ridership would quickly reach capacity - reservations would be required in order to get a seat. Moving PEOPLE would be ridiculously cheap, with substantial surcharges for their stuff.

"We" need to decide whether we want a national passenger rail system or not. If YES, then we need a good system. If no, try to sell off the capital equipment and rolling stock to regional investors, and put AMTRAK out of its misery.

 

[DudleySmith]

Biden celebrates and prepares to expand Amtrak despite decades of cost overruns and bad service

President Biden headed Friday to Philadelphia to celebrate Amtrak’s 50-year anniversary and push for better funding of rail service that has a decades-long history of red ink.

www.foxnews.com

AMTRAK loses money. So what? All mass transit loses money. But they are a PUBLIC BENEFIT that are a necessary component to a successful, mobile society. ALL of the countries in Western Europe and Asia that we "admire" have passenger rail service that makes ours look third world. It is an embarrassment.

A big city that does not have good mass transit is not a good city. You have to be able to get around without your own car. It's as simple as that. And the same thing applies to a country that doesn't have good, inexpensive passenger rail.

AMTRAK has its issues. Maybe it is not as well run as it could be. But to whine that it is losing money is just stupid. It is a public benefit that should be happily and well subsidized.

We had electric and electric inter-urban rail all over the country in the late 1890's and well into the 1900's. It should be cheaper to do that now than it was back then, and with much more efficient technology. But don't expect Democrats to do that, they're too incompetent, and they can make a lot more money with a lot less work in solar and wind scams. They're busy now stripping off an entire forest in Maine to build a solar or wind farm boondoogle as we speak. At one point one could go from NYC to Chicago on connected inter-urbans for less than the cost of a regular railroad fare. Of course it would be slower and require a lot of car changes, but the network was there. Electric rail created the first big suburbs and cheaper housing for working class people, along with all kinds of big parks within affordable distances for Sunday outings for the kids and the like. You would probably have to kill all the lawyers first, though.

 

[norwegen]

If it's a liability, it's not a benefit.

 

[Papageorgio]

There is not enough Amtrak operations in the US.

That's because it can't sustain it's self. The Empire Builder loses money between Spokane, WA and Chicago, it is rarely full and bus transportation is usually quicker and less expensive, so why run a train that isn't efficient?