Amtrak and the publics money

[Save Our Trains Michigan]

Here is a story out of Port Huron MI this newspaper always slams Amtrak

News :angry:

 

[Amfleet]

Using the International as an illustration was kind of bad. Did they ever think because of 9-11 and SARS in Canada that ridership would fall.

 

[AMTRAK-P42]

Yeah, that is a good point amfleet.

 

[tp49]

Living in California with a 39 billion dollar budget deficit I can understand the writer's concern over Michigan's 1.7 bilion dollar shortfall. However, California most likely will not cut funding for rail transportation.

Not only is SARS a consideration for the decline in ridership (Air Canada for awhile had $1 fares from some Canadian cities to Toronto) but also all of the talk of discontinuing the route probably also had something to do with it as well. However, since this article is an editorial the writer is entitled to his opinion even if he ahs not examined al of the facts in the matter.

 

[AlanB]

The writer of that article was also apparently unaware that it's not Amtrak that is raising the amount of money that Michigan must contribute.

Those trains in Michigan were originally largely funded through a Federal program. So the amount that Michigan needed to contribute was minimal. That five-year program expired last year and the Feds didn't renew it. So that's why Amtrak was forced to raise the amount it charges MI for those services.

So the writer should really be criticizing and complaining to the Federal Government and not Amtrak.