Editorial urges overhaul of Amtrak

[Save Our Trains Michigan]

Off the UTU

http://www.utu.org/worksite/detail_news.cfm?ArticleID=36231

Editorial urges overhaul of Amtrak (The following editorial, "On track, on time," appeared Sunday, June 24, 2007, in the Grand Rapids, Mich., Press.)

Amtrak ridership is growing across the country.

In Michigan, it's exploding.

The number of passengers on the Grand Rapids-Chicago route alone jumped 75 percent between 2001 and 2006. That increase is something to whistle about.

But even as the number of train enthusiasts has grown, so has their frustration. Delays and poor service continue to dog Amtrak, driven in large part by overcrowded tracks that accommodate both freight and passenger service.

The nation's rail infrastructure is in need of an overhaul. With gas prices that make a fill-up feel like a tooth extraction, this is the perfect time to look to public transit. Amtrak is a crucial piece of the nation's energy-saving puzzle.

 

[Rafi]

Off the UTUhttp://www.utu.org/worksite/detail_news.cfm?ArticleID=36231

Editorial urges overhaul of Amtrak (The following editorial, "On track, on time," appeared Sunday, June 24, 2007, in the Grand Rapids, Mich., Press.)

Amtrak ridership is growing across the country.

In Michigan, it's exploding.

The number of passengers on the Grand Rapids-Chicago route alone jumped 75 percent between 2001 and 2006. That increase is something to whistle about.

But even as the number of train enthusiasts has grown, so has their frustration. Delays and poor service continue to dog Amtrak, driven in large part by overcrowded tracks that accommodate both freight and passenger service.

The nation's rail infrastructure is in need of an overhaul. With gas prices that make a fill-up feel like a tooth extraction, this is the perfect time to look to public transit. Amtrak is a crucial piece of the nation's energy-saving puzzle.

On a related note, NARP released a plan for doubling the nation's rail infrastructure today. See story here:

Cox News Story

It's no coincidence that UTU posted a very similar item; NARP had been meeting with the unions, Amtrak, and others for quite a while during the research process for the plan.

-Rafi