Save Amtrak

[Future Employee]

I hope all of you Amtrak enthusiasts have already tried to help save Amtrak. There are congressman who do not want to see Amtrak live. They want to do away with Amtrak and turn it into something completely different. We have to get involved and help to save Amtrak. Look it up online. We have to do something about this.

 

[yarrow]

I hope all of you Amtrak enthusiasts have already tried to help save Amtrak. There are congressman who do not want to see Amtrak live. They want to do away with Amtrak and turn it into something completely different. We have to get involved and help to save Amtrak. Look it up online. We have to do something about this.

thanks for the heads up

 

[Tumbleweed]

Preaching to the choir.....

 

[Gratt]

Not to be the non alarmist but I think Amtraks immediate future is not in great danger. There is serious long term risk to most of the western LD trains but the system east of the Mississippi should be going strong for a long time.

If LD cars are not ordered for the west by 2015-2020 then we should start worrying. Until then I dont expect much contraction but I dont see much growth outside some state sponsored trains.

 

[guest]

I hope all of you Amtrak enthusiasts have already tried to help save Amtrak. There are congressman who do not want to see Amtrak live. They want to do away with Amtrak and turn it into something completely different. We have to get involved and help to save Amtrak. Look it up online. We have to do something about this.

Should Amtrak be saved?

 

[Gratt]

I hope all of you Amtrak enthusiasts have already tried to help save Amtrak. There are congressman who do not want to see Amtrak live. They want to do away with Amtrak and turn it into something completely different. We have to get involved and help to save Amtrak. Look it up online. We have to do something about this.

Should Amtrak be saved?

That depends if you believe that having multiple competing modes of transportation which results in more travel, more money spent (which means more tax dollars) more business getting done, (again more economic stimulus and tax dollars) and a faster flow of ideas and goods. If you believe all of those are good things then, yes Amtrak is a good thing.

Today I am driving four and a half hours from Downtown Houston to visit a college friend in north Dallas for the weekend. My only other option is flying which means getting to the airport either having someone else miss work to drop me off or paying for parking at the airport, and having the same when I get into Dallas.

Unfortunately there are no good rail or bus connections. Compare this with New York- Washington route. Where more people travel between the two more often. Than between Houston and Dallas, why? because they have good Road, Rail, Bus, and Air connections. And guess what? Each of them is seeing more and more trips and riders.

Why is that? because more connections beget more trips by more people more often!

 

[jis]

Should Amtrak be saved?

Yes.

Pithy answer, to pithy question from someone who does not even bother to register to participate actively in a discussion

 

[jmbgeg]

Should Amtrak be saved?

Yes.

Pithy answer, to pithy question from someone who does not even bother to register to participate actively in a discussion

Ditto :excl:

 

[reefgeek]

Should Amtrak be saved?

Yes.

Pithy answer, to pithy question from someone who does not even bother to register to participate actively in a discussion

Ditto :excl:

That WATH a pithy question! Yes, save Amtrak and earn valuable prizes!

 

[montgomerySutton]

The best way to save Amtrak in our current political and economic climate is to ride it as much as possible. Even if it's a little less convenient, if you can take the trip on Amtrak, do. Both parties are being driven by Big Money who have no reason to care about passenger rail throughout the country -- but the higher the ridership, the more people Amtrak serves, and the more important it will seem to those unused to the train. Not to mention the obvious fact that it will help inch it ever marginally closer to breaking even.

 

[guest]

Should Amtrak be saved?

Yes.

Pithy answer, to pithy question from someone who does not even bother to register to participate actively in a discussion

I see you aren't allowing guest comments, just delete all guests.

 

[AlanB]

Should Amtrak be saved?

Yes.

Pithy answer, to pithy question from someone who does not even bother to register to participate actively in a discussion

I see you aren't allowing guest comments, just delete all guests.

No, we allow for guests to comment, one of the few forums that does do so. But we don't allow for useless, snarky, insulting, sarcastic, or posts that keep getting repeated multiple times by guests.

 

[Gingee]

Of course save Amtrak. The only way to go. We have a trip planned tomorrow that we can not take the train from our house to this destination. There is a cute little Amtrak station at our destination but sadly the train does not go from our town. Another thing is I can't take our dogs on the train. But we did use the LD train to go out west this past May and have another tentatively planned for December. Also, I hate to fly. So carefree to go on the train versus driving also.

 

[jmbgeg]

Should Amtrak be saved?

Yes.

Pithy answer, to pithy question from someone who does not even bother to register to participate actively in a discussion

I see you aren't allowing guest comments, just delete all guests.

If you take the time to diligently read and follow this board you will find that even the most loyal of us Amtrak travelers have pointed; even harsh critiques about how Amtrak can better serve its mission, its customers, and all its stakeholders better. That said, this is not a defund or terminate the mission of Amtrak forum. We exist to help make Amtrak the best it can be.

 

[guest]

Should Amtrak be saved?

Yes.

Pithy answer, to pithy question from someone who does not even bother to register to participate actively in a discussion

I see you aren't allowing guest comments, just delete all guests.

No, we allow for guests to comment, one of the few forums that does do so. But we don't allow for useless, snarky, insulting, sarcastic, or posts that keep getting repeated multiple times by guests.

Surley you must be joking!

 

[the_traveler]

Should Amtrak be saved?

Yes.

Pithy answer, to pithy question from someone who does not even bother to register to participate actively in a discussion

I see you aren't allowing guest comments, just delete all guests.

No, we allow for guests to comment, one of the few forums that does do so. But we don't allow for useless, snarky, insulting, sarcastic, or posts that keep getting repeated multiple times by guests.

Surley you must be joking!

If your answer to "Should Amtrak be saved" is "No, because we subsidize Amtrak.", my question is "Should we also stop the subsidies to highways and airports/airlines?"

Please respond to this question, guest.

 

[jis]

As I suspected, so far the indications based on the behavior seen here, are that the "guest" in question is just a troll.

 

[the_traveler]

I also believe so! This same "guest" has posted in another thread - again negatively!

A troll is a troll is a troll! If (s)he is not, I personally invite you to register!

 

[guest]

I am registered, thankyou.

 

[gn2276]

Another reason that Amtrak will not got away is the C-2 Protection that was built into the act that created Amtrak. C-2 protection says that if a train is taken off the employees on that route are paid up to 6 years of pay if they have to move more then 30 miles togo to a new job.

Travis

 

[leemell]

I am registered, thankyou.

You appear not to be given your user ID, unless of course you are under another ID and just want to not be honest.

 

[ButFli]

I hope all of you Amtrak enthusiasts have already tried to help save Amtrak. There are congressman who do not want to see Amtrak live. They want to do away with Amtrak and turn it into something completely different. We have to get involved and help to save Amtrak. Look it up online. We have to do something about this.

Should Amtrak be saved?

Should there be a national network of government-subsidised passenger rail? Yes.

Should that national network always be run in it's current form by the National Passenger Railroad Corporation? Maybe.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

The best way to save Amtrak in our current political and economic climate is to ride it as much as possible.

Amtrak has been posting record ridership numbers year after year after year and yet their political enemies have never been angrier or had more political clout than they do now. I think it's pretty clear than the problem is not lack of ridership.

 

[George B]

The best way to save Amtrak in our current political and economic climate is to ride it as much as possible.

Amtrak has been posting record ridership numbers year after year after year and yet their political enemies have never been angrier or had more political clout than they do now. I think it's pretty clear than the problem is not lack of ridership.

Haven’t you noticed yet that some people like to be angry no matter what? It is a great way to unite people without having to base anything on facts. That is how a lot of political leadership operates.

 

[Guest]

The best way to save Amtrak in our current political and economic climate is to ride it as much as possible.

Amtrak has been posting record ridership numbers year after year after year and yet their political enemies have never been angrier or had more political clout than they do now. I think it's pretty clear than the problem is not lack of ridership.

"Riders" doesn't go hand in hand with profit. "Buy more tickets" is great advice. Also, convince friends to do the same.

Looking at Amtrak's own reports on their website, with May 2011 being the most recent, the average load factors indicate that the trains were about half full for the month. There is plenty of room to buy more tickets.