What If?????

[GG-1]

This is not a rehearseal. This is Life.

Then please get me better lighting Aloha

 

[AKA]

This is not a rehearseal. This is Life.

Then please get me better lighting Aloha

I am ready for my close up Mr. Bush

 

[Amtrak OBS Gone Freight]

So far very good statements, folks. OBS...

 

[Amtrak OBS Gone Freight]

Adapt and Overcome.
There is no other option.

This is not a rehearse. This is Life.

Yep, we're getting warmer!!! This is one action I personally believe the Adminstration wants us all to do!!! We can't let them........ OBS...

 

[Sam Damon]

Honestly, I think many Americans would miss it. I think many people in the USA intuitively grasp what Amtrak does. The big problem is that for many people, Amtrak is not fun, friendly, or relevant to their travel needs. Much of this has to do with how public transportation policy has been funded and publicized -- but that's a whole 'nother thread.

I myself would miss intercity passenger rail service. I don't have the opportunity to take it quite as often as I might like. I do like the notion that I can at least try to use a LD train when I want to, though. I think many Americans share that view -- even if they can't use it for whatever reason, they like the notion that it's there to begin with.

Anyway, it's late, and I'm trying to stop posting stuff late at night. Can't spool down as fast as I might like, you see...

 

[frj1983]

If (as Geroge Harris) predicted, the Amtrak system would go away and following in line with the question, it would leave me in a lurch.

My wife and I have been married 13 years and this is the first year we will be flying to our vacation destination. In the previous 12 years, it was 2 trips a year by rail. Without Amtrak, we would certainly not travel as much and our tourism dollars would probably stay in the Illinois-Wisconsin area.

No way would I drive more than 300 miles to a destination, and no way would I put myself and my wife through the hell of flying on a regular basis.

So it means that areas which would and have gotten my tourist dollars would no longer get my tourist dollars. In other words, I would stay home and spend my money here.

 

[MrFSS]

No way would I drive more than 300 miles to a destination, and no way would I put myself and my wife through the hell of flying on a regular basis.So it means that areas which would and have gotten my tourist dollars would no longer get my tourist dollars. In other words, I would stay home and spend my money here.

Hey - I'd drive up from Kentucky and drive you down here. We need the tourist dollars in the land of beautiful horses and fast women, no wait, beautiful women and fast horses.

 

[yarrow]

those of us on this forum love rail travel. most people don't. my brother in law had what to me sounded like a great family trip spk-emy. they didn't like it and wouldn't take the train again. not a lot of specific stuff just not their cup of tea. i think most contemporary americans don't like rail travel(too slow, undependable, too expensive, whatever). the number of people who would be affected by loss of amtrak is very small and they tend to be in powerless groups. let's do our best, be involved in the political process, talk to our friends, ride the train and stop the hand wringing.

 

[AmtrakWPK]

If 25 million riders last year alone is a "very small" number, especially given the hardships that Amtrak operates under.......... Sure, a lot of folks fly, a lot drive. But that's 25 million passenger train trips that would be dumped on the ash heap, and that's not a small number to me, nor, I suspect, would it be a small number to those 25 million individuals that did the entrainings. Powerless? A lot of them, sure. Low income, uninformed, no political or business connections, etc. But a lot aren't. A lot are NEC (or Chicago/midwestern) commuters, and I suspect a lot of those folks are mid to high-level "movers and shakers". Those are the ones that have some clout, and know how to use it, a lot of them, and those are the ones that we need to try to really educate, warn, and to get motivated. If we could somehow get to those folks and convince them that their daily (relatively) comfortable, dependable, and affordable ride is likely to disappear, and that they'd have to either ride a bus (NOT!) or drive (and, of course, when they get there, PARK) unless they get politically active about it, then...?? It just seems to me that somehow there ought to be a way to leverage the existence of all those folks into a PAC that would be pretty effective.

 

[AmtrakLoverAndHater]

I think you need to stop posting about you (and those like you such as BNSF) "insider" knowledge if you cannot immediately substantiate the kind of claims being made in that thread. �This board does not need such unnecessary fanfare, especially given that as of yet no "doomsday" predictions have come to fruition. �

:unsure:

I didn't ask for a peronal attack!!!!! OBS.... h34r:

Forgot to log in.......... anyway, if this is a personal attack, I didn't ask for it. I am asking the importance of the subject of Amtrak's future!!! OBS...

I have to agree with OBS here, he didn't ask for an attack. Yes he did allude to things that may or may not go on behind the scenes that we don't know about.

However, the point of this thread and his post was not "the sky is falling" or anything like that. He simply asked a reasonable and interesting question, "How would you personally feel or be affected if Amtrak went away?"

There is no proclamation in that statement. There is no threat in that statement. There is no promise in that statement.

As such, I will remind everyone to keep personal attacks off this board, as they don't belong here. If anyone would like to answer his question that is fine, and perhaps even helpful. If you don't, that is also fine. This country, as well as this board, offers all of us those rights.

But any further personal attacks, especially in this thread with this innocuous question, will be deleted. Anthony and I allowed a bit more leeway in the 180 day thread, since that was indeed a proclamation. This is not!

Alan, this is not an attack. If you can provide some insight as to how erroneous info based on unverifiable sources is constructive to this community, please do so. I think taking a look at the thread posted by BNSF is evidence enough of this.

 

[MichiganFoamer]

I myself would miss intercity passenger rail service. I don't have the opportunity to take it quite as often as I might like. I do like the notion that I can at least try to use a LD train when I want to, though. I think many Americans share that view -- even if they can't use it for whatever reason, they like the notion that it's there to begin with.

This is pretty much the way I feel also. In the end it wouldn't really have that much of an affect on me personally. Would I be majorly bummed if the service were to go away?? You bet! But in the end it would just ultimately mean that my motorhome would get more miles put on it come vacation time.

Also, I would NOT likely visit any of the major cities currently served, as well as numerous other destinations(i.e. one of my life-long dreams has always been to spend a long weekend camped out at the Issac Walton. Not gonna happen if the plug gets pulled on the Builder! ).

I think George Harris has also givein a very accurate prediction about how the entire stuation would unfold as well!

 

[Amtrak OBS Gone Freight]

I think you need to

I know this question was directed to Alan, but I will take the honors for obvious reasons!!

I didn't see anything at all wrong with your posting as what the message meant! You are entitled to your opinion and I give you that respect! But you could have left out these first five words of your post! That was the personal attack whether you intended it to be so or not!

"I don't NEED to do anything!!!!"

Other than that I am over it, neighbor. Good day. OBS...

B)

 

[Amtrak OBS Gone Freight]

those of us on this forum love rail travel. most people don't. my brother in law had what to me sounded like a great family trip spk-emy. they didn't like it and wouldn't take the train again. not a lot of specific stuff just not their cup of tea. i think most contemporary americans don't like rail travel(too slow, undependable, too expensive, whatever). the number of people who would be affected by loss of amtrak is very small and they tend to be in powerless groups. let's do our best, be involved in the political process, talk to our friends, ride the train and stop the hand wringing.

You're pretty much right on the money here minus a few details!!! I personally believe the Admistration is counting on this scenario with the average "contemporary" American! That is part of the "big picture" I see as a real and present threat to passenger rail in the form as we know it!!! OBS...