Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: TimF who wrote (356859)	11/3/2007 4:50:30 PM
From: tejek	Read Replies (4) \| Respond to of 1574485

Also, while Ezra suggests rail is trapped in some kind of vicious cycle of falling ridership and higher ticket prices, Amtrak did apparently have a record number of passengers this past year. Sure, I wish a subsidy could cut into that $120 ticket so I could ride to New York in a comfortable three hours rather than a cramped 4-and-a-half on the Chinatown bus. But unless they can add substantial capacity (and I don't know, maybe they can), a lot of that subsidy is just a benefit to the relatively more affluent people riding the train anyway. The starving of the American train system did not start in the last five years nor the last 10 years......its started right after WW II. Tracks were allowed to deteriorate, trains themselves became antiquated; freight trains were given the right of way often delaying passenger trains by hours; in many cities, train stations were moved out of the central city to someplace inconsequential, gas tax monies were funneled to highways and airports. When Amtrak was formed in the 1980s, it floundered for many years. However, by the early 1990s, enough Americans had experienced train travel in Europe where trains were becoming increasingly modern, convenient and fast that they started to demand the same here. Train travel became popular in the more congested areas of the country.....Boston to DC, LA to SD, and Portland to Vancouver, BC. But still Congress [read Republicans] treats its like its the stepsister of transportration. Frankly, Tim, I am sick of the lack of vision in the GOP. Again they stand in the way of what the American people want. And one last thing.......train ridership has been increasing for most of the 21st century and not just in the last year as your blogger lies, I mean suggests: Annual Amtrak Ridership of 25.4 Million Marks Third Straight Year of Record Increases amtrak.com Train ridership was also up in 2006 as well as 2007: usatoday.com And those increases are spreading to other areas of the country like Chicago/St. Louis; Albany/Toronto; Kansas City/St. Louis; Mpls/Chicago; NC/DC etc. Even the long distance trains are starting to see increases in ridership. So stop with the nonsense and tell you leaders to let loose some money for trains.