... =v= This is a classic chicken-and-egg issue, one that should be familiar not just from rail but from any mass transit. If a service is underfunded it...
... =v= CSX tracks have also had safety issues. =v= This points to a greater, underlying problem, though: the fact that Amtrak must lease tracks from freight...
OK, one more time -- then I'm finished with this one. ... Well, that's two ;^) I have no problem with competitive rail service in the west. Indeed, I'm a fan...
... Um, no. The discussion is about rail service to cities in the west, not to some cattle ranch way out in the plains somewhere. There are large metropolitan...
... You break them at major hubs. The airlines switched to hub-and-spoke long ago because it was far more efficient. As long as trains run on time and there...
to robert, you are right about the need of being inclusive about rail transport ideas. rail and highway are public works subject to pork-barrel forces. this...
... True, but just how much of your billion-dollar subsidy are you willing to spend to on transportation for a small number of people? ... I don't feel...
... Wyoming was only brought up by someone who started by saying "Along the route of the Empire Builder." ... Granted. I live in a city, and don't own an...
... You're right. It doesn't. Nobody said it did -- it's just that Wyoming and Montana were under discussion and the Empire Builder is the only existing...
... First of all, the Empire Builder doesn't serve Wyoming. Secondly, despite the low population base, it is the most heavily ridden long-distance train in...
... No doubt. But not by me. ... South Dakota *appears* to have low population density because it *does* (fewer than 4 people per sq. Km.)-- precisely because...
... Do that, and you: 1) Wind up needing lost more equipment to cover the same route mileage, and 2) Kill ridership by forcing connections where they currently...
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Andrew Dawson
m82a1_dawson@...
Jan 7, 2005 4:22 am
... When the big Via Rail cuts were made in 1990, bus companies expected more business, but the opposite happened and they lost ridership. ... Ever go to...
... The long-distance routes as currently configured make absolutely no sense from an operational standpoint. Because of their incredible length, it is...
... Population density numbers are often misunderstood. While a place like S. Dakota will appear to have a low number because of all its barren, unpopulated...
hi doug, very well framed, enjoyed the post. best regards, gustavo ... __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo!...
I think we should try to keep these things in perspective. Outside the NEC, Amtrak is certainly a poor excuse for a national passenger rail system (within the...
hi, I find much truth in the excerpt. I also find usefull some of the work of Gramci, Adorno, Habermas and policy analyst Frank Fisher in helping to...
=v= A comparison making the rounds is that the Federal government spends more money cleaning roadkill off of roads than the entire operating budget of Amtrak....
... I agree with the goal of levelling the playing field between the different modes of transportation. Automobiles are heavily subsidized, as are airplanes,...
"simply replacing the train with a bus is a better option. The cost would be very much less, although the service quality would admittedly be less" Tell me I...
Don't know about TGVs in Europe, but shinkansen in Japan make solid profits over operating cost. Of course, the infrastructure was gov't built, but so is road...
What is Amtrak's farebox recovery? I know Toronto's is quite high, so I found this. I particularly like the parts about farebox recovery prior to 1972: ...
Hi All, I asked John B. Bredin to bring his comment to me into this Forum so we could discuss it. I'm sure quite a lot of you are somewhat surprised by my...
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Andrew Dawson
m82a1_dawson@...
Jan 6, 2005 4:32 am
The same can be said about Via Rail here in Canada. http://viarail.ca/trains/en_trai_tous.html It's a under funded and skeletal system as well. As for the...
Hi All, Sorry, the last message was supposed to be private. Somehow it went to the list. Carfree Times #37 is, as you may have gathered, now on line. I'm not...
Hi Erik, Thanks for the review. ... "These assumptions are very optimistic and could only be realized if the driver were one of just a few using this mode;...
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Erik Rauch
rauch@...
Jan 2, 2005 6:40 pm
Some comments on the article in Carfree Times. The figures given for cars seem to be based on an auto-oriented city (which is appropriate if you are comparing...
