What’s driving you crazy?

Click here for National Association of Rail Passengers Flyer

Link to Amtrak Photos

As a fairly regular user of Amtrak, I quickly admit that the service often is late, some of the rolling stock shows its age too much, food prices can be piratical and it often is poorly run.

As one who still enjoys riding Amtrak with all its faults, I believe all of the above is on purpose. I firmly believe Boy George Bush wants Amtrak to fail, and has put people to make sure that happens, much as he did with FEMA.

However, Boy George wants us to kick out dependance on foreign oil. One excellent way is to develop a viable national passenger rail service. Little local projects here and there won’t answer the demand.

Don’t forget, the more people we put in trains, the fewer we have in cars and planes and the less pollution we have.

However, my recent journeys have been more than pleasant. I ride the Texas Eagle between San Antonio and Fort Worth, Texas. It is cheaper for me, traveling alone, to go by train than to drive. It is much cheaper than an airline ticket and, last I checked, even cheaper than bus. Besides the economy, the trip is great. I once slept almost all the way, and arrived totally refreshed. I have popped open my laptop more than once and gotten a lot of work done. One of the biggest advantages to me is not having to drive, and, even I don’t sleep, I arrive refreshed.

Please take the time to look at the flyer from the National Association of Rail Passengers and check out their website.

Here is what you will find at the website:

The priorities for passenger rail advocates in the 110th Congress are:

• Amtrak’s fiscal 2008 appropriation: The House passed its bill on July 24; the Senate passed theirs September 12. The next step is a House-Senate conference committee. Urge your legislators to resist any efforts to cut Amtrak funding below the House and Senate-passed levels.
• Amtrak reauthorization:The Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act (now S. 294) has been introduced, again this time by Senators Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Trent Lott (R-MS). The bill provides for common-sense Amtrak reform and operational improvements, authorizes Amtrak for the five years Fiscal 2008-2012, provides for capital assistance for states, and development of state rail plans. Right now, the bill needs co-sponsors; see if your Senators are co-sponsors and if not, ask them to sign on!

Airlines are backed by a federally-funded infrastructure. There is no way Southwest Airlines could survive if it had to build and maintain airports and air traffic control centers.

Rail passenger service just makes sense for America. Plus, it is yet another area where special interests have conspired to maintain their edge, resulting in the U.S.A. being behind in yet another area compared to other industrialized countries.

Go train. It’s no brain.

Really, when you have a chance, try a day trip on a train. From San Antonio, for instance, you can go to Austin, have a heckuva full day and catch the southbound Texas Eagle to return to San Antonio that night.