Your comment indicates a profound lack of knowledge regarding contemporary domestic intercity passenger train service.

All else being equal, one might presume a champion of “the poor and middle class” would be in favour of rail-based transportation – and would educate himself concerning its intricacies and benefits.

Garl

Without federal subsidies, all passenger operations via all modes – including private motor vehicles on roadways – would cease! To single out “long distance train traffic” seems, at best, duplicitous.

Actually, I tend to believe we have much in common regarding our approach to this game. If you find an opportunity to do so, I’d encourage you (and anyone else who may be interested) to read some of my essays. The following would be a great place to begin:

“High Speed Rail is not the starting point”:

http://myprogressiverailroading.com/myprogressiverailroading_blogs/b/gblatham/archive/2010/06/30/high-speed-rail-is-not-the-starting-point.aspx

“The myth of ‘Higher Speed Rail'”:

http://myprogressiverailroading.com/myprogressiverailroading_blogs/b/gblatham/archive/2010/07/09/the-myth-of-quot-higher-speed-rail-quot.aspx

Best,
Garl

A lot of people in the farm belt depend on trains, but nowhere near enough to pay for them. Without a federal subsidy, all long distance train traffic would cease

(Boy, some people get really mad over a secondary point!)

Garl B. Latham
===
Yes, too few trains on too few lines, due directly to too few passangers (no market) costing the poor and middle class too MUCH of their too few dollars.

Why are you judging the credibility of others when you’re simply regurgitating what you’ve heard from questionable, biased sources? While we’re at it, why are you assigning homework when you’re the one in need of remedial education?!

Have you actually seen a Russell’s Guide recently? The latest copy I have in my possession looks more like a thick magazine than a book!

I’ll give you two examples of cities which I have visited within the past year that are “‘reliant’ upon Amtrak service”: Temple, Texas (population 66,000; no bus service; nearest commercial airfield 25 miles away [major airport 65 miles]) and Deming, New Mexico (14,000; no bus service; nearest commercial airport approximately 110 miles away).

Ridership on Amtrak’s National Network trains is quite diverse – and most definitely includes “serious passengers.” Long distance routes are made up of interconnecting/overlapping corridors which not only serve end-point cities, but many individual intermediate markets as well.

Numan Parada’s comments were right on-spot. The only real problem with Amtrak’s current system is that there are far too few trains operating along far too few lines!

Garl B. Latham

You lost credibility with your response. Do you have any idea how few AMTRAK lines there even are in the West? And these “areas with no air and bus service”? That’s a load of BS. Nearly all have bus service. Kingman, Barstow

Your homework assignment is to take out your map and go to AMTRAK’s website. See how many towns are “reliant” upon AMTRAK service.

The only ridership on long distance routes is people with plenty of TIME….old people, kids, maybe a few college students.

It’s an excursion….even an enjoyable one. But it’s surely not serious transportation.

The author lost his credibility at that sentence. Those long distance trains provide necessary transportation to areas that have no air and bus service. Amtrak has not been able to increase capacity on existing trains or create new services on account of next-to-no investment towards these trains. Yet ridership is increasing, with trains like the LA-Seattle Coast Starlight sell out regularly. Riders are very much voting with their feet in using these trains, so the ridership is clearly there, despite your assertions.