WHAT CAN BE DONE TO SAVE AMTRAK
Recent decisions form the
The Amtrak Reform Council
are of great concern.

What can be done?
Any comments?
Any ideas?

SAVE AMTRAK

| http://www.JL-Site.com/SaveAmtrak/Directory.html |

As I see it:
The goal for Amtrak ought to be:

An American Passenger Train system
that works, and expands service
to American citizens
-- no matter what the cost.

Who cares how much it cost.
Whatever the cost, it's worth it.

To me it's our American like highways.
An American Passenger Train system
that works, and expands service
to American citizens
is vital to our nation.

Any comments?
Any bright ideas?

| http://www.JL-Site.com/SaveAmtrak/Directory.html |

[This message has been edited by brakie (edited 11-10-2001).]

[This message has been edited by brakie (edited 11-10-2001).]

SAVE AMTRAK

Yep.
I am willing to throw
good money after bad on Amtrak!

I am not interested in
a sound business decision.

That's Not My Goal
I am interested Saving Amtrak.

I don't think Amtrak
ought to be self sufficient.

Here is what I want AMTRAK to be
as I see it:

The goal for Amtrak ought to be:

An American Passenger Train system
that works, and
expands rail service to American citizens --

no matter what the cost.
Who cares how much it costs.
Whatever the cost, it's worth it.

To me it's like our American highways.
An American Passenger Train system
that works, and expands
service to American citizens is vital to our nation.

As I see it
since 1971, every body
has believed the big lie!
-- THAT AMTRAK OUGHT TO BE SELF SUFFICIENT

WHY?

ARE OUR AMERICAN
HIGHWAYS SELF-SUFFICIENT?

THAT'S WHY I POSTED THIS TOPIC.

SAVE AMTRAK.

As I see it,
one day we'll need AMTRAK.
No matter how much it costs.

SAVE AMTRAK
Have Congress revise the mandate!
That's my view.

That mandate is a 1971 concept.
As I see it, we need a new
2001 mandate:

SAVE AMTRAK
Whatever the costs.

So, you see, it's not that
I don't understand what common
thinking is on this topic.

I just have a different
point of view.

Save Amtrak
Whatever the cost.

It's similar to
Save The Post Office
Save the Army
Save the Navy
Save the Marines
Save the Air Force
Save the Coast Guard
Expand NASA

These are things I see as
important to our Nation.

Similar to:
Improve health care
Improve education
Improve water quality
Improve our energy self reliance
Improve energy efficiency
-- I happen to favor "appropriate
energy" concepts including
wind power, solar power, conservation.
De-Centralizing our energy sources.

But, I don't want to lose
US Passenger Rail Service.

So, I can revise my comment to
SAVE US PASSENGER RAIL SERVICE.

What's wrong with AMTRAK
except that it's expense and
can be improved!

As I see it
-- work on improving service
-- work on high speed
-- work on inner-city
-- work on coast to coast
-- work on being financially smart

But, don't get rid of
Passenger Rail Service
in any of it's forms.

Save Amtrak,
unless you have a better idea.
A better idea RIGHT AWAY.
A better idea for
2001 -- 2002 -- 2003 -- to 2020
and beyond

I like good ideas.

I just happen to think
AMTRAK is a good idea.

I never did understand
why American were not will to
spend tax money on AMTRAK.

Why not?

What's the problem?

National Railroad Passenger service
seems to me to be a good idea.

You sound like you know
what you are talking about
-- shivam@trainweb.com --

I just have a different
point of view.

I agree:
The Amtrak of the future must be
-- service conscious,
-- must have on time performance, and
-- serve cities that need passenger service.

Any comments?

A truly national passenger railroad system.

2)Do we want it to be intrcity,coast to coast,high speed?

All of the above. However, I think Amtrak should concentrate on interstate services (which lose less money per passenger-mile than regional services), while leaving intrastate and regional services (such as the NEC and California corridors) the responsibility of the states. Amtrak could still operate those under contract as they do now in most places.

How will we pay for it?

Set up a passenger rail trust fund like the aviation and highway trust funds. The ARC has indicated funding could come from a mere 2 cent increase in the gasoline tax. That's less than the weekly price fluxuations at the pump. 1 cent would go to interstate projects and 1 cent would go to the states for their own projects. It would benefit motorists by reducing traffic from the roads and reducing the need to build and maintain more highways.

The Amtrak of the future must be service consious...

Agreed. Amtrak is getting better, but it has a way to go. Amtrak would have more resources to deal with internal service problems if it didn't have to worry about external problems like poor treatment from the freight railroads, and lack of funding.

...must have on time performance,...

In order to do that a better arrangement must be worked out with the freight railroads, including financial incentives and/or government assistance with infrastructure improvements.

...and serve cities that need passenger service.

Which is most of them. The more cities that are served, the more riders and revenue Amtrak can generate.

If Amtrak is liquidated, whatever replaces it will have the same problems to deal with. I say we save Amtrak and deal with those problems, rather than throwing out the whole shebang.

------------------
Trust God, love your neighbor, and never mistake opinion for truth.
-Mr. Toy

The Del Monte Club Car

Hello Toy:

Your SAVE AMTRAK
comments are appreciated.

I went to your site
| http://hometown.aol.com/toylandmry/toytrain.html |

On youe site I read:

"Rail passenger service is in a renaissance.
It is the most fuel and labor efficient
and least polluting
of all forms of transportation." -- Arthur Lloyd, Caltrain Board Member.

I will put a link
to your site from my site:

| http://www.JL-Site.com/SaveAmtrak/Directory.html |

Friendly greetings,

If you want to make a statement and get the money, power, and backing of the movers and shakers in this country behind you, please call and write and email your senator and congressman.

Remind them that you put them where they are; remind them of all the good reasons for saving Amtrak (re-read Mr Toy's and SaveAmtrak's letters if you need ideas); remind them that there WILL be another election.

In one way or another, we taxpayers support every mode of transportation in the US -- why not railroads?

Congress can save Amtrak if they think that's what their constituents want. You elected them -- now tell them what you want.

Here are the web sites you need:

US Senate: www.senate.gov
US House: www.house.gov

ANNYYYWAYS political stuff aside.. I also strongly agree with the gentleman who said that we need to contact our reps- the more we do so the better. I honestly don't think this latest mandate will mean the death of Amtrak, but I think as rail advocates we need to use the spotlight that will soon be on Amtrak to not just SAVE Amtrak, but to also get Amtrak the funding it deserves. Let's not just get Amtrak to limp along for another 10 years.. lets go the extra mile and get our gov't to do what we all want- full funding for a reliable national railroad.

"The thought that expense might be reduced was comparatively foreign"

for this reason:

As a business owner for many years and a also union member (but politically NEUTRAL in all instances), I understand how a big business' 'corporate culture' could prevent it from making good business decisions because of internal politics and personal 'job security' ploys (among labor OR management).

Without competition to 'keep everyone honest' there is little insentive to change.
The question IF this is the case is:

*How do you change an inefficient corporate culture in a situation where competition is not really possible? (government, for one...)

*Does Amtrak NEED to be profitable?

*How can something run as a public service (not necessarily to make money) become efficient?

The solution proposed by one poster of Amtrak running the interstate system while local entities run the regional systems in cooperation may work, the regionals seem to be operating quite effectively.

Maybe Amtrak needs to be disolved and a new national rail system with a new management group with a clearer vision needs to be put in place, I don't know. I do know that a change needs to be made. We have been without rail passenger service in southern Idaho for too long, we have NO alternatives to expensive, wasteful and freightening air travel or long and tiring driving trips to get to Portland or Salt Lake City (each about 400 miles away).

I think WE have to decide: is it Amtrak we love or rail travel on a comfortable convenient train to where we want to go, whatever it's name.

I call every radio show in town and promote traveling by train. I have been able to do a lot of promotion these days because there are so many shows on about "fear of flying".

quote:

---

Originally posted by brakie:
Amtrak has borrow 3,000,000 dollars on Penn central Station,just to keep operations going till FY 2002.

---

Amtrak shouldn't have to pay any money to keep stations running. Do the airlines have to pay money to keep every airport running? Are the airlines forced to own airports? NO. The stations should be run by local, state and federal government money.

Hello Amtrak Supporters!
-- and if not, then American passenger rail travelers:

Here is what Byron A. Boyd Jr.\
United Transportation Union | http://www.utu.org |
recently said:
| http://www.JL-Site.com/SaveAmtrak/UTUInternational.html |

UTU International President Byron A. Boyd Jr.
On Amtrak: http://www.utu.org/News/News/2001/Nov/111401-1.htm |

-- The national debate over Amtrak should not be about profits.

-- Amtrak is about a national asset as deserving of public investment as airports, highways, subways and commuter bus systems.

-- We need an efficient, on-time national rail-passenger system, which means running border-to-border and coast-to-coast.

-- The citizens of Boise and Nashville need rail passenger service as much as those of Washington, D.C., and New York.

-- Amtrak is not bankrupt, but its management team is.

-- Among Amtrak's management, there is no vision at the top, no plan to translate increased passenger demand into more congressional support, no fire-in-the-belly to keep Amtrak operating on-time and efficiently and no understanding of how to operate a user-friendly system.

-- ... Yet when Congress in 1997 authorized almost $1 billion in federal funding annually for Amtrak through 2002, Amtrak management asked for -- and received -- only about half that amount.

-- If Amtrak is to survive, prosper and serve, we need a proactive Amtrak management team that is fit, willing and able to work for a viable national passenger rail network. And we need that new team now.

New Senate Bill S1530
Good news: http://www.JL-Site.com/SaveAmtrak/S1530.html |

Any comments?

"Let's roll"!

SAVE AMTRAK
Get Amtrak The Funding It Deserves!
JOHN LONGENECKER
| http://www.JL-Site.com/SaveAmtrak/Directory.html |
Email: JL@MainNet.com

Whether you agree with it or not, it does offer some important discussion points.

------------------
Trust God, love your neighbor, and never mistake opinion for truth.
-Mr. Toy