Now that the possibility of V-Pres. Biden accepting the Democratic Presidential nomination has risen from "none to slim", one might start wondering how Amtrak, and rail passenger service in general, might fair in the campaign, or just maybe an administration.
While obviously no one could expect the issue to be front burner in either the campaign or in an administration, one must wonder if Amtrak would be more than the "expendable" issue it became, after "doing pretty good" in the ARRA09 Stimulus legislation, in the remainder of Obama's.
Posted by George Harris (Member # 2077) on :
Maybe for the northeast, but seriously doubt that any train anywhere else would matter. Remember, to most of the long term or permanent residents of the northeast everything west of the Appalachians is still unpopulated "flyover" country, and anything between the DC suburbs and the southeast portion of Florida is as yet in a state of rebellion to be gottten through or over as quickly and painlessly as possible with minimal interaction with the natives.
Posted by Iron Mountain (Member # 12411) on :
After observing the ebb and flow of Amtrak fortunes over 40 some years it appears that Amtrak has experienced a net gain. It has survived economic upheavals, train haters such as senator McCain and company, traitors such as liberal dems Clinton and Carter. Yet Amtrak soldiers on. Could it be that Amtrak is truly a manifestation of the will of the people? I would like to think so. Its ace in the hole seems to be, in part, the need that politicians, such as representatives and senators feel, that to have passenger train service, no matter how small is some how a feather in their cap. Of course they have never coalesced into a national effort to develop a coherent passenger rail system. So, I must come to the conclusion that it matters not one whit which of the goofies ends up in the White House as far as Amtrak is concerned. And I always remind myself that the prez gets the blame whether deserved or not and the glory whether deserved or not. The reason being the presidency is but one part of the equation. And it is easier to blame or laud one individual. The rest of the equation, for better or worse, is two houses of congress and a supreme court. Power to the people!
Posted by sojourner (Member # 3134) on :
George, your prejudicial descriptions are incredibly dated. People from the NE are flocking to places like Wilmington and Charlotte NC and visiting Charleston SC and Savannah GA all the time (not to mention Orlando and the Tampa area). And those from cities are more likely to take trains than those from elsewhere. Young people from urban areas are foregoing cars in record numbers and biking to public transportation. They like trains, especially if they can use their gadgets aboard. If trains allowed bicycles and had full gadget capability, they would be mobbed.