Too expensive for passenger rail anymore. The reason it works in China, Japan, and Europe is high density population centers, lots of people going to the same place. US is mostly too spread out and cost is prohibitive. Autonomous EV convoys are likely a better option , especially if solid state battery technology lives up to the hype. On the other hand rails are good for freight, especially considering the damage trucking does to the interstates.
Wasting $ on Amtrak at least produces something, in addition to passenger transport it's an employment and industrial program. There's a chunk of highly skilled maintenance involved in keeping a railroad going.
Outside the NEC, is it a waste of $? Sure, but considering the enormity of waste in government spending and fact that a fair amount of that waste has negative value (e.g. Fed dept of Education) I think the budget for unpopular actions should go elsewhere.
- and the NEC should be considered separately. The highways are already backed up, and the land is built up enough that highways can't be expanded without destroying the places people want to get to. Amtrak NEC isn't efficient (Amtrak charges as much there as comparable air travel) but it's necessary.
I guess we now understand why it was easier for DOGE to go after USAID and not AMTRAK…. It would be nice, if metrics would be required in legislation that “clearly and simply” measured the cost and benefit impact locally to a district/state vs Federally and then reported on to measure success/failure with requirements that the latter be sunset. Of course, like CPI, these wankers in Congress would just change the definition of what is included…
Too expensive for passenger rail anymore. The reason it works in China, Japan, and Europe is high density population centers, lots of people going to the same place. US is mostly too spread out and cost is prohibitive. Autonomous EV convoys are likely a better option , especially if solid state battery technology lives up to the hype. On the other hand rails are good for freight, especially considering the damage trucking does to the interstates.
Politicians and railroads-Atlas shrugged-
Absolutely right
Wasting $ on Amtrak at least produces something, in addition to passenger transport it's an employment and industrial program. There's a chunk of highly skilled maintenance involved in keeping a railroad going.
Outside the NEC, is it a waste of $? Sure, but considering the enormity of waste in government spending and fact that a fair amount of that waste has negative value (e.g. Fed dept of Education) I think the budget for unpopular actions should go elsewhere.
- and the NEC should be considered separately. The highways are already backed up, and the land is built up enough that highways can't be expanded without destroying the places people want to get to. Amtrak NEC isn't efficient (Amtrak charges as much there as comparable air travel) but it's necessary.
We are the only industrialized nation without a viable rail service. The airline lobbies make sure of that.
I guess we now understand why it was easier for DOGE to go after USAID and not AMTRAK…. It would be nice, if metrics would be required in legislation that “clearly and simply” measured the cost and benefit impact locally to a district/state vs Federally and then reported on to measure success/failure with requirements that the latter be sunset. Of course, like CPI, these wankers in Congress would just change the definition of what is included…