Why Leftists Want to Pull You All on Mass Transit

This is too funny for words. If that makes me an elitist, so be it. (Can you live in Arkansas and be an elitist?)

Why Leftists Want to Pull You All on Mass Transit.

Filed under: Passenger Rail Transportatio Policy

Op-Ed Columnist – The End of the Tunnel – NYTimes.com

Krugman is at it again. Paul, please stop! We can’t handle any mote common sense or long-term thinking.

Op-Ed Columnist – The End of the Tunnel – NYTimes.com.

Filed under: Passenger Rail Politics, Passenger Rail Transportatio Policy

Christie Kills Hudson Train Tunnel Between New Jersey and New York – NYTimes.com

Just another note for today. Scroll down two items for the bigger picture.

I do not claim to be an expert on this project, which has been more than 20 years in the planning. Furthermore, I am fairly certain that the proposed tunnel has some major flaws, BUT rail capacity into New York City is at a stage that demands immediate attention. This one won’t go away.

Christie Kills Hudson Train Tunnel Between New Jersey and New York – NYTimes.com.

Filed under: Amtrak, Passenger Rail Politics, Passenger Rail Transportatio Policy

GOP Young Guns: Balance Budget With Cuts To Amtrak Sleeper Cars, Child Nutrition (VIDEO) | TPMDC

I post this only to give an example. Let us please not wear everybody out with the detailed rational discussion. Please scroll down to the item immediately below.

GOP Young Guns: Balance Budget With Cuts To Amtrak Sleeper Cars, Child Nutrition (VIDEO) | TPMDC.

Filed under: Amtrak, Passenger Rail Politics, Passenger Rail Transportatio Policy

Railing Against Rail – NYTimes.com

Paul Krugman has a good essay looking at why conservatives hate passenger rail. He misses a few political points

• Amtrak is an easy mark. It has few resources to fight back and almost all of the proponents are regular people, private citizens with limited resources. Conservatives are represented by K Street lobby firms
• Passenger rail is powerfully symbolic of subsidized public service. Therefore, it must be bad.
• Passenger rail goes against the traditional railroad corporate “public be damned” attitude. The existence of even one passenger train on a “host” line represents a cancer on the body of professional bean counters.
• Passenger rail hints at a common life. We all get on a train at a particular time and off at certain set stations. This opposes the notion of American individualism.
• It looks European and, therefore, must be bad (perhaps subversive). Seriously.
• In the zero-sum world of airline and highway lobbies, every dime that does not go to roads or airports is a total waste. The rest of the economy can work around the entrenched special interests.
• Passenger rail, in some regions, serves a substantial number of racial minorities, therefore it is another “give away” program and obviously bad.
• Passenger rail represents change.
• Passenger rail appropriations somewhat hint at the possibility that human beings should be better stewards of the earth.
• Passenger rail is not mentioned in the Constitution, therefore, it is bad.

But, Krugman did not miss everything. Here goes.

Railing Against Rail – NYTimes.com.

Filed under: Amtrak, Passenger Rail Transportatio Policy

Rail Service Expansion Imperiled at State Level – NYTimes.com

Here is a story from today’s New York Times.

I have not posted here much lately and that is because of a general sense that it is a complete waste of time. Consider that

• the Amtrak station in a major city (Oklahoma City) is closed because the State apparently fails to pay rent,
• Amtrak adds 30 minutes to what should be the fastest transcontinental train because the “host” road will not maintain trackage to 79 mph and Amtrak is unable to pay for the work,
• Amtrak proposes to expand a major transcontinental train to daily service (perhaps adding 100,000 additional passengers) but a local town objects to the location of the train stop and the “host” railroad demands $750,000,000 (not makin’ this stuff up) to “improve” the right-of-way already in use for a thrice weekly passenger train.

Although there is substantial evidence to suggest that a majority of Americans would like to see improvements and modernization in the national transportation system (note that I did not suggest widespread approval of every proposed project), high speed rail and a sensible expansion of Amtrak service is a political non-starter. The only transportation funding that will be allowed in the United States will go to enrich a handful of consultants who write meaningless reports. This country is under the thumb of corporate interests and a few billionaires, and it is about to get a lot worse. I could go on forever, but here is the story.

Rail Service Expansion Imperiled at State Level – NYTimes.com.

Filed under: Amtrak, Passenger Rail Transportatio Policy, United States High Speed Rail