Government to Offer Amtrak Reform Plan

[goobergunch]

By LESLIE MILLER
Associated Press Reporter

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A new Bush administration proposal for Amtrak's future could end the government-subsidized railroad's monopoly on intercity passenger rail travel, a congressional supporter says.

Officially, the legislation is intended to eliminate unprofitable long-distance routes and force states to give more financial support to intercity passenger rail.

Amtrak has been under severe pressure from Congress and the Bush administration to end its dependency on government cash and start turning a profit. The passenger railroad has received government subsidies every year of its 32-year existence.

Michael Jackson, outgoing deputy transportation secretary, described the broad outlines of the plan to the Senate Commerce Committee in April. He said a bill would soon follow, and that proposal is going to Congress Tuesday.

more...http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AMTRAK_FINANCES?SITE=WIRE&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

[Lydia Leftcoast]

1. The annual Federal support for Amtrak

for the entire country is less than the average state spends on highways every year.

The real reason the Busheviks don't want to support rail is that it could become a viable alternative to such gas-guzzling means of transportation as cars and airplanes. Experience in Europe and Japan has shown that rail is fast and economical for journeys of 600 miles or less. A lot of potential routes are out there: the Boston-Wahsington corridor (get some real Japanese-style high speed rail), Chicago to Cleveland and Detroit, Minneapolis to Chicago, New Orleans to Houston, Atlanta to Miami, San Francisco to Los Angeles--you name it.

Hell, even Korea, Taiwan, and China are building high-speed rail.

[tsipple]

2. So Airlines and Highways Get Federal Money...

...But Amtrak can't get a dime? I'll grant you that Amtrak ought to concentrate more on short haul, higher frequency intercity transit, and that their current route structure is drawn to cross as many Congressional districts as possible, but come on.

Not to mention that the airline system is collapsing for a variety of reasons. Amtrak is just starting to harmonize its service with airports and airline schedules at places like Baltimore and Newark. (South Bend is a fantastic showcase, with bus, air, and passenger rail all in one facility.) I'd like to be able to buy a single ticket that'll take me from, say, Chicago to Trenton, with the Philadelphia (or Newark) to Trenton leg by rail. Including seamless baggage handling.

[Fovea]

3. Ok, good.

Let's privatize the highway system as well. Charge users the $9.00 a gallon user fee to pay for the highway system. I am all for 12.00 dollar a gallon gas. Then, when a bad roadway causes an accident, we can sue the transportation company. They could even pay their own highway patrol.

Then let's privatize the air transportation infrastructure, weather, airports, air traffic system, so that it can be sued for all weather or traffic induced accidents occur.

Then let's privatize the air force, to more efficiently guard our airlanes. Airlines would pay for their protection. Much more efficient, and only as big as the airline companies really need.

And the military never makes a profit. Can the bastards and hire Brown and Root, Wackenhut, and Bechtel.