Good political comment from someone who sounds like they are in the oil industry.
Posted by tarheelman (Member # 6095) on :
IMO, the commentator's argument has some good points, such as the fact that railroads can convert to electric locomotives if the oil companies get too aggressive with their pricing for diesel fuel. As he says, this fact gives the railroads more negotiating leverage with the oil companies than the trucking idustry, the airline industry, and motorists have (i.e., unlike rail, all three of these groups don't have any immediate, feasible alternatives to petroleum).
However, IMO, the commentator seems to be paranoid towards the oil companies and, as such, has a conspiracy point of view toward them. This, along with his last line about global warming, destroys his argument's credibility with me.
Posted by 4021North (Member # 4081) on :
In the editorial, Frommer questioned the idea that Amtrak must make a profit. I agree, though I wish we would have done more about that ten years ago -- when Congress called for Amtrak to be "financially self-sufficient" -- instead of waiting till now.
Tarheelman, that was well said. Global warming seems to be an overblown issue, that distracts from the real problems of pollution and environmental degradation.
Posted by tarheelman (Member # 6095) on :
Some criticism of Amtrak isn't aimed at Amtrak specifically as much as it's directed toward passenger rail in general.
Some folks view passenger rail as an antiquated means of transportation because it is neither as speedy as air travel nor as convenient as private motor vehicle travel. IMO, while both of these things currently are true, they don't have to be. Rail travel can be speeded up by offering frequent express day trains that stop only at a few stations along their route. In addition, building new tracks and/or rebuilding existing tracks so that high speed travel is safe could be accomplished by a combination of private activity bonds and tax revenues (federal, state, and local). Once a network of such tracks is in place, express day trains (as well as LD trains, for that matter) can travel at 150-200 MPH for most of their routes, thus making them faster than private motor vehicle travel.
Again, IMO, if speed improvements like these were made, passenger rail would become a more credible (and convenient) alternative to motor vehicle travel. This, in turn, would give those who criticize passenger rail as antiquated fewer reasons to make such criticism.
As for profitability, Amtrak does need to become more efficient in its operations. Greater operating efficiency will enable a larger portion of fare revenues to cover operating expenses, thus leaving more room for maintenance and capital improvements in the money that Amtrak receives from the federal government. However, in order to become more efficient, Amtrak is going to need the cooperation of its employees' labor union---without flexible work rules, better customer service, and the ability to fire poorly performing employees, efficiency is difficult to attain.