Biden Announces Stimulus Funds For Amtrak

[Purveyor]

Source: Associated Press

(03-13) 10:22 PDT WASHINGTON (AP) --

Vice President Joe Biden, once a regular rail commuter, says the $1.3 billion for Amtrak in the economic stimulus package will go toward long-overdue projects.

Speaking Friday at Union Station, Biden said $105 million will be spent to replace a 100-year-old Connecticut bridge on Amtrak's heavily traveled Northeast corridor. Another $82 million will be used to replace old rail cars and put them back into service.

The national passenger railroad, long criticized for its reliance on government subsidies, has strong support from the Obama administration.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/0...

[LisaM]

1. This is great news

I understand that the Northeast is the heaviest user of Amtrak, but I hope that some of this goes to improve rail service in the rest of the country.

I also wish that they'd introduce pet-friendly cars for train travel.

[kestrel91316]

2. Heck, I wish they had BIKE-friendly cars more places. I can't hop on

the Surfliner in Simi Valley with a bike and take it up to Santa Barbara for the day.

[LisaM]

3. That too.

Amtrak should be accommodating all kinds of things. I didn't mean to leave you out!

[Javaman]

9. Here's the wisdom of my cities light rail...

It's supposed to start on the 31st of this month.

So okay, I thought, let me jump on my bike and cycle over to the station to see how long it takes me.

15 minutes not bad, right. nope. It would have taken under 10 but because my towns council it top loaded with morons, they didn't take into account people actually using the light rail or biking there. So as a result, there are virtually no bike lanes in the immediate area, there are no curb ramps (regardless of the bikes, the should be there for the people wheelchair bound), the station itself is designed in such a way, that I have to actually cross over the tracks to get to the station. No, not at a crossing, but right over the tracks. And the whole project is over budget and over a year behind.

morons, just fucking simple morons.

[John Q. Citizen]

16. That's worth organizing for. There has to be a way to do that.

[xxqqqzme]

26. I've seen bikes on the Surfliner before.

Heck, I've even seen surfboards on the train.

[Sequoia]

35. That would be so much fun. Speaking of trains......

The show, Big Bang which airs on Monday showed the guys on the Amtrac from Union Station (most likely) and behind them as they sat in their seats I could see the waves rolling to the shore in Santa Barbara. I knew it was SB because I've been on that train, and heck as you drive along the 101 you can see the train chugging along. Beautiful.

[wryter2000]

38. Bummer

I was on the Capitol Corridor one day, and a guy got on with his bike. He was going to take his bike to a distant city and cycle back along the bay for fun. Really neat.

[w4rma]

42. That is an awesome idea: Bike friendly train cars. (nt)

[wordpix]

61. just put some racks on those trains. In DC there are bike racks on the fronts of metrobuses

Really easy to bike downtown to work and take the bus uptown at the end of a long workday. Trains need this, too

[AlbertCat]

25. Getting there

"but I hope that some of this goes to improve rail service in the rest of the country."

Really....so do I. In the South, the train is simply a pain in the ass....but not as much as the Airlines now! City busses suck too. In the South, you simply have to have a car. It has been worked out so it will be that way. Up North, where bigger cities are closer together, and there are so many people w/out a car, short train rides are OK and people never stopped using trains. But down where distances to cities are longer and the ride is longer, they (deliberately I think) made it just awful so you'd have to have a car.

When I was growing up, public transpo of any kind was looked down upon as something black people used. They even referred to the bus route as the "maid loop". When I was like 6 or 7 , my older sister and I took it upon ourselves to take the bus downtown to see a movie. My parents were furious! My father: "Only niggers take the bus!"

I know I'm talking about the bus now...but trains were given the same aura. Look at the jokes about what MARTA stands for! (Moving Africans Rapidly Though Atlanta.... actually Metro Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority)

[unc70]

41. All the South not the same, buses and trains included.

We have a long way to go with trains, but NC is slowly working on its service with state funds helping make a difference. Much of NC was developed along the NC Railway from Charlotte to Raleigh, now passenger service is being revived along that route. We also will benefit when the new tracks north to DC are completed.

While your description of the buses was true in the past, some areas have much different service models now. Chapel Hill has free buses for everyone and others have noticed and begun their own experiments. Some routes in Greensboro are now fare-free, partially paid by the colleges served by the routes. High ridership among college students is one way to remove the stigma of using public transit.

Charlotte seems to have had a good beginning with its light rail.

There are reasons to hope.

[Pharlo]

44. Thatis less a north vs south issue and more a

urban vs rural issue. I live in the rural north. No public transportation. closest bus line, 30 miles away. Closest Amtrak, 55 miles away. In both instances, pretty much useless.

[Alcibiades]

46. And a lot of southern whites still have those attitudes

about mass transit. There was a time when white folks in the south did take the bus. Much like with the public schools, once they were integrated, white folks opted out. That's one sign the recession is getting bad--middle class white folks are starting to take the bus again.

[madmom]

4. I so wish we had this in Ohio. Gov. Strickland and our dems are trying but naturally the

repugs are holding things up.


http://xingcolumbus.wordpress.com/2009/02/24/ohio-compe...

[MercutioATC]

52. Oh, yeah...$1/4 Billion for the snail train?

Spend $250M to use existing tracks for low-speed passenger service between Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton and Cincy when one can actually make the drive in less time? No thanks.

[madmom]

57. To each his own, I guess.

[TheCoxwain]

5. Amtrak should take over all the passenger rail network in the country ..

including City and State operated rail ...


I am sure there will plenty of room for synergy and lots of efficiencies to be gained

[liberal N proud]

6. Now that Joe isn't riding as much their revenue is down

No, I know it was suffering before. This country should not only be maintaining Amtrak but expanding it's service.

Far too many of us do not have good access to rail transportation.

[glinda]

7. I don't fly at all but have taken Amtrak a lot. Love it. So good news!

[xxqqqzme]

27. I don't fly anymore either since I

was disabled. I just can't sit in those horrid seats. Give me the train any day.

[glinda]

31. I know! It is a great place to meet people and see the countryside.

[Johnny Noshoes]

49. It is a great way to meet people.

I take the train from NYC to Boston when I visit family in NH for the holidays. On the way home this past Christmas instead of watching a movie on my iPod I had this great conversation with a woman from Connecticut. Sometimes its better to turn off the tech and reengage with people. I used to take the shuttle to Boston but the train is cheaper and what's the rush.

[onehandle]

8. I love Amtrak! Big comfortable seats. You can walk up and down the train. It's a fun experience.

Airliners are cramped and the air is toxic. Give me a train anytime.

[FailureToCommunicate]

12. We took the train across the U.S. twice now. Best way to see REAL America, the kids

LOVED it and not having to drive meant we loved it too! ( well, of course biking would be an even better way to see America but you know...) The National Park Service got on at some points and held little teaching sessions about the land
we were traveling through... it was great. We thought we better go on the trains before they're gone under Bush. So this new expenditure for rail is great news.
Go Biden! Go Obama!

[Terry in Austin]

37. Trains are the best!

Only way to travel, if you can get there by train. We need to have a network of rail routes that's complete.

It's great -- I've taken several cross-country trips on Amtrak, and the experience was terrific. Very much looking forward to when they have their own track, even. We'll start ranking somewhere above Bulgaria then...

[MaineDem]

10. This is great news! n/t

[Jackpine Radical]

11. Wife & I are planning Mpls to Portland run this June.

Going to a family reunion. It'll be my longest train ride ever.

I love trains. I love Amtrak. We sometimes take the train to Chicago to see kids.

[FailureToCommunicate]

14. You'll love it! You go by Glacier National Park and many other sights...

[pinto]

17. You can make stopovers along the way on a long trip. I do that cross country.

Overnight in a city (Chicago)and catch the nest train. Same fare.

[geardaddy]

19. You'll have a hard time getting on the train in Mpls.

Amtrak station's in St. Paul

[Jackpine Radical]

21. Actually we'll probly catch it at Tomah. Much easier & safer parking there.

[emmadoggy]

54. Jackpine I just now noticed where you are from.

When you said Mpls it made me wonder where you are from and low and behold. DH and I lived in EC for 6 1/2 years - late 80's to mid 90's. Loved it there.

So just wanted give a little

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

13. Well it is ABOUT FUCKING TIME.

They've been trying to wreck the American rail system for years. Now perhaps it can be rebuilt and put to its proper uses again.

[BrklynLiberal]

15. You said it better than I could have...

[wordpix]

60. EXACTLY

[pinto]

18. Good news.

[geardaddy]

20. Excellent.

There needs to be more investment in rail in this country.

[Joey Liberal]

22. Only if Amtrak is run efficiently

If Amtrak is being run efficiently I'm all for it. But if they are not being run properly, I've got a problem with it. I trust Biden and Obama enough to make sure we aren't funding a poorly run operation.

[JBear]

23. Efficiency

Really the biggest thing that Amtrak needs to run efficiently is dedicated track. We need dual track running from Miami to Boston. That does two things - first it allows Amtrak to run on time as it can control the schedule rather than the Freight companies and second it makes it so the now less frequent schedule slips don't impact the entire line.

If Amtrak ran on time and did not take longer than actually driving, MANY more people would be using it.

And now back to your regularly scheduled rant...

[xxqqqzme]

29. Amen to that!

Let's hear it for dedicated track.

[NewJeffCT]

24. the CT rails really needed it as well

The quality of the tracks adds an unnecessary hour to the train trip from Boston to NYC or NYC to Boston.

[wordpix]

62. not to mention the north-south routes will not get you to work on time

If you live in the highlands and work on the coast, forget it unless you can start work at 10 am. That eliminates most of us.

[ShortnFiery]

28. YES! Many of us commuters opt to ride the Amtrak from NoVA to D.C.

Thanks JOE!

[ThoughtCriminal]

30. Finally!

The equipment shortage has become a big problem.

[izzybeans]

32. The irony of this sentence alone should be enough to bury the

right wing stupidity on this issue.

"The national passenger railroad, long criticized for its reliance on government subsidies" Imagine that

[Puzzler]

36. Why can't the railways complete...

... on the "completely level playing field" with "unsubsidized" road system?

Note: my extreme sarcasm above!!!

[Gormy Cuss]

58. Yeah, the bias isn't even subtle, is it?

The "reporter" should be sent to the wood shed for that one.

[Sequoia]

33. We have silent train tracks in our town and we even voted for

rail service to the SF area, etc., from Sonoma County but now there seems to be a lot of moaning and groaning like it ain't gonna happen. WE WANT TRAINS !!!!!!!!!

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

34. Wonderful news!

Now I'm still at work (overtime) and maybe it's just because I'm tired, but this sentence doesn't make sense to me:

Another $82 million will be used to replace old rail cars and put them back into service.

If you replace old rail cars, you don't put them back into service--do they mean refurbish?

[wryter2000]

39. Lord, I wish they could make the Cailifornia Zephyr run on time

Where's Moussolini when you need him?

Amtrak's fine, but the trains get stuck behind the (^%*&+^*() Union Pacific trains. It's such a fun ride from Emeryville to Reno when it's on time, but that almost never happens.

[hedgehog]

40. Somebody check my math, but this means about 8% for all the

stimulus spending for Amtrak on a single bridge in Connecticut? I'm certain the bridge needs replaced, but if those numbers are right, the stimulus package can't go very far. I'm guessing the $1.3 billion mentioned is only part of the package for rail travel since there seems to be serious discussion of high speed corridors in a couple places including New York-Albany-Syracuse-Rochester-Buffalo.

[Oldtimeralso]

43. As a former 35 year employee of Amtrak

It is great to have an administration that is friendly to Amtrak!
When Nixon formed Amtrak on 1971 the word on the street(or on the rails) was that it would not last 3 years. The equipment that the railroads passed on to Amtrak was all the they could not sell to Canada or Mexico, almost of it was built in the 40's and 50's. A lot of hard work by many dedicated employees proved the naysayers wrong.

In 1975 Amtrak started to get some new cars (these are the one that are now in storage in Delaware that are to be refurbished for 82 million). the Carter Administration was not as friendly as it could be and many train routes were eliminated to contain costs. In 1981 the employees were forced to take a 12% cut in pay and as we all know the Raygun administration was not very labor friendly. The wage suppression lasted 10 years with small periodic increases, for example only 79 cents over the first 5 years,and after that it was almost an insult to get a ONE CENT increase for a 6 month period.

The Clinton administration was more labor friendly, but Congress put limits on funding. This resulted in some reforms to contain costs that caused a reduction and elimination of service on some routes.

G.W.Bush several times had proposed to zero out Amtrak in his budgets and even proposed to privatize the Northeast corridor, ie, Boston, New York, Washington. This is where Amtrak had spent almost all of the capital that had been appropriated to it. Labor again suffered, it took 8 years of trying to negotiate a contract with no success. In 2008 the report of a Presidential Emergency Board awarded Amtrak employees the same wages and benefits that freight railroads had won. In the same time frame Amtrak took many so-called cost saving measures such as all meals were pre-prepared airline style cutting the dining car staff by two thirds, in the mechanical department jobs were eliminated by attrition and staffing was reduced by 40% this way.

Right now many Amtrak employees will soon retire and any stimulus monies will go a long ways to replace these workers, upgrade equipment and allow Amtrak to get rolling again.

The National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) does need support from the government. Amtrak's return at the cash box is far greater then all commuter rail services in the US and most intercity services in foreign countries. On a per capita basis the US investment in Amtrak is minuscule compared to almost any non-Third World country. It is about time that this country went to bat for Amtrak. It is too late for me personally as I am now retired. But I wish Amtrak success with all it's endeavors and great support from the Obama administration.


ps I know that VP Biden's long term experience with riding the rails has a lot to do with this.

[Alcibiades]

48. Thanks!

I know I speak for a lot of my fellow DUers when I salute your service to the riding public. Rail has to be part of any sensible transit solution, and that means making Amtrak careers attractive, fully staffing trains again, adding new routes, new trains, better amenities, etc.

[Tashca]

51. Wow.

Thanks for this personal story. This is one of the main reasons I like DU. To get stories from people about their real lives. ....Unfiltered...... I enjoyed reading this very much!!!!

I agree.....I am thinking the VP had some say in this.

[Muttocracy]

55. thanks for your perspective and your work for Amtrak. nt

[JCMach1]

56. Great Post!

And I still love the train!

[tavalon]

45. Fabulous news!

My grandfather having been a conductor for Amtrak, I have a big ol' soft spot for them.

[MBS]

47. front-page story in Boston Globe today

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2...

[scottl]

50. Another Army Story

When I was stationed in Europe, I traveled constantly train and fell in love with it, especially thru the
Alps. As I've grown older, I've developed a lung condition that prohibits me from flying. I dearly wish
the US had a train system with more choices......

[dickthegrouch]

53. I have to disagree

I think this is far more of an unconscionable waste than anything else I've heard.

I was looking for less expensive ways of transporting someone from Austin, TX to San Francisco recently. First I looked buses: $290 one-way and takes 36 hours.
Then I looked at trains: $270 one-way and takes 29 hours.
Air: $230 one-way and takes 4 hours including the time wasting in the airport.
Guess which I chose.

Rail in the US is utterly pathetic compared to the European system of high-speed, clean, affordable, relevant, useful train systems. Government money will be completely wasted on anything that all the NIMBYs in the US will actually allow.

[The Straight Story]

59. um, why not drive in that case?

I can go from here (Cols, Oh) to Ridgecrest, CA - 2264 miles:
30mpg would be 75 gallons of gas
$1.98 Gallon right now = $148.5

You can drive it in 36 hours with short naps. You get to St. Louis, Okie City, Amarillo, the desert, etc and so on.

And in regards to the rail, you are right that ours is not as good as Europes - which is why we need more money for it and solid leadership to get it going.

[wordpix]

64. well if you sink some $ into the rail system, it will be better, right?

One thing you didn't factor is the stress of air travel including bad weather, delays and cancellations. Bad weather doesn't usually impact train travel and delays happen but at least you can get up and move around a train when they do.

[wordpix]

63. some of the $ should be used to clean up & landscape the rail line rights-of way. The NE corridor

appears a 3rd world poverty-stricken area featuring dumping, trash, falling apart buildings and retaining walls, polluted wetlands, etc. People should be put to work cleaning up the corridor and planting native trees and shrubs, getting the trash out of the waterways and wetlands, restoring the neighborhoods you pass through and generally, making the ride and neighborhoods appear taken care of, friendly and appealing.