Amtrak demand high

Several years ago my wife and I did something unusual- we decided to take the Amtrak train to New Orleans for some training for a new business we wanted to start. And I have to tell you the trip was one of the most relaxing, pleasant experiences we’ve had in long time. The pace was a lot slower than the hustle and bustle of taking the plane- or the wear and tear of driving to get there.

At the time we wondered why more folks didn’t take vacations by train. As we reflected on the state of the railroad business at the time, we talked about how the train business had dwindled down to a shadow of its former self. Why? Planes were faster, people liked the personal nature of driving in their own cars, and running a railroad was expensive for the operators since most trains never ran at capacity.

But the world has changed and demand for rail travel has expanded quickly because of gas prices. I predict the same for shipping. Shipping by rail I speculate is alot more energy efficient than by trucks.

Amtrak set records in May, both for the number of passengers it carried and for ticket revenues — all the more remarkable because May is not usually a strong travel month.

Here’s a recent news story about the railroad business, specifically Amtrak– With fuel prices going up, and consumers feeling the squeeze at the pump and at the airport, ridership for Amtrak is on the rise. That’s the good news. The bad news is that years of Republican attempts to drown Amtrak in the bathtub have resulted in it having difficulty to meet the growing demand.

But the railroad, and its suppliers, have shrunk so much, largely because of financial constraints, that they would have difficulty growing quickly to meet the demand.Many of the long-distance trains are already sold out for some days this summer. Want to take Amtrak’s daily Crescent train from New York to New Orleans? It is sold out on July 5, 6, 7 and 8. Seattle to Vancouver, British Columbia, on July 5? The train is sold out, but Amtrak will sell you a bus ticket.

“We’re starting to bump up against our own capacity constraints,” said R. Clifford Black, a spokesman for Amtrak.The first point that needs to be made is that rail is a viable option. This is a lesson Europeans learned a long time ago. Portland has light rail, the Max, and Sound Transit is working to bring a viable light rail system to the Puget Sound Region. Both should be expanded. I’ve been to Boston, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and the San Francisco and in every city I didn’t use a car, I used rail. Los Angeles even started putting in light rail before I moved here 6 years ago. If you want to be a “major-league” city, get yourself a light rail system.

The other point that needs to be made is that our Democratic-controlled Congress should expand funding for commuter rail because with the cost of oil not coming down anytime soon, the airlines are going to continue nickel and diming passengers until only the rich can fly. With additional fees for checked baggage and United Airlines’ recent announcement that it will require minimum stays, David Goldstein probably has it right:Better carry a shitload of quarters with you the next time you fly folks, just in case the plane loses cabin pressure and you have to feed the goddamn coin slot on the oxygen mask.

Can pay toilets on airliners be far off? And if people are paying to use the toilet, don’t you think they’ll feel entitled to smoke in the lavatories? Who really wants to travel that way?

With the state of our fossil-fuel based economy the way it is, it’s time to start thinking about other transit options, including building and/or expanding commuter rail. As we do that, perhaps Amtrak should be reconsidered as well.

And while we’re at it, can Sound Transit please have the Sounder stop at the Olympia station for all those commuters in Thurston County who work in Seattle?

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So Americans will probably spend more time on trains going to work or taking a vacation. What do you think?

Related articles below:

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Bus companies don’t care about high gas prices

I was talking to my son’s bus driver this morning about the high cost of gas and asked her what was going on at the bus company (which will remain unnamed). She said “the bus company doesn’t care. It all just gets added in to your taxes!”

Do you think school bus companies aren’t doing anything about high gas prices? What is your opinion?

Here’s some related stories:

Innovative Solutions to Reduce District Expenses - Larger buses run on diesel fuel which is more expensive than unleaded gas. Smaller buses run on unleaded gas. 2) Bus drivers in Bovina have been directed not to idle their buses while waiting to pick up students at school. … Doreen Orion: The True Price Of Gas - If we hadn’t taken this trip because of the price of gas, we would have paid an even higher price in terms of our quality of life: The “bus thing,” as we came to call our year-long adventure, taught us the importance of living our … Gas price hikes hitting local governments, school systems - O’Bannon said $706000 was set aside in fiscal year 2008 to keep the system’s 220 buses running. She said school officials thought they budgeted enough money when they wrote the budget last summer. O’Bannon said $635000 was budgeted for …

Transit use up

From what I’m hearing here in the New York area, public transportation use is up more than ever. I’m sure that’s true- or will be- across the country. I don’t know about outside of the New York area, but many companies have programs where you get partially reimbursed when you use public transportation. I think we’ll see growing use of programs where corporations help cover public transportation costs. I’m not aware of how these programs work totally but I’m guessing the corporations get some kind of taHx benefit from offering these programs. Here’s more on the use of public transportation — The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) announced today that Americans took 2.6 billion trips on public transportation in the first three months of 2008. Light rail (modern streetcars, trolleys, and heritage trolleys) had the highest percentage of ridership increase among all modes, with a double digit 10.3 percent increase for the first quarter. The heavy rail systems with the highest increases in ridership for the 2008 first quarter were in the following cities: Staten Island, NY (12.3%); Boston (8.8%); Jersey City, NJ (6.5%); Los Angeles (5.4%); New York City (5%); Baltimore (4.9%); and San Francisco (4.5%). Bus travel in all size communities saw ridership increases; communities with a population of less than 100,000 had a 7.8% increase. For more on public transportation, check of the American Public Transportation Association’s web site- click here.

Here’s more related stories:

The Bloody Consequences of Higher Gas Prices - In the first three months of 2008, 2.6 billion trips were taken on public transportation in the US, a 3 percent increase over the first quarter of 2007, according to the American Public Transportation Association.” … More People Using Public Transportation Nationwide - Transit operators expect the increase to be greater in the second quarter as gasoline prices soar. A report set for release today by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) shows trips on public transit January-March rose … Changed Your Commute to Save Gas? You May Save on Insurance, Too - With gasoline prices rocketing past $4 per gallon, record numbers of California commuters are turning to public transportation to ease the fuel crunch. But they may not realize that a change of commute may save more than just their gas … Transit ridership continues to soar - … coming up for renewal, we must allocate maximum resources to improving public transportation capacity. light rail in San Diego (by: paulkimo9; creative commons license) All this has everything to do with gasoline prices, of course. …