Your Oct. 26 editorial “Let Amtrak ride into the sunset” was correct in calling for new ideas regarding getting better, faster, more-frequent intercity passenger trains in the Midwest. Your solution, falling back to regional systems alone, is not workable.
We wholeheartedly agree that a new program for funding and managing our nation’s intercity passenger rail network is desperately needed. The Midwest needs and deserves the same kind of federal investment that the Northeast Corridor has enjoyed. We also agree that if Amtrak were operated more efficiently and carried more riders, the nominal subsidy that Amtrak receives would not be an issue.
Your assertion that long-distance trains are little used is dead wrong. As a group, they are the best-utilized and most efficient trains outside the Northeast Corridor. In fiscal year 2000, they accounted for more than half of Amtrak passenger miles, despite having relatively few train starts per day. They also have the highest fare-box recovery ratios outside the Northeast Corridor. Cutting long-distance trains is not part of the solution.
The time to invest in high-quality intercity passenger service is long past due. Let’s stop picking winners and losers and get to the real question: How will we fund the rail services this country desperately needs?
