Rail is a Choice

Give no decision till both sides thou'st heard.
Phocylides

Fuel prices are way too high. That’s probably a statement you can agree with. The problem is what to do about it. The debate from our politicians usually revolves around where to get more. Do we fight wars or take over other countries? Do we drill in ANWR or on the western slopes of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado? What do we do to get more? The one thing we haven’t done is to have a full and open debate about it. The debate over a fuel tax holiday doesn’t represent a full vetting of the issue. Fuel may become a major campaign issue for Obama and McCain, but I doubt it. Both are willing to give the topic lip service, but little else.

Conserving fuel doesn’t seem to be part of the solution. Conserving is a burden that each of us would have to bear. It would mean having to do more with less and that’s un-American. Worst of all, we see it as a temporary measure. We think there is technology around the corner that will provide us with cheap fuel and allow us to continue with our normal lifestyles. Do we really need to consume resources like we do? Are there other options available? We have many choices; some haven’t even thought of yet. We need to really think about how we do things and see what can be done to change. We need to be open to ideas. We need to take won’t out of our language.

One option that gets little discussion now is rail. Many have forgotten this country used to depend on the railroads for transportation. Railroads used to be about the only choice for getting between cities and towns. Starting in the 1960s, the airlines grew quickly and people moved away from the railroads. Airlines were quicker and eventually cheaper. Now the airlines are in trouble. Their fleets of aircraft are quickly aging. Services and amenities are disappearing. Many are having serious financial woes and the future doesn’t look good. It reminds you of the railroads in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

1971 marked the year that everything changed for the railroads. They cut a deal with the federal government to create a national passenger railroad and free them of their burden. Amtrak was born. Since that time, Amtrak’s budget has been sliced and diced. Many in Congress wanted to kill it completely, but it lives on. Now it represents a solution that many people ignore. September 11, 2001 was a dark day in American history. By the end of the day all air travel was grounded, the only transportation that was moving was cars, buses, and trains. Amtrak trains were full and continued that way. Amtrak ridership grows every year.

We need to bring Amtrak back to the table. We need to expand service and make rail a viable choice for public transportation. We need to rebuild our passenger train fleets and networks and make them more efficient. We do not need to ever put all our eggs in one basket again. Public transportation is a must if we want to decrease our dependence on oil and take the strain off our personal budgets. We need to be able to leave our cars at home and take the train.