Better Never Than Late! -- My New Amtrak Slogan
See UtahNevada.com for tourist infoTraveling Through History: Photos and Videos from Nevada and UtahSee America the Amtrak Way -- way behind schedule San Luis Obispo to Santa Barbara on the Coast Starlight Mark Twain and You -- Riding Trains in Europe Let's Talk About Changing Amtrak for the Better |
Living Steam: The Virginia and Truckee at the Nevada State Railroad Museum on DVD or Blu-Ray. DVD is $19.95, call for Blu-Ray pricing at 877 323-8002 or email video@livingsteam.comComstock Historical Society and Virginia & Truckee Info:Virginia Truckee History -- Links -- Photos -- Discussion |
 bigger (500K) |
AMTRAK ALERT -- Why won't they just redo the schedules? The
Amtrak California Zephyr and the California Trail in Nevada follow the same
route. The California Zephyr is notoriously late these days in the
Summer of 2006. Many Amtrak trains for the eastbound California Zephyr #6 have
been five hours late. If you plan to travel on Amtrak, PLAN for the train to be
painfully late. If you're in a hurry you can just fly or drive, it's often
cheaper and faster. SO ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE MAKING CONNECTIONS, be ready for the train to arrive late and get you there late. Oh, and don't believe that it's all UP's fault. Amtrak is pretty good at making their own problems. |
AMTRAK -- A LITTLE SOCIALISM NEVER HURT ANYONE?
Amtrak is a great example of what Hayek was talking about in The Road to Serfdom. Passenger service never had the glorious history we remember -- even before the 1930's it was subsidized by the Railway Post Offices. It's time to get to a market-driven system, not a politics driven system.
Let's look at a few facts:
1) No one but Amtrak has the immediate right to run passenger services or provide maintenance services
2) Only a few agencies like MTA have been able to get around the Amtrak monopoly
3) Why does everyone know that UP is too big but Amtrak somehow is the model of efficiency?
4) Union Pacific and other freight railroads don't deserve half the blame they get for delays
5) Think about it: Why are the Capitols on time on UP rails but not the California Zephyr?
6) Why is the Surfliner and Coaster on time but not the Coast Starlight?
7) Are Elko and Salt Lake City really getting service if the train might arrive at 9pm or 12am or 3am or maybe if we're lucky the midnight train will roll in at 6am? "If I had known for sure I would have slept in..."
8) There's a myth that Amtrak gets less subsidies than roads and air travel -- I "demythify" that idea.
Please stay tuned for this article ... I know most people think it's evil to oppose Amtrak, but there ARE two sides to this story. Imagine a Capitol Train that went to Reno. Imagine a rail carrier serving Salt Lake City to Elko via Wendover and Wells.
Finally, imagine that trains truly could be cheaper, on-time, and market driven -- instead of today's situation where local politicians defend the status quo. Do employees really deserve a five-year severance package if laid off? You don't even get that in European jobs.
