Planes trains and automobiles

For Awhile I lived in the DC area and one of the best things about living there was the commuter trains.  I lived in Sterling a suburb of DC, but within minutes I could get to the city by hopping on a commuter train, the same was true when I briefly lived in Yonkers New York, get on a train and a few minutes later I was in the city.

Sounds like other people are starting to appreciate trains as much as I did:

Last week, the Senate passed a measure that would provide $10 billion for Amtrak over the next six years. The legislation, if passed, would not only go a long way towards helping Amtrak get out of its financial hole, but the infusion of cash would provide a major boost of investment in our rail infrastructure at a time when demand for passenger trains is growing.

Contrary to popular opinion, since the mid 1990s, we have seen an explosion in rail demand and service, primarily focused among commuter and short to medium intercity routes. From 1995 to 2005, commuter rail usage grew over 20 percent, from 352 to 423 million passenger trips. Over the same period, 421 miles of new commuter and light rail track has been built.

Public transportation where I live now primarily uses busses and as much as I want to use them I cannot stand taking the bus. Trains are nice in that they don’t stop every other block and for the most part it is very relaxing to take a train a bus not so much; plus trains generally run on time. Not to mention that if you are out drinking or something you probably will not get a DUI for taking the train.

The article mentions that trains are very efficient:

But the demand for passenger rail is only part of the story. An investment in a national rail system makes economic sense as well. A single railroad track, just 6 feet across, has the capacity of a superhighway 10 times wider. And just like highway spending, the jobs created by rail construction will more than pay for the original investment. As for energy savings, even the most conservative studies give trains an advantage of 4 to 1 over cars and airplanes

See the entire article here.