wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

Comments

• [1] sadsap August 13, 2008 - 10:00AM

  how backward. i live in a lovely, integrated, tree lined, town in central nj that is so perfect for commuting to nyc that we get lots of cool professional families moving out here from brooklyn and manhattan every year. within 3 years most move away. why?

  New Jersey Transit.

  On this line -- the Raritan Valley Line (serving one of America's wealthiest counties) there are inexplicably crowded trains; daily late trains; some good conductors but also lots of nasty ones -- and most horribly, delays outside Newark that add 5-10 hours per week to a commute between lateness and leaving early to avoid being late. This in exchange for more than $400 for monthly transit pass to the lovely Penn Station.

  So far NJT has offered only one response: This week they reprinted train schedules to reflect a reduction in service.

  Competent train service would for this town double property values and eliminate many or all of the problems this town -- which was built 120 years ago as a great NYC commuter town served by then competent train lines -- currently faces.

  
  
• [2] Paulo from Paterson, New Jersey August 13, 2008 - 10:26AM

  This used to be a country of trains. Foreigners marveled how Americans would lay down track between almost any two points.

  Then the internal combustion engine was developed and trains became obsolete in the eyes of the American people.

  
  
• [3] Ralph from Bowery August 13, 2008 - 10:27AM

  Isn't increased ridership supposed to bring prices down???? Why would they need more money - isn't their more money coming from the more riders? this is sooooo backward. Where are the market forces?

  
  
• [4] licnyc August 13, 2008 - 10:28AM

  ask him why the NE corridor trip is subsidizing the rest of amtrak. The cost of the ticket is ridiculously expensive. Its still cheaper to drive.

  
  
• [5] Mike from Bellport August 13, 2008 - 10:29AM

  If you want better trains, fire the Republicans.

  
  
• [6] Susan from Kingston, New York August 13, 2008 - 10:29AM

  There needs to be a major infusion of cash and intrastructure improvements to make the train viable for everyone who wants to travel. Take some of the subsidies from the car and truck industry and the oil industry and put it towards resurrecting our rail system now.

  
  
• [7] antonio from park slope August 13, 2008 - 10:31AM

  Could there be a off-shoot portion of amtrak that would serve smaller niche areas? Much in the way airtran is for the airlines?

  Any possibility of new routes that is not served by metro-north, nj transit, lirr?

  
  
• [8] downtown from downtown August 13, 2008 - 10:34AM

  I LOVE the train. I took a train from NYC to SF. It was hands-down better than the return flight. Okay, it took longer and it was more expensive, but at least I wasn't treated like a criminal or cattle.

  
  
• [9] snoop from Brooklyn August 13, 2008 - 10:36AM

  What a joke. Your guest doesn't seem to get that a small bit of congressional assistance is needed. A real, serious commitment to rail is needed, with real, serious money.

  Having taken Amtrak several times in the past year, I've noted that they are late, slow (even when they are on time), overcrowded, and expensive.

  Giving passenger trains the right of way over freight is one option, but what is really needed is the construction of NEW rights of way to accomodate both passenger and freight. When an airport is too small, we expand. Why not the same with rail??? It is the most effecient mode of transport and we need to utilize it for both passengers AND freight.

  
  
• [10] Sadie from NYC August 13, 2008 - 10:36AM

  I like taking the train and miss the opportunity to do so that I had when I lived in France. What I want to know is why taking the train is so expensive in the US. If I have a choice between getting to my destination within a couple of hours on a plane vs. 15-20 hours on a train if the cost difference is nothing I'm going to fly. It costs about the same to take a train and to fly. That seems pretty stupid to me.

  
  
• [11] downtown from downtown August 13, 2008 - 10:36AM

  It is a great way to see the rest of the country. It does seem odd that all trains must go through Chicago.

  
  
• [12] rachel from Stamford August 13, 2008 - 10:38AM

  Early in the Bush administration a man known for his turn around of the NYC subway system was hired to manage Amtrak & the US rail systems (his name escapes me now). This specialist ended up resigning because apparently there was a disagreement between he & the government: One party wanted to focus on just the northeast corridor and the other wanted revamp the rail system nationwide.

  Can you tell us the back story?-Who wanted to just focus on the northeast corridor & who wanted to address the entire system (& could you remind me of the specialists’ name)

  Rachel

  
  
• [13] Julian from manhattan August 13, 2008 - 10:41AM

  The caller who commented about leasing is correct - not private ownership of the track, but government ownership, with the right to use it leased. This is now done in several European countries, such as Germany. This is essentially how our highways work, although they are being privatized in some states, which will probably lead to problems. Railtrack was a private company. Your guest is not up to snuff on this topic. In Germany, the quasi-public rail carrier now competes with many private companies in specific areas.

  
  
• [14] richard hokin from darien ct August 13, 2008 - 10:42AM

  I think your discussion has to address separately the three segments of passenger rail service: short-haul commuter; medium distance inter-city, such as Northeast Corridor; and long-haul. The demand for and assets required to fulfill each segment are vastly dissimilar, as is the geographic scope of travel in comparison to Europe. How many Europeans rely on rail for travel >1000 kilometers?

  
  
• [15] Julian from manhattan August 13, 2008 - 10:48AM

  Actually Richard, quite a few Europeans still take overnight trains on several routes, ridership is much higher than it is here across the board. The prices are also generally much lower, although in Germany, for example, they've recently been raised. The daytime trains on the high speed lines are now so fast they're putting the overnight trains out of business. The AGV, the successor to the TGV, is being marketed by Alstom with the slogan "1000 km in 3 hours."