From: kasprj@isaac.its.rpi.edu (Jim Kasprzak)
Subject: Re: Amtrak's future under a Clinton administration
Reply-To: kasprj@rpi.edu
Organization: The Big Wedge 
Date: Sat, 7 Nov 1992 16:28:54 GMT

In article <16824@umd5.umd.edu>, gurd@next04wor.wam.umd.edu (Daffy Duck) writes:
|> Amtrak supporters rejoice.... Only two more months of Bush!  
 
 Indeed.

|> President elect Bill Clinton has made some grandiose promises about high
|> speed rail.  Will he deliver on these promises.  What projects will be  
|> undertaken in the next four years?
 
 This depends on how high a priority the Clinton administration puts on 
rail transport when there are other equally important projects clamoring
for funding and the budget is going to be tight. We, the people of the 
United States of America, have to let the President and Congress know what
we consider top priority items. 
 
 What that means for you and me: make yourself heard. Write to Clinton,
write to your Congress-person and Senate-persons and tell them that you 
want to see more support for passenger rail. If enough people do it, they
will listen. 
 
 Don't sit around and assume that someone else will write. You are that
"someone else". You have a computer. Write one basic letter, and with 
minor changes to the document you can send copies to the President and
your Congressional and Senate representatives. While you're at it, send 
copies to the governor of your state and your representatives in the 
state legislature. Take it down to the city level as well, if you live 
in a city that has rail transit or is considering it (or even if you 
think they _should_ consider it).

|>  The bottom line is we will see real 
|> progress in intercity rail expansion and AmTrak will probably running truly  
|> high speed (150mph service) by the turn of the century. 
 
 The bottom line is that "the turn of the century" isn't that far away any
more. I'm sorry, but it'll take more than eight years to upgrade all of 
Amtrak's service to 150 mph. That doesn't mean it isn't a goal to strive 
for, though. The proposed high-speed corridors are a good start. 
 
|> How about some  
|> comments from newsgroup readers about what they think will happen, what  
|> regional projects they think will be implemented.  Lets get a lively
|> discussion going!

 I'm going to limit my speculation to New York, because that's where I ride 
the trains the most and that's the area I know most about. I'm not saying 
that other areas don't have equally worthy rail projects to support.
 
 * For starters, a second track on the Spuyten Duyvil bridge, to ease up 
the bottleneck of trains into and out of Penn Station from the north.
 
 * Southern tier service, with rail access to cities such as Binghamton, 
Ithaca, Elmira, Olean, etc. 
 
 * A system of feeder buses like California's, to bring people from outlying
communities to the railroad stations. 
 
 * Upgrading the NYC-Albany corridor for high-speed rail. Sure, the turbos
make good time now. But we could do better. Put in concrete ties and 
welded rail. Let Metro-North kick in their share, they'll benefit from 
upgrades to the Poughkeepsie-to-NYC segment. Also, the turboliners aren't
getting any younger, and sooner or later it'll be time to think about 
replacing them. Do we want to stick with the turbos, or perhaps electrify
the line to Albany? 
 
 * Through service from Albany to Long Island.
 
 * Through service from Albany to points south (one Albany-DC train a day
would be nice. Two or three would be fantastic).
 
 * Upgrading of the old D&H line from Albany to Montreal. Who owns it now?
Could Amtrak acquire it? The Adirondack between Albany and Montreal has the
worst on-time record of any train in the Northeast. Something should be 
done about it. A high-speed corridor from Montreal to NYC would be my 
ultimate pipe-dream goal here, but that'd take lots of work.
 
 That's my "wish list" for New York. I'd love to hear from other regions.
------------------------------------------------------------------
     __  Live from Capitaland, heart of the Empire State...
 ___/  | Jim Kasprzak, computer operator @ RPI, Troy, NY, USA
/____ *| Sam Adams,Spaten# Life is too short #Hudson Lager,Beck's 
     \_| Pilsener Urquell#to drink cheap beer#Pete's Wicked Ale
      ====  e-mail: kasprj@rpi.edu or kasprzak@mts.rpi.edu