Now is the time for rail transportation
It is awkward to discuss the “good” things that have come, or are developing, from last Tuesday’s tragic events. Andrew Sullivan writes
“But there is, among the public, a unity that does not seem as if it will evaporate soon. Everywhere you go, you see American flags. They are draped on roofs, hung on fences, crammed into cracks in walls, stuck on lamp-posts. This tells you something. The response to previous acts against Americans was different.”
in a piece that appeared in London’s Sunday Times. People are citing various examples of heroism, patriotism, and courage. We are rediscovering poetic verse and dusting off passages about the mythology and purpose of the United States of America. Churches are packed, there is a collective stampede to volunteer, and the civic glue that binds
our country is undeniably stronger.
Way down on the list of “positives” is the sudden demonstration of the importance of a diversified transport infrastructure in our country. We have heard on almost a daily basis stories of regional airlines suspending all future flights, such as Midway Airlines. The Air
Transport Association is claiming that job losses could exceed 100,000 =in the next few months. Airlines are requesting upwards of $24 billion in government assistance resulting, of course, from last Tuesday’s attacks. For the first several days following the attacks, our nation’s mobility was crippled. As I write this, commercial airlines are at about 75% of their normal flight volume. If there were a better rail infrastucture–or more correctly, if there were a rail infrastructure, thousands of people could have returned to their destinations instead of being holed up in hotel rooms because the rent-a-car stocks were depleted. While I was standing in line at a cafe the other day, a woman in front of me was telling her friends a story of one of her co-workers who showed some true resourcefulness. Because the rental car outlets’ fleets were empty, this man rented a huge U-Haul truck to get himself back to Austin. After kind of giggling to myself at the length this
man went to get to where he needed to go, it really sunk in at how urgently we need rail service in this country. Scrappy Amtrak has seen demand for service double since last Tuesday. At this past 69th Winter Meeting of the US Conference of mayors, there was a strong message sent to the federal governement that increased investment in high-speed rail, and inter-city light rail was
supported by not just mayors all over the country but also overwhelmingly by citizens, as indicated in polls. Governors, Congrssional leaders, the Bush Administration’s Tommy Thompson, leaders from every political stripe have been insisting that we have more transportation choices. But America’s changed flying habits will likely be the most resounding and successful plea for rail transportation.