This is not the transportation system you're looking for, move along.
This is one of those odd times in life where I think conservatives might have a point or at least they’re not parroting Koch brothers brand bullshit. Unfortunately it’s a fringe topic that few really cares about and that’s Amtrak.
One of my recent story assignments was to gauge the state of passenger rail transportation in the U.S. So I grabbed the wife, booked a couple tickets, grabbed the wife again as she is entirely squeezable, and headed out on a journey of discovery. Unfortunately, what I discovered wasn't pretty. The state of passenger rail in America is dirty, primitive and bewilderingly convoluted. That’s true everywhere outside of a narrow stretch along the northeast industrial corridor where trains are not only a competitive mode of transportation, they’re the preferred method for short-haul trips.
I was genuinely surprised how many people actually ride trains. We consistently traveled in cars that were full or had only a scattering of vacant seats. The crowd was much the same as you’d find in any small town, though lacking the business types who don’t consider rail a viable transportation option in most situations. Our fellow passengers were, unfortunately, pigs who would foul the bathrooms with urine, paper towels and toilet paper in a matter of minutes. My wife took one look and refused to set foot in one for our entire journey. Honestly, I couldn't blame her. The smell alone was hard to take and clung to you even after you left the rocking confines of those few cramped commodes with overflowing trash cans.
Another sad fact were the primitive and limited options we faced when booking a trip online. We discovered that the train stopped in a small town that was actually closer to our destination than the ticketed stop, but not knowing that in advance we had already arranged transportation at the more distant location. On the way back the train took a two-hour detour through a large city that would have made a great overnight stop but, again, not knowing that in advance we were unable to capitalize on the additional stop.
The rail cars we rode in were old, dirty and swayed to sometimes heart-stopping angles. Compared to the clean, smooth ride in our local rail transit system, over some of the very same tracks, riding on Amtrak was one step above a hay wagon. In fact, if we could have had it to ourselves, we would have gladly taken the wagon and still beat the train home.
Even the nice Amtrak stations were functioning museum pieces.
Despite the dismal passenger accommodations, Amtrak was far more expensive than driving to our destination; easily three times as much. It was as if the whole system was deliberately designed to discourage people from riding. To punctuate that feeling, on the last leg of our journey, the rail car was so cold my hands went numb. When I asked the staff if they could adjust the temperature, they said they could only do that at the end of the trip as the thermostat was brilliantly engineered so that it could only be set from the outside of the train. So our options were sweltering heat or Ice Station Zebra. I ended up making frequent trips to the space between cars to defrost. Some of our fellow passengers were obviously aware of the freezing temps as several were wearing winter coats.
One of the classic tactics of the right is to starve a service of funding and then blame them for performing poorly. I tried to give Amtrak credit for that and the lack of funding was evident in the state of disrepair I saw in many train stations and facilities. Many Amtrak stations aren't just old, they’re functioning museum pieces more in line with what you’d expect in a third world country. Yet the worst problems I witnessed were those of Amtrak’s own creation.
Rust and decay was everywhere you looked.
I still believe in passenger rail just like I still believe in the worthy national goal of space exploration. After covering the end of the shuttle program my opinion of NASA is that it’s an aging collection of risk-averse mid-managers flying in formation with a rusting theme park endlessly replaying clips of their glory days. After seeing what SpaceX could accomplish with funding that’s basically a rounding error for the agency, I’m not convinced that NASA is the right organization to carry us forward in our journey into space.
After experiencing the reality of passenger rail, I think the right might have a point that we could be getting more bang for our buck and Amtrak may not be the best choice to define the future of passenger rail. I certainly agree that throwing more money at passenger rail, until we can be certain of getting a good return on our investment, is not in our national interest. Let’s set aside the dream of a nationwide high speed rail system for the moment and just focus on what we could do better with the money we’re already spending.
I definitely don’t have all the answers when it comes to fixing rail traffic in America, but I’m equally convinced that Amtrak doesn't have them either. If you’re planning a trip anytime soon, take my advice and drive.