Feb 26, 2008
An eminent U.S. newspaper has taken up the cudgels for Amtrak, echoing countless appeals in this blog
I often feel that some readers of this blog look on my defense of adequate funding for Amtrak as simply an eccentricity or the kind of radical viewpoint they'd expect from someone like me. I'd therefore like to quote an impassioned editorial of the venerable, distinguished Baltimore Sun, appearing on February 25, 2008:
Write and read comments about this post.
The White House wants to reduce Amtrak spending by $525 million next year, or about 40 percent from the current $1.325 billion.
You read that correctly. Despite all the talk about reducing greenhouse gas emissions, about energy efficiency and less dependence on foreign oil, about concerns over traffic and safety, Amtrak is facing cuts that would literally derail passenger service to much of the country.
This is familiar territory, of course. The…administration has been no friend to Amtrak, and only the timely intervention of Congress has spared it from similar devastation in recent years.
But this year there was reason to believe a more enlightened approach was at hand. The Senate had already made its position clear by approving legislation last year calling for an expanded passenger train network and stable, long-term funding for it. The House may soon follow suit.
What does it take to demonstrate to the executive branch the wisdom of passenger rail in the era of global warming and high oil prices? Can the need for an alternative means of interstate travel be any more clear?
Write and read comments about this post.
Fifty years ago, 
Arthur Frommer is generally acknowledged to be the nation's foremost travel authority. He is the founder of the
