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What a bureaucratic nightmare.

Sure, anyone could have made the same mistake. But it's Amtrak, the subsidized rail line that was to have paid for itself by the 3rd year of its existence. About '74.

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Fam...66801.html

Laughable if it wasn't so sad.

So what's your solution to Amtrak's woes, numbnuts?

(05-18-2015 10:14 AM)Charm City Bronco Wrote:  So what's your solution to Amtrak's woes, numbnuts?

How about pay their own way, or go under? Just like any other US business. We deregulated the airlines and the weak ones sunk while the rest rose to the top. Why are the railroads special? A hamburger in the Amtrak dining car costs $ 16, while Burger King charges $ 5 for a better sandwich. Why subsidize inefficiency????

(05-18-2015 10:14 AM)Charm City Bronco Wrote:  So what's your solution to Amtrak's woes, numbnuts?

Don't drive twice the speed limit might be on solution.

The DC Libs never let a crisis go to waste, and the solution is always the same. Give us more money.

We take the train to Chicago a couple times a year. Not unusual to have a whole car to yourself at certain points in the trip.

Numb nuts 2 Charm 0

(05-18-2015 04:03 PM)BroncoPhilly Wrote:  

(05-18-2015 10:14 AM)Charm City Bronco Wrote:  So what's your solution to Amtrak's woes, numbnuts?

How about pay their own way, or go under? Just like any other US business. We deregulated the airlines and the weak ones sunk while the rest rose to the top. Why are the railroads special? A hamburger in the Amtrak dining car costs $ 16, while Burger King charges $ 5 for a better sandwich. Why subsidize inefficiency????

Amtrak isn't like "any other business" and the fact you position it as such just proves you have your head shoved firmly up your a55. Pull it out any maybe we'll continue this conversation.

(05-18-2015 04:35 PM)Chipdip2 Wrote:  

(05-18-2015 10:14 AM)Charm City Bronco Wrote:  So what's your solution to Amtrak's woes, numbnuts?

Don't drive twice the speed limit might be on solution.

The DC Libs never let a crisis go to waste, and the solution is always the same. Give us more money.

We take the train to Chicago a couple times a year. Not unusual to have a whole car to yourself at certain points in the trip.

Well that's it. Cancel the Detroit to Chicago line because CD/CD1/CD2 sees empty cars at certain points in the trip.

(05-18-2015 06:45 PM)Charm City Bronco Wrote:  

(05-18-2015 04:03 PM)BroncoPhilly Wrote:  

(05-18-2015 10:14 AM)Charm City Bronco Wrote:  So what's your solution to Amtrak's woes, numbnuts?

How about pay their own way, or go under? Just like any other US business. We deregulated the airlines and the weak ones sunk while the rest rose to the top. Why are the railroads special? A hamburger in the Amtrak dining car costs $ 16, while Burger King charges $ 5 for a better sandwich. Why subsidize inefficiency????

Amtrak isn't like "any other business" and the fact you position it as such just proves you have your head shoved firmly up your a55. Pull it out any maybe we'll continue this conversation.

LOL. Why would I want to continue a conversation with you-numbnuts?

Why you so ornery? It have something to do with where choo-choo go?

One part of the problem with Amtrak is that they don't own most of their own tracks. CSX owns most of them south of DC and any time CSX has a train coming through, the Amtrak cars have to pull to the side and let them pass. Pretty difficult to run trains on schedule and be dependable with that arrangement.

Our entire transportation infrastructure is fast approaching 3rd world status. Roads are crap, bridges in disrepair, airports lack recent technology and many terminals are way outdated.

(05-18-2015 06:45 PM)Charm City Bronco Wrote:  

(05-18-2015 04:03 PM)BroncoPhilly Wrote:  

(05-18-2015 10:14 AM)Charm City Bronco Wrote:  So what's your solution to Amtrak's woes, numbnuts?

How about pay their own way, or go under? Just like any other US business. We deregulated the airlines and the weak ones sunk while the rest rose to the top. Why are the railroads special? A hamburger in the Amtrak dining car costs $ 16, while Burger King charges $ 5 for a better sandwich. Why subsidize inefficiency????

Amtrak isn't like "any other business" and the fact you position it as such just proves you have your head shoved firmly up your a55. Pull it out any maybe we'll continue this conversation.

How is it different? It's a service that has competition from planes, busses, Uber, etc.

I flew AZO to Tampa with a layover in Chicago for $170. If you break that down by miles my 30 minute trip to Ohara cost about $40 or about the same as ticket on a train.......that takes 4 hours. The plane is usually full, the train is closer to empty.

Planes and trains are expensive. Airports are expensive. Pilots are expensive. So again, what's the difference?

(05-18-2015 10:41 PM)chipfan Wrote:  One part of the problem with Amtrak is that they don't own most of their own tracks. CSX owns most of them south of DC and any time CSX has a train coming through, the Amtrak cars have to pull to the side and let them pass. Pretty difficult to run trains on schedule and be dependable with that arrangement.

Our entire transportation infrastructure is fast approaching 3rd world status. Roads are crap, bridges in disrepair, airports lack recent technology and many terminals are way outdated.

Complain to Barack Obama, he just spent $ 1.2 Trillion on his 'stimulus plan' that didn't do a damn thing. He could have used that money to start rebuilding our infrastructure. Don't blame me, blame the 52% of 'Stupids' who voted for that do-nothing.

(05-18-2015 11:27 PM)Chipdip2 Wrote:  

(05-18-2015 06:45 PM)Charm City Bronco Wrote:  

(05-18-2015 04:03 PM)BroncoPhilly Wrote:  

(05-18-2015 10:14 AM)Charm City Bronco Wrote:  So what's your solution to Amtrak's woes, numbnuts?

How about pay their own way, or go under? Just like any other US business. We deregulated the airlines and the weak ones sunk while the rest rose to the top. Why are the railroads special? A hamburger in the Amtrak dining car costs $ 16, while Burger King charges $ 5 for a better sandwich. Why subsidize inefficiency????

Amtrak isn't like "any other business" and the fact you position it as such just proves you have your head shoved firmly up your a55. Pull it out any maybe we'll continue this conversation.

How is it different? It's a service that has competition from planes, busses, Uber, etc.

I flew AZO to Tampa with a layover in Chicago for $170. If you break that down by miles my 30 minute trip to Ohara cost about $40 or about the same as ticket on a train.......that takes 4 hours. The plane is usually full, the train is closer to empty.

Planes and trains are expensive. Airports are expensive. Pilots are expensive. So again, what's the difference?

German, France and Japan are built around their train systems and have been for CENTURIES. Then again those nations are about the size of Michigan or Illinois-trains make sense in those cases.

America is vast. Outside of the NYC to Washington DC connector trains don't make a lot of sense. Stop subsidizing a leg that's only used by Washington bureaucrats.

(05-18-2015 06:45 PM)Charm City Bronco Wrote:  

(05-18-2015 04:03 PM)BroncoPhilly Wrote:  

(05-18-2015 10:14 AM)Charm City Bronco Wrote:  So what's your solution to Amtrak's woes, numbnuts?

How about pay their own way, or go under? Just like any other US business. We deregulated the airlines and the weak ones sunk while the rest rose to the top. Why are the railroads special? A hamburger in the Amtrak dining car costs $ 16, while Burger King charges $ 5 for a better sandwich. Why subsidize inefficiency????

Amtrak isn't like "any other business" and the fact you position it as such just proves you have your head shoved firmly up your a55. Pull it out any maybe we'll continue this conversation.

You're right, they aren't like any other business; that's the problem. It's not a bunch of private businesses competing to provide better service/pricing/efficiency where the successful continue on and the unsuccessful go under, nor is it a government agency fully funded and operated by a government agency. Amtrak is in public/private limbo where they don't make enough money nor spend wisely enough to make a profit and the solution always provided is to throw more money at them and hope it sticks. Quite simply the government effed up when they merged the struggling passenger rail companies in the early 70s while keeping them a publicly subsidized private company with no competition and there is no easy way to undo the damage done.

As a conservative I would much rather see private companies innovating, competing, and thriving, but in the current political climate along with Amtrak's current state of limbo make that a tough sell at best (and possibly not even viable in the short term). That said the fully state run option (i.e. France) is a far better way to go then the current disaster. Either way I don't see Amtrak being fixed anytime soon.

(05-18-2015 04:03 PM)BroncoPhilly Wrote:  

(05-18-2015 10:14 AM)Charm City Bronco Wrote:  So what's your solution to Amtrak's woes, numbnuts?

How about pay their own way, or go under? Just like any other US business. We deregulated the airlines and the weak ones sunk while the rest rose to the top. Why are the railroads special? A hamburger in the Amtrak dining car costs $ 16, while Burger King charges $ 5 for a better sandwich. Why subsidize inefficiency????

Outstanding reply!!!!

Instead of limiting government to the real core functions of government, like infrastructure, and letting our old free enterprise system take care of the economy, we have turned to socialism, and spend on social causes, leaving those core issues without the funding needed, while at the same time damage free enterprise, crippling the economy, leading to less employment, and thus less taxpayers; which puts more stress on the existing taxpayers........

Maybe if we quit spending trillions invading places like Iraq and Afghanistan...

(05-19-2015 07:39 AM)BroncoPhilly Wrote:  Stop subsidizing a leg that's only used by Washington bureaucrats.

Again, you prove yourself to be clueless, not that it takes you much effort.

(05-19-2015 09:16 AM)MajorHoople Wrote:  Maybe if we quit spending trillions invading places like Iraq and Afghanistan...

Then we wouldn't be able to flush $1T down the toilet on the F-35. Don't you ever forget that waste is only acceptable when it involves DoD. As long as the lever your pulling flushes a military toilet, lift another wheelbarrow full of cash up to that toilet.

(05-18-2015 04:35 PM)Chipdip2 Wrote:  

(05-18-2015 10:14 AM)Charm City Bronco Wrote:  So what's your solution to Amtrak's woes, numbnuts?

Don't drive twice the speed limit might be on solution.

The DC Libs never let a crisis go to waste, and the solution is always the same. Give us more money.

We take the train to Chicago a couple times a year. Not unusual to have a whole car to yourself at certain points in the trip.

Please tell me you are finding these empty trains as I would love to book my next trip on that train.
We ride Amtrak from Kazoo to Chicago all the time, but the train is usually full with time where the entire family could not even sit together. We love taking the train, but all to often it is packed.
Further. at 110 mph, the train flies all the way to the Indissippi (Indiana) boarder. From there until you get to Illinois you only move at 19th century speeds. Not so much Amtrak's fault as it is the Government of Indiana. They refused government dollars to purchase and upgrade the tracks like Michigan did.
Why? Political reasons while stating that they did not want to take the money without knowing if there would be any extra cost to it's citizens and if it would benefit them. But fear not, as it seems that they have found the benefit to their citizens and they are now upgrading those tracks - of coarse now the stimulus dollars are no longer available so they are using Indiana tax dollars to do so.

(05-19-2015 09:16 AM)MajorHoople Wrote:  Maybe if we quit spending trillions invading places like Iraq and Afghanistan...