Why We Should Quit Starving Amtrak

I take the bus to work whenever I can't walk (i.e. carrying too much stuff that day). And I'm an avid train rider. If we can take the train on our annual vacation, we do. The problem is, out here in the west, there are thousands of square miles not approached by any passenger train. If you go online at Amtrak and ask how to get from Albuquerque to Missoula, it will tell you that you can't get there from here. We need a lot more trains running out here. The rails are there, but Amtrak is not.

People are overly skeptical about Mass Transit.
I live in Los Angeles, and I use mass transit daily,
sometimes I drive - but only once in 3 weeks, that's all!
There is too much propaganda towards car usage,
along with peer pressure, which definitely plays an adverse effect in using mass transit.
So - I disagree that mass transit is only for "poor or disabled", and I disagree that urban cities are associated with "high crime".
People should try to change their mentality,
and try mass transit. It's safe, efficient, and convenient in most cities.

I could not agree more. After having lived in Europe and depended completely on public transportation, it continues to baffle me how trains are not developed more throughout the US. They would be an easier, cheaper, safer, and smarter way to travel to decently distant cities (i.e. those 5 hrs away) as opposed to driving. I personally use the public transport here every day and I never plan on driving to work. But I do agree that people won't use it unless they have to but when is enough? When gas is $10 a gallon? We need to improve our systems so people feel motivated to use them.

I live in a major northeast city right now and take inter-city and intra-city transit because I have no car. I am moving soon to the west coast and can't wait to have a car again. I never get a seat on the intra-city transit, and the cars are full of smelly, sneezing, coughing people. Sure there are smelly, sneezing, and coughing people all over society in public spaces, but I can walk away and avoid them elseware. I can't when I'm stuck on a train for 10-500 minutes (depending on where I am going). Amtrak will also force you to sit next to people you don't want to (because they are coughing, sneezing, smelly, loud, etc). At least when I am driving myself, I can relax.

I also live in a major northeast city and I have never had a problem with using public transit. I have encouraged several of my coworkers and client to take advantage of using the cities bus system. There may be people on board who are not groomed the best, however there are also many people who use public transit who are just a well off as a CEO of a major corporation. This idea continues the notion that public transit is only for the poor and sickly and that is simply not true. Public transit is an asset for any city, town village who has it and we need to start treating it that way. It is time that we start leaving our private cars at home and using transit, including Amtrak. Just a thought, but Airlines also carry people who don’t have a lot of money. If you are “stuck” sitting next to someone you don’t like, then try to engage with the person. Who knows, you maybe able make that person’s day. It is possible to relax anywhere; all it takes is a little practice. Public transportation at the moment is the best solution to high oil prices. Will you be apart of bringing prices down, or apart of prices continuing to go up?