Why the Economic Downturn Has Been Good News for Amtrak and the Future of Rail Travel

[marmar]

Why the Economic Downturn Has Been Good News for Amtrak and the Future of Rail Travel

By Jason Mark, AlterNet. Posted June 23, 2009.

A slowing economy has resulted in speedier service for Amtrak trains, which is helping to make the case for more rail funding.




In a recession, everything slows down. A year after the first signs of trouble appeared, the financial system remains sluggish. Most other sectors of the economy -- from housing construction to auto manufacturing -- are also at a standstill. But at least one thing in the U.S. is speeding up: the nation's passenger trains.

The recent slump has shown that in an economy driven by consumption, grim financial news can come with a kind of green consolation. For example, the recession has contributed to a drop in U.S. CO2 emissions (down 3 percent in 2008) and in the amount of waste sent to landfills (down 10 to 30 percent in some areas). Rising unemployment has led to a decrease in traffic congestion in some major cities.

Add to that list of green benefits the fact that Amtrak trains are zipping along like never before. The reason? As the economy contracts, freight cargo on the nation's rail lines is diminishing, and that makes it easier for passenger trains to get to their destinations.

With the exception of the Washington-Boston corridor and a section of Michigan, Amtrak trains share the railways with the cargo companies. Federal law requires that passenger trains be given priority over freight. But since the freight companies own the rails, cargo trains often receive the right-of-way. As anyone who has ever ridden Amtrak long distance knows, it's not unusual for passengers to wait hours, in the middle of the night or the middle of nowhere, for freight cars to pass.

"If you have everybody on one track, you have a lot of delays," says Vernae Graham, a spokeswoman with Amtrak. "It's one lane of traffic for trains moving in two directions. If you have freight that is backlogged or a disabled train, you have nowhere to go." .........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/environment/140815/why_the_economic_downturn_has_been_good_news_for_amtrak_and_the_future_of_rail_travel/

[nxylas]

1. Of course if they gave passenger trains priority, it wouldn't be a factor

Segregated lines would be even better, though possibly impractical.