Amtrak ridership up along with gas prices
The recent trend of escalating gas prices has had major ripple effects on the auto industry, not the least of which is a well-defined (and well-covered) switch to fuel efficient small cars and hybrids. Another statistic which is raising some eyebrows is the apparent return to train travel. Traffic in and out of core Midwest states such as Michigan and Illinois has increased notably in the last year or so. Though Amtrak has raised its ticket prices some 3-percent in the last few months, fuel costs still only account for 11-percent of Amtrak's total expenditures.
The increase in passengers, though, has not been accompanied by an increase in capacity. Amtrak shares tracks with major shipping lines, so it is rather costly to add additional routes. What's more, the current railway infrastructure isn't equipped to handle any additional traffic.
[Source: The Detroit News]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
TX CHL Instructor 1:57PM (8/12/2008)
I'm not sure that gasoline price is the major driver here. I would consider train travel just because TSA is run by asshats. I don't fly anywhere I don't absolutely have to, and I would be happy if I never had to fly anywhere again.
I have noticed that the DART rail system is getting a LOT more customers, even in the middle of the day and on weekends. *That* is probably due to gasoline price. Some of those folks who have now discovered DART will stay even if gas prices go down, because it's cost-competitive with $1.50 gasoline, and has some other advantages over driving your own car. Some disadvantages, too, but I tend to forget those when I see my monthly gasoline bill.
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Jon Konrath 6:17PM (8/12/2008)
The TSA screens rail, too:
http://www.tsa.gov/what_we_do/layers/rail/index.shtm
They don't screen every single passenger and bag like they do with air travel, but give'em time.
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GenWaylaid 6:29PM (8/12/2008)
Agreed. Most Amtrak routes are competing with short-to-medium range air travel, which has become significantly more expensive and more difficult in recent years. Commuter rail is the direct competitor to driving.
The main problems with Amtrak are that it:
1) Doesn't go many places outside a few corridors and middle-of-nowhere transcontinental routes.
2) Takes far longer to reach its destination than air travel does on any trips over a couple hundred miles.
3) Has poor on-time performance, to say the least.
4) Lacks amenities commensurate with the time spent on board and the ticket price.
It would be difficult if not impossible to fix Amtrak's problems without constructing new high-speed corridors and upgrading equipment. In other words, rebuilding the system from the ground up. That kind of investment, tens of billions of dollars at least, would never get through Congress because Amtrak has hardly any constituency at all. Amtrak's difficulty attracting and satisfying passengers becomes self-reinforcing.
To be fair, most forms of passenger transport seem to be good ways to go bankrupt. I guess people want more travel than they could really afford at a fair price.
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EV-1 4:29AM (8/13/2008)
Big Oil + Big Auto-industry so obviously are diverting any attempted upgrade and / or expansion of railroad transport, and have been doing so for ages.
There are several documented proofs that Auto-industry is PRESSURING politicians to invest in billion-dollar Highway roadbuilding projects, or they're posing an ultimatum to finance the f**kin' road themselves !
And , of course , Auto-industry KNOWS VERY WELL the fact that :
- every
- new
- road
- CREATES
- self-induced traffic....
...which translates into more sold cars (or trucks)...
Go figure.
Trucks & Big-rigs ought to be transported on freight-trains !!
And for people transport > look at Spain : they've invested in HighSpeed ( 180 mph. + ) train infrastructure, complete w. money back guarantee ( if the train is more than 10 minutes late you get your money back ).
They're definitely on to something ! :)
§ - Go DIE! you ancient combustion engine ! - §
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Jesda 8:16AM (8/13/2008)
Hybrid diesel trains use combustion engines.