Comments on: McCain on the tracks

By: Robert Cruickshank

Robert Cruickshank — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 00:23:08 +0000

The Caltrans engineer thing is likely to be stripped out, from what I understand. As to train travel, you have to ignore reality to argue it is not something to be hopeful about. Americans only turned away from it because oil was so incredibly cheap, and its transportation forms so heavily subsidized, that trains had no hope of competing. The end of cheap oil means Americans already are returning to the trains, as the soaring ridership of virtually every passenger rail system proves.

In this case, if you want to look on the bright side of life, you’ve just got to look at what is happening all around us…

By: Capricious Commuter

Capricious Commuter — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 20:52:48 +0000

Reedman, your pessimism is well-founded, as this nation turned its back on trains as soon as fins were invented. As for the Caltrans engineers, I’m hearing that this won’t hold up in court. If that’s true, I think that either it will be stripped out of the legislation (unlikely) or the courts will fix it. But then I tend to look at the bright side, as Robert would no doubt agree ;^)

By: Reedman

Reedman — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:27:47 +0000

I am not hopeful about train travel in the USA. 1) There still is not train service between New Orleans and Jacksonville, even though Katrina is many years in the past. 2) The Caltrans engineers union has successfully made it a legal requirement that they design the proposed high speed rail. They can now set their salaries at any level and the money will have to flow their way …

By: Capricious Commuter

Capricious Commuter — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 05:08:13 +0000

omg, he said WHAT about high-speed rail? why didn’t I see this on Fox News?

By: Robert Cruickshank

Robert Cruickshank — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 04:59:28 +0000

The Obama campaign has been talking about rail and even high speed rail for several months now – but the media hasn’t paid attention (preferring to focus on the latest “omg he said what?” pseudo-scandal). I am certain that as the general election campaign continues we will be hearing a lot about how much McCain hates passenger rail. A “golden spike” indeed.