In article , snipped-for-privacy@panix.com replied to TEELCOM Digest Editor:
> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Excuses, excuses! My main point was
>> _what business does the government have in being in the Rail Road
>> business anyway? The trains ran perfectly well by themselves, and when
>> the government took over they just got worse and worse. PAT]
> You say this, but you are replying to an article about a disaster that
> was basically caused by, and then made worse by private companies.
> The problem is that Amtrak doesn't own the infrastructure ... that
> infrastructure has NOT been taken over by the government, but is owned
> by private railroads, and it is falling apart.
> There aren't enough parallel tracks to be able to maintain schedules,
> because the private railroads aren't building them and are shutting
> some tracks down. The existing tracks are not being properly
> maintained; trains going into Richmond, VA, for example, have to slow
> down to a crawl because of the poor condition of the tracks. But it's
> CSX that is responsible for those tracks.
Interestingly the Boston to Washington, D.C. corridor is one of the better maintained sections. They recently electrified from Boston through Providence out to New Haven, CT though to D.C.
They also replaced a all the trackage, etc. Matter of fact, there were sidings built from Providence to Pawtucket, RI as well as storage faciliates for MBTA trains.
In addition they're in the process of building a train station near PVD airport and there are plans to build stations in Wickford, RI and Westerly, RI. The MBTA has already said they will service the additional stops.
This is why I think we should regionalize mass transit. MTBA now runs through RI, MA and NH. Why not extend into CT, NY, etc. Run high speed bullet trains for those willing to pay for it. The current high speed trains are a joke. Apparently Bombardier isn't the greatest manufacturer when it comes to building commuter trains.