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For years I’ve been traveling to the nation’s capital to represent airline passengers before Congress, the Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration. And I often get there by train. That’s not a punchline or a cheap shot, just a simple recognition that for me – and millions of others who live along the Interstate 95 corridor – Amtrak is the quickest, easiest, least stressful, most productive and often cheapest mode to get from Connecticut to downtown Washington. The same is true in many other communities nationwide.
But like many other riders and consumer advocates, I’ve started to note “airline creep” working its way into Amtrak’s policies, pricing, fees and service. It’s little wonder, since the former CEO of Northwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines is now the CEO of the nation’s train line. So it’s also little wonder those of us who love riding the rails are now asking: Is Amtrak turning into a low-cost airline?
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