By Robert P. Snow, Guest Commentator; February 9, 2022
Editor’s Note: This is the first guest commentary by Robert P. Snow, a frequent train passenger and retired Chairman of the Department of Sociology at Arizona State University. Professor Snow lives in Tucson. ‒ Corridorrail.com Editor
I love to travel by train, and when I was much younger I could depend on an on-time schedule and passenger service that actually served. Amtrak has basically been a lip service since its inception. It should be in the business of building ridership, of building a rail passenger service that actually serves the interests and comfort of the public.
With the exception of the Northeast Corridor, Amtrak is a shadow of what it could be. Furthermore, it has steadily gone downhill, as service has deteriorated and schedules have been reduced.
Rail passenger service should be thought of as a public utility that helps stimulate the economy and promotes a sense of community and well-being for that public, not as a private enterprise for profit in and of itself. Europe figured this out a long time ago. Why can’t we? One reason is that there is no leadership in Amtrak. Meanwhile I’m going to try to get my elected representatives off their butts and out of their comfortable first-class airline seats. The same for Amtrak management!