Word: amtrak
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...only train ticket I could have flown back and forth from New York to Washington not once, but twice, I got a bit peeved. Recently, I was on my way to Wilmington, Delaware to meet my parents. I had painstakingly concocted a route by which I could totally bypass Amtrak: New Jersey Transit to Trenton, then switch to the local SEPTA train, which would take me to Philadelphia and eventually Wilmington - all for the low, low price of $16. For the same ride (minus, of course, the inconvenience of transferring) on Amtrak's unreserved Northeast Direct line...
...Amtrak is a disaster. A squeaking, rumbling, stopping-for-no-good-reason failure of a national rail service. How do I know? Suffice it to say I've spent a good deal of time over the last ten years either on Amtrak trains or desperately trying to avoid the Amtrak experience. At best, my train trips have been tolerable. At worst, they've given me the kind of heartburn that only comes from four hours of pent-up rage...
...young professional with no car, a neurotic fear of flying and plenty of reasons to travel up and down the eastern seaboard, I'm exactly the kind of customer that should love taking the train. Amtrak wants me. They really do. But they're not getting...
...Amtrak were even half as budget conscious as I am, we'd have a train system that worked. Unfortunately, the entire company is in shambles. Monday, the Amtrak board of directors begged Transportation Secretary Norman Minetta for another $200 million in "rescue" funds. The White House seemed uninterested in bailing out the ailing rail system and many GOP leaders, including House Speaker Dennis Hastert, said they'd like to eliminate Amtrak's rail monopoly...
...Amtrak bigwigs came to Washington armed with an offer that couldn't be refused: Give us the money, newly appointed president David Gunn told the country, or we're shutting down service on the crowded Northeast Direct trains - starting this Wednesday...