There Are Amtrak Haters Out There

[buckethead]

Soory. I removed it because it was out of place. This is an AmTrak thread, I posted a different subject. (Light Rail and Trolley)

[BridgeTroll]

Is this it?



or this?



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tram_line_5_(Amsterdam)

[FayeforCure]

Is this it?



or this?



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tram_line_5_(Amsterdam)

BT, aren't they beauties, and well suited to a crowded historic city, or just about anywhere else. And you never have to wait more than 5-10 minutes for a ride.

Can't wait to see one of those along San Jose, and Blanding.

[BridgeTroll]

They sure are!  I would like to add... Phillips hwy, Main st, phillip randolph, riverside, san marco and of course downtown!

[thelakelander]

They are basically streetcars.  It would be nice to see us fund a few streetcar corridors instead of more expressways 30 miles from the center of the city.

[tufsu1]

You'll be waiting a long long time to see those things on roads like San Jose

[thelakelander]

Yeah.  Lets get them between DT and Five Points and into Springfield first.

[Ocklawaha]

Yeah.  Lets get them between DT and Five Points and into Springfield first.

Heck, just getting them downtown would be a start as long as JTA doesn't put them on a route from Jacksonville Terminal down Bay and North on Hogan.

I'd also be more impressed if they had classic American lines, sort of like a VW Beatle next to a Shelby Cobra.

OCKLAWAHA

[CS Foltz]

I agree gentlemen! DT/Five Pts/Springfield would make a nice loop and expand from there...........Only problem with that is the lack of vision from the City & JTA and not to mention money to initiate......other than that good to go!

[thelakelander]

A lack of money is less of a concern than a lack of priority.  If made a priority the funds needed to build and maintain would be found.  After all, the mayor's office wanted to spend $29 million on Metrp Park.  You can build a no-frills streetcar line between DT and Five Points for around the same cost.  So what would you rather have?  $29 million of improvements in Metro Park or a starter streetcar line?

[CS Foltz]

lake.........thats a no brainer  for me.......starter system would do much much more for downtown and the surrounding area than so-called upgrades to Metro Park. The Park enhancements are the Mayors vision, not mine!29 Million Dollars would go along ways for a starter system......keep it minimal ....and get it going!

[JeffreyS]

I would rather use that money on streetcars, education, police and many other things than to change metro park. I already like to go to shows and event at metro park.

[CS Foltz]

I agree Jeff..........don't need to spend money on Metro Park...........that 29 Million could do alot more elsewhere in the COJ Budget!

[FayeforCure]

A temporary reprieve for Amtrak, for now:

Mica backs off Amtrak privatization plan
By Keith Laing - 11/08/11 06:18 PM ET
 
House Transportation Committee Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.) is no longer pushing to privatize Amtrak rail service, his office confirmed to The Hill Tuesday.

A spokesman for Mica told The Hill Tuesday that Mica put the Amtrak privatization proposal forward as a "starting part" in negotiations over high-speed funding, but was "always willing to receive input" on other ideas on how to best to increase the speed of trails between Washington, D.C., and Boston.

"He is willing to sit down with Amtrak and discuss ways to bring high-speed rail to the Northeast Corridor," Mica's spokesman said in an interview. "His interest always has been and remains in bringing high-speed rail to the corridor."



Earlier on Tuesday, Mica said in a speech to the U.S. High Speed Rail Association in New York that there was too much opposition to the proposal, which would have transferred Amtrak assets in the Northeast Corridor of the country to a new entity within the Department of Transportation.

Mica said the plan did not have much support outside his transportation committee, according to a report by The Associated Press.

"I'm willing to compromise," the AP reported Mica said his remarks. "I could probably pass just about anything in committee, but I want to make something happen."


Amtrak is currently a government-owned corporation that receives subsidies from the federal government for service.

But under the House Republican proposal, a newly created Northeast Corridor Executive Committee would have overseen the bidding process for private companies to compete for rail projects in the region.

Democrats on Mica's transportation committee vocally opposed the Amtrak privatization plan, calling it unconstitutional and accusing Mica of wanting to "auction off" the national passenger rail service.

http://thehill.com/blogs/transportation-report/railroads/192473-mica-backs-off-amtrak-privatization-plan

[FayeforCure]

Look at this interesting back-tracking by Mica:

A spokesman for Mica told The Hill that the long-time Florida lawmaker was not trying to eliminate Amtrak with his proposal. In fact, Mica’s spokesman said the lawmaker wants to work with the agency to bring high-speed rail to the northeast more quickly.

“The (transportation) committee’s rail proposal was never about privatizing Amtrak â€" the proposal does not eliminate Amtrak,” Mica’s spokesman said in an email.  “It was and is about private sector competition to ensure that high-speed and passenger rail service in the U.S. is as efficient and effective as possible.

“Chairman Mica will sit down with anyone who shares the same goal of bringing true high-speed rail to the Northeast Corridor and improving U.S. passenger rail service,” the spokesman said.

http://thehill.com/blogs/transportation-report/railroads/193189-rail-supporters-get-back-on-track-with-amtrak-victory

And we are supposed to believe that?

He's just waiting to stick it to Amtrak again as soon as he can.