Hidden by the debate over the neocon death cult's plan to destroy social security is the their plan to destroy Amtrak. Amtrak gets around a third of it's $3 billion budget from a federal subsidy. By including no money for Amtrak in their proposed 2006 budget, the administration is trying to fulfill the longtime conservative dream of ending a 150-year tradition of long-distance passenger rail service in the U.S.

America needs Amtrak both to satisfy existing transportation needs and to provide a foundation for future demands that air and highway transportation will not be able to deal with effectively on their own. This essay details the numerous Progressive virtues of intercity passenger rail transportation and debunks the some of the myths about Amtrak propagated by the right-wing noise machine.

Passenger rail has numerous quantifiable merits that fit firmly with the Progressive vision for America:

• Energy Efficiency: Rail travel is more energy efficient than air travel and reduces our dependence on fossil fuels and foreign sources of oil. Even when it was using a fleet of old, energy-intensive engines and cars, Amtrak was up to 45 percent more energy-efficient than domestic commercial airline service (2,351 Btu's per passenger-mile vs. 4,304) (NC Outdoors)
• Environmental Preservation: Rail travel reduces the severe environmental impact of automobile travel and the associated infrastructure.(Kay) It also reduces the environmental impact of air travel, which includes an annual release of 600 million tons of CO2 emissions (the leading greenhouse gas) and tons of nitrates, ash, sulfates and water vapor that deplete the protective ozone layer. (TierraAmerica)
• Congestion Relief: Rail reduces airport and highway congestion and the associated pollution. Expansion of high speed rail in particular would reduce costs associated with highway and airport expansion as well as productivity lost in travel time(DOT)
• Speed: For distances of 500 miles or less, rail travel can be as fast or faster than other modes of transportation when all factors are considered (highway congestion, airport security, travel to air hubs, etc.)(lp1)
• Weather Tolerance: Rail travel is often more tolerant of severe weather conditions than air or highway travel
• Backup to Air Travel: Rail travel serves as a vital redundant backup to a fragile air traffic system. A robust transportation system is essential to the economic future of the country. 9/11 demonstrated that diversity in long-distance travel is important. Redundancy does not come for free.
• Diversity: Passenger rail provides a transportation alternative to older and disabled people, who either cannot because of disability or age, or who simply do not want to be forced to drive or fly. Rail travel is also more accomodating than air travel by virtue of it's larger seats, wider aisles and relaxed pace.
• Interstate Connectivity: A national rail system insures that people can travel from one state to another without interruptions in service because of regional fundings that leave a patchwork of incomplete service from state to state. A "regional only" system will result in insufficient or non-existent train connections and a lack of needed continuity from one system to the other. Transportation and its efficiencies must be coordinated across state, regional and local boundaries since public transportation, by its very nature, transcends these artificial boundaries. (Boerio)
• The Future of Transportation: Rail is the domestic alternative to air travel, which is trending in an economically and environmentally unsustainable direction.(Airportwatch)
• Renewable Energy: Electric locomotives powered via 3rd rail or catenary wires will require no modification to be able to use power from renewable energy sources like wind, solar, hydro or biomass. Automobiles and airplanes will require complex redesign to be able to use gaseous or cryogenic hydrogen and the technology will require significant advances to be cost-effective.

The aesthetic advantages of rail travel are also myriad

• Rail travel is much more comfortable than air or bus travel, with plenty of leg room and the ability to walk around or eat at your leisure.
• Rail travel allows you to see our great country, including the majestic beauty of the Red States that Blue Staters often think of as "flyover states."
• Rail terminals in large metropolitan areas are located in city centers (where the action is), eliminating the need for long drives to crowded remote air hubs.
• Rail travel permits travel time to be productive time or resting time, without the need to devote full attention to dodging non-union truckers or finding a bathroom for your screaming progeny.
• Railroads can't lose your luggage - you can carry it on the train with you.
• Rail security is less intrusive than airline security.
• Rail travel is a comfortable alternative for those with a fear of flying.
• A lower profile and more limited potential for spectacular destruction make railroads less attractive to those interested in highly-visible mischeif.
• Railroad accidents can involve fatalities, but rarely involve complete incineration and dismemberment of the entire passenger manifest.

The Subsidy

Transportation systems are subsidized by government because they are vital to the functioning of society and well worth the investment. Rail service is almost never self-sustaining, including the popular Northeast Corridor and almost all European systems. Almost no existing transportation systems of any type exist without direct or indirect subsidies and any suggestion that Amtrak (or a private company) can run self-sufficient rail is either delusional or disingenuous.

Ironically, Amtrak was created in 1971 under a Republican administration. In fiscal year 2003, Amtrak served more than 24 million passengers, an all-time record. Each day, approximately 66,000 passengers travel on Amtrak. In 2003, Amtrak had $2,077M in revenues and $3,206M expenses (50% for salaries) for a $1,281 net loss. Amtrak is also increasingly burdened by a debt load incurred to cover inadequate Federal funding. (Amtrak)

Many of the problems that Amtrak has had during it's 34 year existence are rooted in the failure of political leaders to define a clear strategic vision for passenger rail or to fund it at anything more than subsistence. That Amtrak has been functional at any level is a testament to the dedication of it's employees and management. Safety is always the primary concern of Amtrak employees and that safety often comes at the expense of firm schedules and visually appealing train interiors.

The Lies

As with many things conservative, the Republican loathing for passenger rail ignores the long-term transportation needs of the country in favor of short-sighted, rigid ideology. The question of why an Oklahoma farmer should pay for a train he will never ride is oblivious to the fact that the people who finance his operation, build his farm machinery and buy his product might benefit from train travel. It also largely symbolic question, since the $1.2 billion FY 2003 Amtrak subsidy divided by 300 million Americans works out to under $4 per citizen. Certainly less than the $300 billion and thousands of lives expended thus far to ensure access to cheap oil in Iraq.

Conservative proposals about what to do with Amtrak almost always involve involve privatizing, franchising, regionalizing and devolving train services to competitive, private operators. The conservative ideas are rooted in narcissism and hubris and are based on a dogmatic mystical faith in corporate greed rather than a foundation of logic, history and facts and an aspiration for the common good.(PRNewswire)

America is a land of entrepreneurs. The reason no one has stepped up to start a private rail service is that a private rail service cannot be profitable on its own. Amtrak was started in 1971 because private rail operators were not able to compete with subsidized air travel. With high fixed costs and market constraints, private sector rail cannot be self-sufficient and profitable while charging fares that are competitive with other publicly-subsidized modes of transportation.(Coston)

The argument that no one wants to ride trains cannot be defended based on the experience of the current underfunded system. European rail systems are a better demonstration that if you build it, they will come.

The argument that, unlike Amtrak, federal subsidies for aviation and highways are paid for by usage taxes is inaccurate and misleading. The following is a partial but representative list of the ways the public subsidizes all forms of transportation:

• The FAA Budget for 2004 detailed $12,561M in outlays and $9,372M in fund receipts, meaning that taxpayers subsidized air travel $3 billion ABOVE AND BEYOND taxes and usage fees payed by air travelers directly and through fares paid to airlines.(FAA)
• Highways also recieve a signifigant amount of public funding ABOVE AND BEYOND fees and taxes directly paid by drivers. In 2001, the $133 billion spent on highways included gasoline taxes (35%), vehicle taxes/fees (20%) and tolls (4%). Non-user subsidies included general fund appropriations (15%) and property taxes (5%).(Brookings)
• Boeing, the sole remaining U.S. manufacturer of passenger airplanes receives around $23 billion in federal and state subsidies each year, not counting losses offset by Federal spending on military aircraft. Boeing's primary rival, Airbus, receives around $15 billion in subsidies from European governments. This disparity has been the subject of an ongoing trade dispute.(USA Today)
• The Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act (P.L. 107-42) provided $5 billion to compensate air carriers for direct losses incurred during the Federal ground stop of civil aviation after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and for incremental losses incurred thereafter.(OMB)
• Many small community airports are subsidized by foreign travelers who never set foot in the United States. The Essential Air Service Program subsidizes arports in underserved areas. The Federal Aviation Reauthorization Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-264) authorized the collection of user fees for services provided by the FAA to aircraft that neither take off nor land in the United States, commonly known as overflight fees. The Act permanently appropriated the first $50 million of such fees for the Essential Air Service program and rural airport improvements. (OMB)(DOT)
• Gasoline is a very heavily subsidized commodity with hidden costs in government subsidies to the oil industry, military costs for protection of production and shipment services, and environmental costs. The true cost of a gallon of gasoline may be five to fifteen times the cost actually paid at the pump. (Center for Technology Assessment)
• A 2001 study estimated that public funding of private services associated with driving cost $59 billion annually, with the top cost being $40B for the costs of streets and highways not covered by fees and tolls. Additional "social costs" that are more difficult to quantify totaled $125 billion, with the top cost being $56B for health damage due to air pollution.(Redefining Progress)
• In 2002, truckers paid $30 billion in federal and state highway-user taxes. This is certainly appropriate given the wear on highways caused by trucks and the use of public highways for private profit. Because these costs are passed on to consumers, the public effectively subsidizes automobile use of highways through what can be viewed as a small but regressive tax on most products we buy.(ATA).
• The ultimate in subsidized transportation is the Space Shuttle, with each launch costing over $500 million. The primary remaining purpose of the shuttle is to support the International Space Station, whose primary purpose is to serve as a destination for the shuttle. The shuttle is a huge hunk of flying pork for NASA contractors. Almost all the significant space exploration and space science work of the past 30 years has been done by unmanned craft, which are much more cost-effective than manned missions.
• Around 40% of airline pilots were originally trained by the U.S. military. Following their service to the country, they then sold their valuable skills to the airlines, providing an indirect Federal subsidy to the air transportation system.(FAA), (Aviation Today)
• As mentioned before, the costs both in dollars and human lives incurred by the military in securing access to foreign oil for all forms of transportation (including diesel locomotives) is substantial.

The Future

Amtrak faces a manufactured crisis each year and a dance of death between impossible administration budget proposals and congressmen who restore some of the budget to preserve service to their constituencies. Amtrak has always managed to dodge the bullet, although this is the first year where the administration has zeroed out funding completely.

While the value of passenger rail is relatively easy to defend in the abstract, the future direction depends on a long-overdue political debate. Population growth and increased density, coupled with increased energy costs and budgetary and physical constraints on airport and highway construction will only increase the attractiveness of various forms of rail transportation in the future. Regardless of the involvement of the Federal government, high-speed rail is already under serious discussion for heavily-travelled corridors in California, the Northeast and the Gulf coast.

The modest vision for intercity rail spelled out by the current leaders of Amtrak is simply one of survival. (Amtrak) Anything more bold than than will have to wait for a Democratic congress and a Boxer administration in 2008. For now the best Progressives can hope for Amtrak is much like our hope for the Environment and for Social Security: to preserve it for our children.

Advocacy and Resources

• National Association of Railroad Passengers - Advocacy group
• Myths about Amtrak
• Trainweb - Online railroad community
• Traintraveling.com - Resources for train travellers worldwide
• CBO Report - The Past and Future of U.S. Passenger Rail Service (2004)
• Planetizen - Urban planning and development organization
• Brookings Institution Transportation Project
• Old detail of air travel subsidies