Neal Peirce

Obama’s inaugural train

Washington Post Writers Group, Jan 06, 09.

Rail enthusiasts, for decades spurned by presidents of both parties, were elated by the news that Barack Obama will travel to Washington for his inauguration by train from Philadelphia.

“The symbolism is magnificent and the message very positive for all of us who for so many years have labored to create a more balanced American transportation system,” said James RePass, president-founder of the National Corridors Initiative that’s pressed since 1989 for upgraded rail passenger service in America.

Noting Obama’s train would retrace part of Abraham Lincoln’s route to the inauguration in 1861, and stop in Wilmington to pick up Vice President-elect Joe Biden and his family, RePass added: “It’s so neat, charming, and to the point–a wonderful message.”

Only a touch more cautiously, Ross Capon of the National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, observes that while Obama’s decision to make his inaugural trip by train is “terrific,” he hopes “it’s matched by policy actions that make it possible for lots more Americans to arrive by train in lots more places.”

There, of course, is the rub. Although Amtrak, the semi-public rail passenger operating system, is reporting double-digit ridership increases, it faces huge hurdles. “The equipment status is near collapse,” notes former Amtrak president Thomas Downs. “Every locomotive needs to be rebuilt. Ditto almost every passenger car. Tracks speeds keep getting lower, equipment out of date. The system is starved for capital.” Read more >>

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