I wish I could say something nice. My mama always told me, "if you can't say something nice then don't say anything at all." But sometimes you just gotta speak the truth, even if its ugly.
I love trains. If I could, I would take the train everyday.
I commute between Boston and New Haven on the regular, and driving up 91 to 84 to the MASS Pike is no treat. The traffic sucks. The weather is horrible. People drive like nuts, flying by you at a buck-10, swerving in-and-out, on their cellulars, flipping the bird, and smoking a cig at the same time.
Dangerous, stressful, and long, that is the way to describe any automobile journey between the two points. I'd love to take the train, but no, Amtrak, you won't let me.
If you want to get to Boston at any reasonable hour, Amtrak used to just run the regional. But the regional wasn't good enough. So they upgraded to the accela express.
Express my @$$! And it's my only choice. Either that or the 4:40a.m.
No discounts ever on the accela. Always $100 + one way, no matter if you buy it a year in advance. So it's either $25 for the dangerous, stressful, scary drive down America's crumbling interstate highway system, or $100 for a slow, rickety @$$ train with super-plush seating, overpriced food, and occasional wi-fi.
I can get to beantown 4 times for the price of 1 accela ticket. So I just can't smell it, no matter how much the commute sucks, and how nice the train is. . .
The accela is just a way for the wealthy consultant class to get away from the unwashed plebs that make up the backbone of America. Unless you are writing the journey off on your company expense account, there is absolutely no way you would ever consider dropping that kind of dough for a one way ticket. No way. . .
So you drive. . . driving gives you road rage. . .
Feel my rage Amtrak. You could be the solution, but instead you're just part of the problem. (I use the second person because corporations are people and deserve to be yelled at like people). . .
My advice to you Amtrak, and I know you won't take it. . . You've got some well heeled consultant-type telling you to stick it out, that margins are up, that traffic is good, that you are reaching the right demographic. . .
But I'll give it to you anyway. . . as hard as I can. . .
How about you stop trying to squeeze every penny you can out of your busted @$$, dilapidated, rails and reinvest in a true high-speed network that can handle high-volume traffic at a reasonable price? Or would that make too much sense?
America used to be a great country. We had the greatest infrastructure in the world. Now look at what we've got. A quazi-governmental corporation that screws over the taxpayer before turning their greedy, beady little money grubbing eyes towards the consumer.
Supply and demand? Where is the supply? I've got a demand, but not at that price point. Problem is there is no competition, so those of us unwilling to fork over exorbitant stashes of cash for a sub-par jaunt down a rusty, 100-year-old track are $h!t out of luck.
Oh, and didn't I say I love trains. read more