Dumb Statements by People Who Damn Well Ought to Know Better

“We simply cannot keep going on sending empty trains clear across the country with no riders.”
— Rep. Harold Rogers (R-Ky.)

“Americans don’t like to travel that way anymore.” — Senator Robert Bennett (R-Utah)

“Amtrak operates trains no one rides to places no one wants to go.” — former U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta

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* Amtrak ridership is up system-wide for the fifth year in a row.

* Amtrak now carriess 41 percent of the traffic in the Washington-New York-Boston corridor.

* The Downeaster, between Boston and Portland, Maine, has increased ridership by 27 percent.

* Amtrak’s San Joaquin service, linking Sacramento and Oakland with Bakersfield, is up almost 20 percent.

* Ridership on the Pacific Surfliners, which run between San Luis Obispo through Santa Barbara and Los Angeles to San Diego, is up 7 percent.

* In Florida, ridership out of Tampa has increased 39 percent over the past two years.

Further comments? Nope. None necessary.