Chicago has always been a railroad town with, as far as I know, more rail activity than any other U.S. city. For decades, passenger trains left Chicago and headed off in every direction. And, of course, the same trains arrived in Chicago arriving from every direction. Passenger rail ain’t what it used to be,…
I’m leaving here on Thursday to attend the annual Fall meeting of the National Association of Railroad Passengers (NARP) which will be held in Indianapolis. As is my usual extravagant habit, I’m taking a long way ’round in both directions and, of course, doing most of it by train: the overnight ride on the…
SIENA, ITALY–Fifty-plus years ago, the gag definition of “mixed emotions” was watching your mother-in-law drive off a cliff in your brand new car. I’ve got a new one: “Mixed emotions is traveling from Tirano to Siena on three different trains and comparing that experience to Amtrak.” Each of those Italian trains departed and…
Following the tragic accident last week near Philadelphia, conservatives have once again started to call for privatizing Amtrak. There’s an article in Forbes magazine with that as the subject and of course the libertarian “think tanks” and all the usual suspects in Congress are banging on that drum again. The thing is, it’s never…