NEW ORLEANS, LA — I had lunch in the Crescent’s dining car coming here from Washington. A man in his mid-40s was seated across from me when the train stopped in an attractive town. Lips curled and jaw set, my lunch companion peered out the window. “Tuscaloosa, Alabama,” he muttered softly under his breath and…
Before Hurricane Katrina wrecked much of the railroad infrastructure east of New Orleans in 2005, Amtrak’s Sunset Limited was a three night, trans-continental train from Los Angeles, California, to Orlando, Florida. About 20 years ago, the Management Team overseeing that train—they were based in New Orleans—conducted an interesting, even radical, experiment. I wish I had…
Efforts to improve passenger train service that seem to be making headway are those with active citizen advocacy. When the squeaky wheel is applied, it works. Uh … well, OK … let’s just say that it gets the attention of the people who could make it work. Even that takes persistence and patience and the…