Will I be riding on the railroad

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all the live long day? If I have to wait three hours to board a plane, I can get to a lot of places just as quick taking a train. Besides, a terrorist would have the dickens of a time trying to crash one into Yankee Stadium.

-- paul (primrose@centex.net), September 14, 2001

Answers

Unfortunately there just isn't a lot of passenger rail service left in the United States and what there is will likely start overloading meaning delays there too.

={(Oak)-

-- Live Oak (oneliveoak@yahoo.com), September 14, 2001.


In June my husband I were checking airline ticket prices and decided to compare the price of traveling Amtrak. The price was well over double the price of the airline tickets. I'd planned to go to Florida to visit my daughter and her family next month but have cancelled all plans for now. I've flown many times in my lifetime but don't think I ever will again.

-- Grannytoo (jacres40@hotmail.com), September 14, 2001.

Have you checked the prices of Greyhound?

-- gita (gschmitz@directcon.net), September 14, 2001.

I refuse to let the terrorists win by changing the way I live! I for one will still fly. Flying will be safer now than it has EVER been. Just my opinion.

-- cowgirlone (cowgirlone47@hotmail.com), September 14, 2001.

With the Sky Marshalls and new security, the air may be the safest place to be. I am surprised the Goverment dosen't Deport all Middle East Students imediately or sooner. Jay

-- jay vance (jay.l.vance@worldnet.att.net), September 14, 2001.


There was a de-railment Wednesday. The condition of the railroads is deplorable. I flew a lot in the 80's. Landed at O'Haire hours after a DC10 crashed. After that the DC10 was grounded for extensive inspections. My wife asked if I would fly in a DC10 again. Sure...those planes have been inspected with a "fine tooth comb".

Let this shake out for three months and you will find that:

* arriving 2-3 hours before the flight for security checks will be common place. * armor plated doors on cockpit cabins * armed marshalls on all flights * PROFESSIONAL staff at the security gates * oh yea, it will be more expensive to fly because of these upgrades

I have a feeling that our enemies have exploited a weakness, and we have found that and will correct it. They will move on to something else, unless we have discouraged them enough. (or eliminated them, whichever comes first )

-- Rickstir (rpowell@email.ccis.edu), September 14, 2001.


I personally love to travel with Amtrak. I often take the train from Indianapolis to Chicago for business. Some of the advantages are: the experience of meeting new people, not wearing out my car, not having to pay for parking in Chicago, not being lost in my car, being able to eat in the dining car, being able to read, make reports, sleep, walk around, etc. while someone else does the driving. Some of the disadvantages are that the train has lousy departure times for what I need, it takes 45 minutes longer on the train than it would to drive, and I hear that it can be delayed, even though I have never been delayed on the train. It isn't for everyone, but I love it. And for $34 ROUND TRIP, I think it is the bargain of the century!

-- clove (clovis97@Yahoo.com), September 14, 2001.

Sept 14, 2001

6 injured in crash of 2 trains in Utah

Passengers aboard Amtrak's westbound California Zephyr from Denver escaped serious injury Thursday when it crashed into a freight train near Wendover, Utah, derailed and caught fire.

-- Joe (CactusJoe001@AOL.com), September 14, 2001.


Just came from a family dinner and my step-sister who is a travel agent said people were calling all day to cancel their flights and trips, she also mentioned the train accident and didn't feel that trains would make a good substitute for people used to the convenience of flying.

-- Melissa (cmnorris@1st.net), September 14, 2001.

One of the heads of state said this morning that he would like to see all national air travel stopped completely.

-- ~Rogo (rogo2020@yahoo.com), September 16, 2001.


The US could learn a lot from Europe about passenger train service. I've travelled by train here in the US and in Europe and personally think that passenger rail service here could be built up and made to be efficient, economical, convenient, comfortable and maybe even profitable. We flew to Europe twice and took trains everywhere. For us it was a great experience. I used to take Amtrak regularly for work to Chicago from Milwaukee and have made two cross-country trips via Amtrak also. My experiences were NOT efficient, economical, convenient or comfortable! And, just before this week, I was looking into another Amtrak trip here in the US, although the price is Ok, the schedule is very inconvenient. Maybe the recent airline developments will help the passenger train development here in the US because I think a lot of people would like an alternative to airline travel. Seems everytime they propose some kind of new rail service here in Wisconsin, it gets voted down for some reason or another, maybe not next time....

-- Rose Marie Wild (wintersongfarm@yahoo.com), September 16, 2001.

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