I fear that, when talking about rail, some folks make it seem like they're trying to preserve some fascinating bit of American arcana -- a museum on wheels. As Paul Weinstein writes, it just ain't so:
Contrary to popular opinion, since the mid 1990s, we have seen an explosion in rail demand and service, primarily focused among commuter and short to medium intercity routes. From 1995 to 2005, commuter rail usage grew over 20 percent, from 352 to 423 million passenger trips. Over the same period, 421 miles of new commuter and light rail track has been built.
Nearly half of the 21 commuter railroads in North America did not exist 15 years ago. Most of those new systems are based in Chicago and several Northeastern cities, including New York, Philadelphia, and Boston. Today commuter railroads are located in metropolitan areas across the nation, including Miami, Los Angeles, Nashville, the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., and Dallas. And many more are on the way.[...]
In fact, where there is a strong passenger rail presence in densely populated areas, with trains that are modern and fast (by U.S. standards), rail is more than competitive with the airlines (Amtrak handles about 50% of all New York-Washington airline/railroad traffic).
This is, in other words, an alternative worth strengthening, particularly given the environmental benefits. Weinstein goes on to suggest three ways for imrpoving the rail infrastructure: Invest in densely populated corridors first, focusing on the creation of an effective and efficient commuter rail system; pump money into high speed rail, which has proven attractive to riders; and give Amtrak a dedicated funding source, in much the same way that highways and airports have dedicated funding streams (the gas and ticket taxes, respectively). Weinstein suggests a "4.3-cent gas tax paid by the railroad industry on diesel fuel, a ticket surcharge on all passenger rail systems (including commuter rail systems), and a match contribution from states in which the rail system operates," all of which sound reasonable enough.
