The Washington Post has a story about yesterday’s announcement by Amtrak describing the $5 billion worth of new trains that Amtrak is buying. The trains will be named Amtrak Airo, and they’re beautiful.
Yes, the trains will be made in America — Sacramento — though the company is German. Transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg is not mentioned in the story, but I suspect that he, and the Biden administration, had more than a little to do with this.
It was interesting to read some of the comments on this article. Train lovers are pointing out that the United States is still far, far behind other countries in its train infrastructure, not least because of the poor condition of our tracks. In Europe, everybody loves trains, and everybody rides them. In the U.S., liberals have never seen a train they didn’t love, and Republicans have never seen a train they didn’t hate. I wonder: Don’t Republicans ever travel abroad and ride the trains?
The recent railway strike that almost happened helped expose just how much fixing our railway system needs, both for freight and for passengers. About 30 years of successive Democratic transportation secretaries might do it.
3 Comments
I used to commute from the So.Bay to SF each day via CalTrain to my job at the NPA. Saved my life many times by not driving over a cliff during traffic time. In Asias and Europe riding the train is always the way for me. Plus local bus serves too. I always loved riding the Muni in the City to any spot I wanted to go to during my lunch hour. Once my wife and I took the Amtrak to Santa Barbara, the trip seemed to take 2 days – the tracks were so poor many times the train could only chug along at 10-15 MPH. Hilarious. Once taking the train from Roseville to Truckee took almost 10 hours because the train was shunted over to a side rail to let freight through. No compassion for the passenger. I would love to ride to LA via Amtrak in the new someday arriving Super train of California. Not happen in my life time I bet – I’m 82 now another 10 years I won’t know jack from a train
Hi Henry: Hi Henry… I’ve taken the train from San Francisco (really Emeryville, as you know) to L.A. a couple of times, and it’s a long, slow haul. The trip to Sacramento is much shorter and nicer, through delta country. Have you ever considered a cross-country train ride? Maybe someday…
Its always been my dream to take the trip across the US and Canada. I can’t convince my Frau. ☹️
We did a Boston to New York to Penn Station – 100+ MPH in some spots. So I know we have the capability. I just don’t understand why our moronic congresse can’t see the light.
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