Regaining Our Love Affair with Rail Travel

How quickly American’s seem to turn their backs on our roots…the simple foundations on which our country was built upon. Some of these ideas, while seemingly outdated and maybe not the most convenient, are truly the best options when it comes to living in a sustainable way. Rail travel is one of those ideas.

The idea behind rail travel is not a new one. The first examples of rail travel began in Greece around 6 B.C. Grooves embedded into limestone rock provided a guide for wagon wheels pushed by slaves to traverse a 6 kilometer trail without leaving that trail and damaging the surrounding landscape. The idea slowly progressed from wooden rails laid on top of the ground to the current iron rails of today. In 1869, the transcontinental railroad was completed opening up the western United States for settlement. The railroad also greatly reduced the amount of time and cost it took to ship goods from the east coast. Between 1896 and 1910, it’s said that 95% of all inter-city transportation was done by rail. In 1920, rail travel reached it’s pinnacle, transporting 1.2 billion passengers. But a nearly tripling in rail fares that year led more Americans than ever to look at the automobile as a cheaper, more self-sufficient way of travel. Rail travel saw another surge beginning in 1939 but it was still only half of ridership seen in the 20’s. By 1970, airlines were transporting almost 75% of travelers while trains carried a mere 7%. Amtrak was created during this same time period by the U.S. government to balance out transportation options and relieve traffic congestions on roads and highways. But since then, railroads haven’t had a huge impact on travel. It’s just another forgotten way.

Now, that forgotten mode of transportation is coming back to haunt us.  This isn’t a scary haunting but one of those friendly spirits that appears to tell us we messed up writing off rail travel a long time ago.  But, we can change that and some of our lawmakers are hoping to do just that.  On November 6th, the Senate voted 70-22 to fund Amtrak with $11.4 billion for the next 6 years.  That’s a fairly sizable increase to the government run, for-profit, railroad compared to years past.  Is it enough to save passenger rail travel and encourage more to use the service?  Only time will tell and the House still has to put their stamp of approval on the measure.  President Bush and his administration has dallied with the idea of shutting down Amtrak and opening passenger rail travel to privatization.  Under that plan, each railroad would have their own opportunity to provide passenger rail service, just like they did in the old days.

Rail travel requires about 20% less energy than traveling by car or plane making it more environmentally friendly.  Trains can run in bad weather when planes might not be able to fly or when roads might be too hazardous and nerve-wracking to drive.  Trains provide you with more leg room and you don’t have to deal with breathing that stale, recirculated air.  You can get up, stretch your legs and walk around.  Not to mention the fact you can actually see major portions of our country by traveling on a train.  The scenery is always changing!  So, if you plan on flying or driving this holiday season, take time to think about how it would be different boarding a train.  Think about the environmental impacts, saving you headaches of early check-ins and security lines and most of all, the relaxation you’ll experience on your journey and most of all avoiding the $3/gallon gas prices.  If you’re really passionate about it, book a trip on Amtrak or write your local Congressman or Senator a letter to let him/her know your support for rail travel.

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