WILL THERE BE TRAINS IN OUR FUTURE? - All Aboard: The Complete North American Train Travel Guide - page 265

too that you and I pay a special tax on every airline ticket we
buy. That money goes into a separate trust fund and is spent to
advance the aviation industry.
There is not one rail system in the world intended for the general
public's use that isn't subsidized by government. So why do some
politicians continue to insist that Amtrak should be able to provide
a nationwide rail transportation system without assistance from
our government? That's especially puzzling when it's so clear to
many of us that for some very important reasons—environmental,
economic, and societal—rail should be the one means of trans-
portation government should encourage , not discourage.
The Pendulum Is Swinging Back to Rail
There are those in this country—people who know a great deal
about trains and the transportation industry—who are fighting
hard for the future of rail travel in North America. It's important
that they continue to do that—after all, the Reagan and both
Bush administrations tried persistently to do away with any
subsidy for Amtrak. Now, at a time when budget cutting is on
everyone's mind, there are still anti-rail people left in Congress.
Thankfully, they are in a minority. With the constant threat of
higher gasoline costs, continuing chaos in the airline industry,
and ever-worsening traffic congestion on our roads and highways,
more political leaders are acknowledging the benefits of rail as an
important means of public transportation.
In the meantime, Americans have made it abundantly clear
that they like trains. Long-distance trains in particular run full
much of the year, particularly in the sleeping cars. Even Amtrak
critics agree that for six to eight months a year, the company
could double the number of trains and still fill up most of them.
In spite of tremendous handicaps, Amtrak seems to be getting
its act together little by little. In fact, Amtrak can actually lay