Submitted by JayKay, Apr 22, 2007 15:26

"No country in the world operates a passenger rail system without some form of public support for capital costs and/or operating expenses..."

That's the crux. Despite every fact and opinion to the contrary, our government continues to expect passenger rail to be a profit-making venture instead of the public service that it is. That's not to say that railroads should not be run in a businesslike manner, but expecting every facet of the service to turn a profit is unrealistic, especially when highways and airlines not only receive significant subsidies, they are not expected to be directly responsible for the upkeep of their infrastructure. (When was the last time you saw a UPS crew repairing a road or a Delta Airlines logo on airport construction equipment?)

For all its success, Acela's speed and service pale in comparison to similar operations in the rest of the world. Even standard intercity services in Europe regularly operate at speeds approaching that much-touted 135 mph figure, and high-speed trains (ICE, TGV) exceed it by another 30 to 40 mph. While we maintain our addiction to imported oil, the rest of the world is quickly passing us by.

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