tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26981669.post8546790953244748624..comments2024-03-23T10:55:30.196-05:00Comments on Cold Fusion Guy: George Will: Why liberals love trainsJim Peethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07649414726939918803noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26981669.post-18652222377991172182011-03-04T13:51:22.768-06:002011-03-04T13:51:22.768-06:00There are at least two Amtrak routes, Daniel, from...There are at least two Amtrak routes, Daniel, from Chicago to the west coast. The Empire Builder goes from Chicago to Seattle, and the California Zephyr goes from San Francisco to Chicago. Both take about 55 hours (not overnight), neither has good dining car service, the seats are generally two decades old or more, and the bathrooms are pretty much airliner bathrooms that dump right on the tracks.<br /><br />And no, it's not profitable. Reality is that even back in the 1940s and 1950s, they weren't--the mail paid the bills, and the passenger cars simply got customers interested in the freight service.<br /><br />To get the trip you'd want, you'd need to go from the $300 price point across the country to about $1500--which would allow them to offer dining car service, new seats, and so on.Bike Bubbahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08193546045614393425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26981669.post-80050615272796896102011-03-04T12:24:03.018-06:002011-03-04T12:24:03.018-06:00I don't know if it would be profitable at all,...I don't know if it would be profitable at all, but I think having a coast to coast train with as little stops as possible might be good, fun at least. I would pay the same amount as a plane ticket to travel overnight and arrive at destination in the morning.Daniel Stahlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13929486581075009512noreply@blogger.com