High-Speed Rail Competes With Air, Car
“Amtrak’s Post-Attack Ridership Surge Is Ebbing” [Sept. 27] talked about many issues but sadly missed the most important policy point of all.
The issue is not whether some long-distance trains are still transporting stranded or fearful travelers (as the article correctly noted, the number of these travelers on Amtrak is decreasing). The issue is obliquely mentioned: “With the notable exception of the high-speed trains along the Boston-to-Washington corridor . . . “
This is precisely the lesson that California should heed. Business travelers and, indeed, most travelers value speed (and safety). Where rail provides speed, rail competes very well with the car and air. Amtrak enjoys a very high mode split in the Boston-Washington corridor precisely for that reason.
Why don’t we in California yet have a French-style high-speed line from the Bay Area to Los Angeles? God knows we’ve studied it to death.
Carl H. Schiermeyer
Long Beach
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