The Little Engine That Could

Otis White correctly dispelled two myths about intercity rail passenger service -- that rail can't compete with cars and airplanes and that the only region where passenger rail has been successful, the Northeast, has unique characteristics. But White perpetuated another that is equally -- if not more --misleading and destructive of good transportation policy -- long-distance rail will never work as anything other than a tourist attraction.

Long distance trains in the United States currently serve as basic transportation for millions of people each year. Amtrak's 15 long distance trains currently provide more than half of Amtrak's total annual passenger miles of service while adding only $300 million the annual $1.5 billion federal funding required to support all of Amtrak's non-long distance trains.

Contrary to popular myth, the vast majority of long distance train passengers travel via coaches not sleeping cars. Their journeys are primarily between intermediate stops, not from end to end of the route. Further, relatively few long distance train passengers are tourists; most are traveling to visit family members, to or from medical facilities or on other personal business.

Regarding where corridor services may be needed, it is important to understand that, east of Minneapolis-Omaha-Ft. Worth-San Antonio, virtually no community is more than 500 miles from a city of 200,000 or greater population. A similar circumstance prevails between the Pacific Coast and El Paso-Las Vegas-Sacramento-Spokane. Thus, every city, village or hamlet in those portions of the country is within a potential rail passenger service corridor. Given these factors, no matter where any 500 mile long corridor beginnings or ends, a large percentage of its users may have to change trains at one or both end-points to complete their journeys.

The above factors suggest that passenger trip length should be the major factor determining train route length, not theoretical optimal corridor length.