(The following editorial appeared on the Patriot News website on August 25.)
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Amtrak, the national pas senger rail system, carried more than 2.75 million people last month, the highest number in its 37-year history.
Meanwhile, mass transit — including buses and trains — achieved a 50-year high in ridership in 2007, which has carried over into 2008.
The powers that be were totally unprepared for these developments.
With many trains sold out, Amtrak could carry even more passengers if it had the equipment available. Chronically un derfunded, Amtrak sim ply doesn’t have the re sources to add addition al coaches and trains, even though high fuel prices and the hassle at the airport have made train travel more attrac tive, while saving energy in the process.
SEPTA, which serves southeastern Pennsylvania and recently reported systemwide ridership to be at a 25-year high, appears to be the exception to mass transit systems around the country in actually expanding service. Many systems have been forced by high fuel costs and budget limitations to reduce service.
Nevertheless, as The New York Times recently noted, the streetcar — which 75 years ago was a feature of every city and its environs — appears to be making a comeback, with more than 40 major cities looking to invest in trolley systems. Streetcars are not only more popular with passengers than buses, but last longer, pollute less, are fuel efficient and spur economic development.
In that last regard, since Portland, Ore., announced an expansion of its modern streetcar system, more than 10,000 residential units have been built and $3.5 billion invested within two blocks of the new line.
It used to be that the key economic factor in where people decided to live was the cost of housing. But steep increases in the price of gasoline have altered that equation so that more and more singles and families are including transportation costs as part of the mix.
This is a transformational period for transportation in this country and yet passage of a five-year transportation appropriation bill is held up in Congress, and the country lacks any visionary concept for building on the nation’s existing rail assets, both long-distance and commuter. The Interstate Highway System, for better or worse, was such a grand concept, but arguably the overreliance on highways and air service to move people and goods is not sustainable over the long haul.
This needs to change and we need to hear from candidates for Congress and president to reveal how they propose to address the urgent need for massive improvements in the nation’s transportation infrastructure.