(The following column by Gladys Gifford appeared on the Buffalo News website on January 11.)
BUFFALO, N.Y. — I have become frustrated in trying to do the right thing. I am very conscious of my energy footprint. I know that passenger rail is the most green form of transportation available.
So I take the train all the time here in Buffalo. Metro Rail is very dependable and convenient when I need to go downtown.
But what about Amtrak, when I need to go long distances? Well, I’m trying. However, my most recent experiences tell me that Amtrak has a long way to go. The bumpy ride rattles my bones and the trains don’t run on time.
Here’s what happened to me. I recently took two round-trip journeys on Amtrak to go to meetings — one in Albany, one near New York City. Each trip was a window on the passing scenery, as well as an opportunity to meet people and learn from them.
I saw hundreds of people riding Amtrak, to and from Buffalo. I
met people with delightful young children. People with laptop computers, intent on work or games. People ready to chat, taking the train for a day’s excursion.
In conversations with fellow passengers, I learned that we were all intent on doing the right thing, or the cheap thing, or the healthy thing.
I took the train because it was the green way to go, despite the certainty that the trip would take extra time. One couple took the train because he suffered severe claustrophobia on airplanes. Several individuals took the train to avoid the hassles of airports and parking.
An affluent older couple gratefully took the train for a long trip out West on a sleeper car, instead of driving. And a group of high school students took the train as the cheapest and friendliest mode of travel — taking full advantage of the snack car.
But none of us expected the train to arrive at our destinations on time. We knew, from experience, that the passenger train would be sidelined by freight, which had priority on the rails.
And so it was — the train left the Buffalo station late, and arrived at my destinations at least an hour late. I wondered why they bothered to print schedules.
I spent the extra time pleasantly, usually reading and writing when the rails were smooth. Several times I was jolted from side to side, made aware that the rails were in need of serious maintenance work.
So why was the ride bumpy and the train late?
I hear that the trains in Bangladesh run on time, a legacy of the British system. Why can’t we do just as well as Bangladesh?
Our leaders claim two main problems: freight and money. The first problem is that the tracks are owned by the freight companies. Freight has priority, so therefore, passenger rail has to wait for freight to come roaring by, losing precious time. Another problem is that the State Department of Transportation has not invested an appropriate amount of money to keep the rails well-maintained.
Is it more important for our goods to get to our houses the next day than for our people to arrive at their destinations on time? In an era when the state spends billions of taxpayer dollars on roads, couldn’t a few million be spared to fix the rails?
The whole situation doesn’t make sense. Build us a passenger rail service across the state that addresses what we need: on-time service that doesn’t rattle our bones.
Let Amtrak help us do the right thing, not frustrate us!