(The following column by Charles Trentelman appeared on the Standard-Examiner website on July 29, 2009.)
OGDEN, Utah — Arise rail fans! Ogden could get Amtrak passenger service again, and about time, too.
Passenger trains have slipped from the public consciousness. When I tell people my wife and I took Amtrak to Chicago and Washington, D.C., their reaction is as if we trekked the Amazon.
I don’t refuse to fly. I’d just rather not. Undressing before strangers, being X-rayed, patted down, stripped of all fluids, jammed into a narrow seat and fed three dry pretzels is not my idea of gracious travel.
You say, “So what? A plane gets you there.” I say, “Travel should be fun, too.”
Family trips to the Grand Canyon weren’t just about a large hole in the ground. They were about visiting strange towns, admiring scenery on the way and wondering what sort of bug just smeared the windshield.
And so it is on a train. It takes longer, and costs more if you get a sleeping compartment, but think of it as a rolling hotel with ever-changing views.
Invasive airline security? Amtrak discourages obvious machine guns, but nobody peeks in your underwear. My Swiss Army knife, bottle of water, shampoo, no problem.
My wife and I found the accommodations cozy, and sleepers include meals. It’s real food, meat and potatoes, full breakfast, veggie options. The food was good, the service fair to excellent, the table company ideal.
The biggest advantage to a train is that distance is real because, well, there it goes, right outside the window. The body has time to adjust to altitude, humidity and time zone changes. Lean back in the lounge car and let the nation roll by.
Sadly, Amtrak misses Ogden, and Salt Lake City is a way-stop. The trains leave at 11:30 p.m. and 4 a.m. The station is small and dirty. There is no coffee.
Ogden’s Union Station would be nicer, and here’s where things could change.
Ogden’s last passenger train, “The Pioneer,” ended in 1997. Now, with new emphasis on mass transit, Sen. Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon, and Sen. Mike Crapo, a Republican from Idaho, are pushing to get the Pioneer revived.
Sen. Crapo wrote an amendment to the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act last year requiring Amtrak to study reviving the Pioneer. A report is due to Congress on Oct. 15.
Crapo is rallying his people. “Idahoans who want to see the route return can contact Amtrak at www.pioneerroutestudy.com to voice their support,” he wrote on his Web site. “You can also visit www.pioneertrain.com for more information on the effort to bring the train back and what you can do to help.”
What say Utah’s senators? I got answers of the “We will support it if it makes sense” variety.
That is not acceptable. Of course it makes sense.
Anyone who drives to Boise, Portland, Seattle or Denver will benefit. From a development, tourism and jobs standpoint, passenger rail is as good as an F-22 fighter, or a new interstate highway, and a lot cheaper.
Write to Sens. Orrin Hatch and Robert Bennett. They have Ogden offices, and the www.pioneertrain.com site has links. Demand they get on the job.
Write to Amtrak at the Web site or mail a note to: Mr. Jonathan Hutchison, Director, Amtrak Government Affairs West, 531 Water St., 5th Floor, Oakland, CA 94607.
Do it today. Weber, Davis, Box Elder and Morgan counties share a rich rail heritage stretching back to the Golden Spike.
Development around FrontRunner stations shows rail can build our future.
A new Pioneer will show the way. We can’t let it pass.
The Wasatch Rambler is the opinion of Charles Trentelman. You can reach him at (801) 625-4232, or e-mail ctrentelman@standard.net. He also blogs at www.standard.net/live.