(The following editorial appeared on the Stamford Times website on November 1.)
STAMFORD, Conn. — You can attribute it to highway congestion, the high cost of gasoline and environmental concerns. Whatever the reason, ridership on Amtrak, our national passenger rail system, has seen a significant increase in passengers.
A total of 25.8 million passengers rode the rails in the fiscal year, an increase of $1.5 million over fiscal 2006. Ticket revenue increased 11 percent during that period, a barometer of the line’s success.
Of course, that doesn’t obviate the need for continued federal subsidies.
The Northeast Corridor showed the greatest increase of 14 percent, and the high-speed Acela Express bumped up 20 percent, its revenues increasing 23 percent.
We have to expand our rail system — it is good for the economy and it’s vital to national defense.