(The following editorial by BLE Division 75, Kansas City, member Andrew Taylor appeared in the Kansas City Star on August 11.)
KANSAS CITY — C.W. Gusewelle’s July 27 story on travel by train across Missouri made several good points with which I concur. Train travel is a comfortable and relaxing alternative to the often-unpleasant realities of present day auto and air travel.
I also agree that habitually late trains are a major disincentive for rail travel. Gusewelle points out that most of these delays are beyond the control of Amtrak, and humiliating to Amtrak’s hard-working people who have to face the traveling public.
I only wish that Gusewelle would have delved deeper and identified the railroad company that was responsible for the outrageous operation of the Amtrak train on which he rode.
Amtrak trains running between Kansas City and St. Louis use the tracks of and are at the mercy of Union Pacific Railroad. Amtrak trains suffer worse delays on the Union Pacific than on any of the other railroads over which Amtrak operates.
Ninety percent of the tardiness Amtrak trains suffer on the Kansas City- St. Louis route is solely attributable to Union Pacific; delays are due to freight traffic winning preference over passenger trains. In fairness to Union Pacific, freight traffic on the St. Louis route is heavy, and some delays are unavoidable.
However, Amtrak runs over lines of other railroad companies, with even heavier freight traffic, and enjoys far better timekeeping results. Some railroad companies simply choose to make a sincere effort to keep Amtrak trains rolling on schedule, and others don’t.
Unfortunately for St. Louis-bound rail travelers, the Union Pacific falls in the latter category. It’s not hard to see where the problem starts. Union Pacific CEO Dick Davidson has stated publicly on several occasions ? and as recently as April in an Omaha World-Herald story ? that he is unhappy that he has to allow Amtrak trains to use his tracks and that he doesn’t consider Amtrak a serious transportation option.
The law that created Amtrak and granted it access to the nation’s rail system also mandates that Amtrak trains have preference over freight. Union Pacific knows that. But it also knows that when it chooses to ignore the law, as it so often does, there is little Amtrak can do other than complain.
Some railroads have realized that the public demand to support more and better rail passenger service translates into sorely needed rail infrastructure improvements for both freight and passenger traffic.
The United States spends heavily on highway and air travel, but unlike other developed nations, gives virtually nothing to the rail system. Federal investment in rail has been virtually nil.
Some states have begun to address the capacity issues, California being the best example. Having invested in numerous projects to make room for both freight and passenger trains to co-exist, Amtrak ridership in the Golden State has seen tremendous growth and continues rising above all expectations. California is well on the way to developing an excellent system of integrated intercity rail and bus links of urban mass transit systems, and Missouri deserves the same.
Andrew Taylor is a locomotive engineer and worked for Amtrak for eight years. He lives in Kansas City.