Ads by Yahoo!

" There have been many good comments. Sen. Durbin thinks Amtrak is the future. Amtrak was set up to be the end of passenger trains. If there can be improvement it will happen more when drivers pay their full share of road costs. The Congress just approved a large amount of money to come from general revenue to help highway maintenance. Unless we get our local,state and federal government to make drivers pay their full cost then trains will not be able to show their efficiencies and their advantages of speed and capacity. "

" This line needs to be double tracked. The delays get compounded when trains have to pull over for 15 minutes or more to wait for a delayed train in the other direction. The line to Quincy has more double-tracked mileage, and those trains are on time much more often. "

" 1) I find it very odd that 110mph trains are so fast that "engineers could not depend on the old-style trackside light signals to alert them that tracks were clear ahead". In the UK, trains regularly operate at 125mph with line-side signals.
2) The article points out that time and money was wasted on a system that activates the brakes should train drivers accidentally go past signals at danger. Why on earth didn't they use the off-the-shelf, proven technolgy in the first place? "

" Outside B/N, I can understand your position. I was supposed to get on that train at Summit at 5:37 P.M. It never came. I waited in the rain for 2 hours until the next train showed up. The whole time, reservations kept saying it was 10 minutes late. They continuted to say this when it was more than an hour late. Sorry you had a lousy ride too. "

" The USA is SO FAR behind Japan and Europe on rail travel. It is an embarrassing shame that the USA has not developed fast, safe, reliable and on-time rail travel with dedicated passenger tracks. "

" Doesn't matter how fast it Can go if your train is just sitting on the tracks.

Privatize and see how quickly the trains start making it on time. "

" Anyone who uses it has stories and gripes..me,too. But it doesn't have to be that way. America CAN do this if there is the political will and strength to stand up to the lobbys of..you guessed it: cars,airports, roadbuilders and OIL. It is possible if rail gets a slight fraction of a fair share. We have to demand it. There will be new jobs created and our use of oil will go down. Plus, it's a great way to travel (when it's done right). Other countrys do it, we can too. Gripe all you want but direct some of the gripes where it can help. Gripe to your US Representative and Senators. "

" Millions of dollars for upgrades to save 20 minutes means nothing when the train is 30 minutes late. They need to build their own tracks, not improve someone else's. "

" Dalmanties is half right. Yes Amtrak is a 2nd class citizen. However they do get priority or the freight railroads pay. Still though, there is an increase in rail traffic due to the high cost of trucking and these 1 mile long or so trains have to find the next siding to pull into. Missouri, where I live is facing a similar problem. THey are building additional sidings into the system to make it better.

Now about you all whining about your train service in Illinois. It is much later in Missouri, and it serves illiois quite well. We have 3 lines that run through Missouri. The St. Louis-Kansas city line, that serves a few cities and the state capitol. The Chi-KC line that only serves 2 cities in missouri and the STL-San Antonio line that only serves 2 cities here. There are far more cities in missouri that could use train service than in Illinois. You have it made by my standard. So for all of you to whine and bellyache in Illinois about the lack of train service, please. "

" First, the rails are owned by the freight trains and Amtrak is a second class citizen on the rails. Amtrak is sided to allow the freights to pass first. If Amtrak is to upgrade to the 21st century, new, dedicated rails need to be built and to the high speed standards that exist in the rest of the world. The USA is so far behind in the rail technology it's pitiful. Second, the existing trains are dirty, smelly and lacking in proper HVAC. I've ridden trains in Egypt, from Cairo to Alexandria, that were nicer and faster--and on time. "

" I agree with 'outside B/N', I was there waiting for a friend to pick up from chicago. The amtrak agent in Bloomington knew of the repairs, but had no idea about the expected arrival of the train. Also, he indicated he couldnt find the train on GPS. The 7:30 pm arrived @ 9:20 pm. Everytime I have to pick up or drop off someone at the Amtrak station, the trains is ALWAYS late. Try getting them ontime. If this was a real business, they would have been bankrupt years ago. Quit giving government money unless than can provide better service. "

" My brother loves trains and has tried to use Amtrack. Starting in Chicago STARTING the train is 2 hours late, can't even start on time. Train in St. Louis 8 hours late. Standing on a platform in Maryland w/ @ 30 people, the engineer forgets to stop, another empty train shows up 3 hours later. Billions of taxpayer dollars, million dollar bonus's & NO ONE CARES. Absolutely no improvement over the years because the money keeps coming in & NO ONE CARES. "

" Since we're making a wish list here: run tracks east to west, add some lines, be on-time...........they should invest in Wi-Fi on the train. At least that way when then park you for 2-hours, you'll have something to do. Riding the train for fun is one thing but if you have business, there is NO WAY you could count on the train. The last time I rode it, it took me 4 hours to get to Chicago, not included the wait at the station. I felt terrible while waiting and talking to an elderly person who missed her Dr. appointments becuase the train was running so late. I listened as she called the Dr, explained the situation and then was told they couldn't get her a later appointment. She left the station clearly upset and missed her Dr. appointment. "

" Thank you Mr Richardson for a thoughtful, informative, and encouraging article. Political pressure for support is the way to satisfy a huge popular yearning for a new age of rail transit for this country. Passenger rail barely receives table scraps compared to other forms of transportation subsidies. Look at where this community is located and think of what the future could be with 21st century rail here. It is no coincidence that rail built this place. Contact your elected officials. "

" Well this is nice 'spin'. We bought tickets online for the 7:30 - 10am trip yesterday with no warnings about expected delays/track repair. At the counter the Amtrak employee did not say anything about track repair either. However once we boarded the conductor told us due torepairs between Joliet/Chicago we'd be rerouted and two hours added! Instead of arriving at 10am we didn't arrive until 12pm. A 4 1/2 hr trip! We missed our meeting at 11:30am. On the return trip we pulled out of Union Station ontime at 5:18pm and then SAT for 1.5 hours just outside the station. The conductor said we had to wait for a "pilot" to drive to Joliet. Add this 1 1/2 hr delay to the delay for the repairs we didn't get to Normal until 9:30pm. A 4 hr a 15 mins trip. So, if you're looking for a nice long, 4-5 hr train ride to Chicago for the kids I suggest taking Amtrak. If you need to get to Chicago on time for meetings I suggest you drive your own car. I won't be taking Amtrak on this route again. "

" Amtrak has to not only be reliable and on time, but it has to serve more communities. There is no east/west train that would connect Springfield to Champaign-Urbana, and Decatur is not even served including Clinton, and other areas that have a population that could support Amtrak service! Illinois has approximately 1.200 communities, and Amtrak serves 32 of them. I don't call that a user friendly system. Its great if you are lucky enough to live on the line! People on the east side of the state are just plain screwed! "

" Nothing but positives here! Getting to Chi town and St louis for ball games even quicker would be awsome, and the adding of cars to it on game days will definately be an asset with more revenue for the railway. GIT R DONE!!! "

" I would love that sinceI work up North often but what I would like even more is if the train could run on time just once. I can't count on the train if I have a meeting b/c they are so incredibly unrealiable out of Bloomington. A typcial wait is over an hour late. "