It's The Same Old Song

As Amtrak prepares to celebrate another consecutive month of record ridership, demand high enough to call for the restoration of some services and train lines, presidential candidate Mitt Romney and fellow Republicans are once again calling for the end of the passenger rail service.

It is important to note that this comes as gas prices reach yet another three-month high and the spending on highways at the state and federal level reaches unsustainable levels. This is a pocketbook issue not just for many non-car owning American families who live in cities, but for the country as a whole. Movement towards more rail service is a substantial cost-saving over continued highway construction and maintenance.

This is also an emotional issue for many people. Amtrak trains, as the last vestige of American passenger rail, has become a cultural icon in the same vein as baseball and apple pie. It is a shame when  demand - and need - for passenger rail service is at an all-time high, some people want to leave American travellers waiting at the station.