Amtrak equipment shortages limit service growth as ridership cl...

If Sen. Durbin wants to improve passenger rail service in Illinois, he should start by finding funding for CREATE, which will benefit both Metra and Amtrak by unsnarling some of the rail traffic in and around Chicago. Oh, wait, is this the same Sen. Durbin who opposes the CN/EJ&E merger which would also take some of the rail traffic out of the Chicago area? Never mind...

i think that this a great way to travel and the united states has subsized airlines they should the same thing with amtrak by funding bew rail cars. please email me if any question at campmerz@yahoo.com

Hurry up! A revitalized train system would definitey be great for the country. Especially with fuel costs so high.

Durbin is a snake, he needs to be watched, what's the real angle on this ? More payola for another Crooked Illinois politician !

Will that be anything like the Social Security "Lock Box"? hahahahahahahaha!

If Sen Turbin is for it then I'm dead set against it !!!!

While we're at it....He's up for re-elecion in the fall

I forgot the name of the person running against him....but I'm voting for him.

I can't stand the thought of Sen. Turbin in anything.

DON'T FORGET HIS REMARKS ABOUT OUR TROOPS AND GITMO!!!!!

Mike wrote:

If Sen. Durbin wants to improve passenger rail service in Illinois, he should start by finding funding for CREATE, which will benefit both Metra and Amtrak by unsnarling some of the rail traffic in and around Chicago. Oh, wait, is this the same Sen. Durbin who opposes the CN/EJ&E merger which would also take some of the rail traffic out of the Chicago area? Never mind...

Kind of puts my whole beef with him, Bean, and Obama in perspective over all this, doesn't it?

Bottom Line ...

Sen Turbin helping Amtrak?

Can you sat train wreck?

Can you say choo choo s c r e w e d !!

Whatever useless Durbin favors, I'm against. There's no way he'll support something if there isn't some huge personal benefit for him at the expense of everyone else.

Wow, this is a first. A string of posters beating me to the punch.

Dufus Durbin. Whatever is best, most logical, best for the citizenry at large or an improvement over what we have, Durbin is dead-set against.

I'll put some money down that this isn't something that he, or his constituents came up with. Someone in AMTRAK couldn't find an efficient way to manage railcar inventory and went fishing in Washington. Durbin's strength: Make something absurd sound logical at a huge expense. This is just such a project.

$700,000 to refurbish railcars? The AMTRAK budget is due to go bankrupt? This is a made-for-Dick-Durbin talking point.

He is up to something. He will never do anything for the people just to make the county richer.I would never trust him, it's about time to vote this guy out.

I would just have to assume that durbin got a briefcase full of cash from one of the few companies that might actually still be able to produce a rail car in this country.

just buy new cars for the old ones will need work later on and to rebuilt them will be a waste of money and new cars will look that the money was used the right way...................

i ride amtrak all the time they do need to replace the cars not refurbish the old ones i agree that the gov should invest more in the rail service i know alot of people are riding them and its really affordable

Senator Durbin has finally come up with a bright idea. This country desperately needs a good rail passenger system. We are the only highly industrialized country in the world to have such a poor passenger rail system. For years Amtrak has been the whipping boy for Presidents of both parties that blame the meager government support for the budget crisis. Many times the trains sell out and Amtrak has no extra cars to run a second section. I urge President Bush to sign the new Amtrak appropriations bill for Amtrak

Why isn't this a private industry again? If there is demand they survive, if there is not they die.

Depot Jim wrote:

Senator Durbin has finally come up with a bright idea. This country desperately needs a good rail passenger system. We are the only highly industrialized country in the world to have such a poor passenger rail system. For years Amtrak has been the whipping boy for Presidents of both parties that blame the meager government support for the budget crisis. Many times the trains sell out and Amtrak has no extra cars to run a second section. I urge President Bush to sign the new Amtrak appropriations bill for Amtrak

I agree its a good thing to improve Amtrak but again....

If Sen Turbin is involved........

When any other business needs new equipment to satisfy rising demand for its services, it sells stock, borrows money, or avails itself of any of a thousand other opportunities afforded by our capitalist system. But Amtrak always goes to the taxpayers - if they're losing money, they want public funds for a bailout; if they're making money, they want public funds for expansion. How about we just let them sink or swim on their own for a change?

He tried to ban smoking on congressional flights LOL. That really went over with the other congressmen.

Doug wrote:

When any other business needs new equipment to satisfy rising demand for its services, it sells stock, borrows money, or avails itself of any of a thousand other opportunities afforded by our capitalist system. But Amtrak always goes to the taxpayers - if they're losing money, they want public funds for a bailout; if they're making money, they want public funds for expansion. How about we just let them sink or swim on their own for a change?

This would be like Metra or the CTA "sink or swim" without government support. Highways and Airports are supported by the government. And we may be entering an era where the Air travel will be partially supported by the government.