I really hope you're not serious...

When I was a kid, I lived in upstate New York, and I remember the Times Union kvetching about the Amtrak situation back then. I didn't blame them then, and I don't blame them now. Amtrak could work, if any Congresspeople had enough courage to buck the shipping lobby and make sure that passenger rail had precedence on tracks over commercial. As it is, as cartoonist Peter Bagge pointed out a decade ago, it's now nothing but an expensive indulgence kept in place solely so AARP lifers (the same ones who bitch and scream about how "Washington wastes my tax money!") can brag about taking their grandkids from Seattle to Los Angeles. Yeah, in as much as six times the time needed to fly there, and nearly twice the time needed to drive there.

and these

http://www.humantransit.org/2012/03/gardening-the-bus-roof-a-pretty-idea-but-.html

I just had a vision of a half-completed "transit"bridge over the Willamette.

I don't think giving passenger trains precedence over freight is going to increase demand much in the US. It would make it more difficult to ship goods and that's not good.

"The program was not particularly well-thought-out"

If you want high speed rail then you don't mix it with freight...

Funny things about that article is the lament about the high cost of the "turbine fuel"
For ground use just use diesel...

I wonder how many Obama stimulus bucks were involved….

None at all, Pom Mom. Take a look at the date as to when this was instigated.

There's no job creation in using old trains.

TriMet will find the next Colorado Railcar, give a contract award to an unproven provider with no competitive bids, and then bail out the company when it can't function.

And then...buy up "historic" railcars from Alaska or elsewhere, pay to have them rehabbed while at the same time claim it doesn't have any money for basic maintenance on its existing, overworked and worn out bus fleet.

Actually...these turbine trains would probably make great for WES. Just think - if the Tualatin residents have a problem with the train horns, how will they take to jet engines on trains?

Pom Mom...No current stimulus $ at all...1970's era...let's see probably Nixon or Ford, or maybe even Carter.

If they want unused train cars, why don't they just buy WES?

Fresh coat of paint on the exterior, steam clean the inside, and a generous dollop of Astroglide for the taxpayers.

It'll be good to go.

I was held up in traffic today for the WES train to go by around 4:00 pm. It was filled nearly to capacity...every bit of space on the train had air at the appropriate pressure. For those who don't understand the joke, there were very few occupants.

It was filled nearly to capacity...every bit of space on the train had air at the appropriate pressure.

You aren't giving WES its due credit. It wasn't ALL air...

There were seat cushions and seat frames, and fire extinguishers. And stanchions. And I think it had a Conductor.

You make it sound like WES is just a boxcar. Sheesh...

;-)

The taxpayer funded subsidy per passenger mile for public transit is second only to passenger rail service. High speed rail increases adds to the difference.

The irony is that there is ALREADY rail service to Portland from Oregon City (I think)
Fast, cheap, efficient.

But boondoggles and Federal funding is what Trimess is all about.

A transit bridge, in the middle of the so called "great recession".

What a joke Trimess is.

Oh I forget one thing, as you all know they are about to whack the heck out of the bus service next September. With that in mind I have been following the budget crisis carefully. Here is the latest budget crisis update:
=============================

Contract Administrator III
Closes Friday, June 22, 2012; non-union, full-time; internal/external opening

Deputy General Counsel
Open until filled; non-union, full-time; internal/external opening

Maintenance Supervisor, Rail Equipment Maintenance
Closes Monday, June 4, 2012; non-union, full-time; internal opening only

Light Rail Vehicle Operator
Closes Tuesday, June 12, 2012; union, full-time; internal opening only

Part-time Bus Operator
Open until filled; union, part-time; external/internal opening

Property Acquisition & Relocation Specialist
Open until filled; non-union, full-time; external/internal opening

Rail Supervisor (Multiple)
Closes Monday, June 4, 2012; union, full-time; internal opening only

Road Supervisor (multiple positions)
Closes Monday, June 4, 2012; union, full-time; internal opening only

Senior HRIS Analyst
Open until filled; non-union, full-time; external/internal opening

Supervisor, Training
Closes Tuesday, June 12, 2012; union, full-time; internal opening only

Systems Engineer II - Linux/Unix Server
Open until filled; non-union, full-time; external/internal opening