Passenger rail need not be about partisan politics

Monday, January 1, 2018

A recent post on a train-related Facebook group puzzles me.

I thought this site was about traveling on the Coast Starlight but I was wrong. It appears to be political also and disrespectful. I will leave you with my hope that this group will focus more on enjoying the ride sharing your experiences.

Is anyone naive enough to truly believe that train travel can be divorced from politics? Yes, we "enjoy the ride." But passenger trains exist because lots of people support them, and fight for them.

We do not need to be disrespectful. Indeed, the passenger rail community is one of the few places where people who disagree on just about everything else can come together in support of better train service.

As we begin a new year, we need to focus on building a safer and more robust passenger train network. To make that happen, we need to work together on the local, state and national level. Please join and contribute to the Rail Passengers Association and to the rail advocacy organizations in your area.

Let's make our resolution for 2018 to Grow Trains!

--CH