In North Carolina, where I live, ridership has gone up tremendously
since the state has added a third frequency in the Raleigh-Charlotte
corridor. On many weekends the in-state trains are sold out and the
Piedmont trains are using all available coaches. The state badly
needs more coaches. (It currently has more than enough engines, having
bought some additional units on the used market when a purchas
opportunity came up.) A fourth frequency is planned in the near future.

There are Amtrak bus connections to some points not on the corridor --
and almost all stations in this corridor are served by or very near to
local public transit.

I ride Piedmont trains in this corridor at least every other month.
Service is generally very good. Yes, occasionally, there are problems,
such as on one trip when NS had computer problems at the dispatching
center, resulting in a delay. But that's very seldom and NS makes
every effort to run the trains on time and not to put anything ahead of
the passenger trains.

It's the frequency that makes a lot of the difference.


Yes, I want transportation options. And, yes, there have been some trips
out of state where Amtrak was considered but was not an option -- because
the trains did not run at the right time of day.

Other countries around the world see investment in passenger rail as a good
deal. Strange how no one ever talks about "subsidies" for other modes of
transportation, though all modes are subsidized to some degree.

-- Ernest