Comments on: How Green Is Amtrak? Well, It Could Be Greener

By: Happy National Train Day! : Red, Green, and Blue

Happy National Train Day! : Red, Green, and Blue — Tue, 12 May 2009 02:03:32 +0000

[...] purposes, it’s good to keep in mind a few things about rail travel (and rail freight) and how environmentally friendly it is. Well, at least compared to other forms of [...]

By: allan thomas

allan thomas — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 22:42:21 +0000

The problem is that Congress issued a mandate to reduce food service cost onboard. So Amtrak eliminated
the china and dishwasher and replaced that person with high grade grade plastic “china”! I’m willing to bet that with the plastic “china” at 87 cents a plate and salad bowls at around 50 cents each, it would be cheaper to pay the dishwasher. Amtrak’s new CEO, Joeseph Boardman is said to be addressing this very issue.

By: The Case for a Fifty-Cent Increase in the Federal Gasoline Tax : Red, Green, and Blue

Sat, 17 Jan 2009 22:02:36 +0000

[...] is Ray—hit the nail on the head. Investing in a mass transit infrastructure will mean not only investing in the railroads themselves, but also reinvigorating a tanking automobile industry that could begin putting [...]

By: Lori

Lori — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 19:09:40 +0000

I agree – yes Amtrak could do better (who couldn't?). But I don't think they are doing any worse than the airlines. Have you been on a plane recently? It isn't like they are recycling or using bio bags for trash and compostable plastic.

What we need is to fund a nationwide train system just like we need to fund mass transit in our cities. We need to understand that an adequate transportation system needs to be part of the commons and that we all benefit from it, even if we are prosperous enough to use a more private form of transit.

PS>

In college, I commuted to see my boyfriend via AMtrak. It was great. Four hours of homework time for a whopping $24 (roundtrip). That was in 1991.

By: Timothy B. Hurst

Timothy B. Hurst — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 18:36:22 +0000

@Allison:

Haha!

No, the picture was part of a group of photos on flickr that were titled: "29th Annual Moon the Amtrak." I could have gone with a picture of a train — and there are lots of good ones — but I thought this one helped me portray a little bit of snark in my tone.

By: Allison

Allison — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 16:51:01 +0000

While the article interested me, the photo scared me. What in the world is going on with that girl's jeans? Do they really make pants you can't pull up?

By: David

David — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 16:33:58 +0000

I agree about the funding, for sure, but recycled content TP and paper towels cost the same as the "regular" ones, and they could ditch the plastic water bottles which would actually save money. Now if we can just get them the money they need to operate successfully – after all, we bailout the airlines every time they ask…