Amtrak, Trump And Small Town Rail Travel

My wife and I just returned from an Amtrak trip from Houston to the West Texas town of Alpine and back.

Tired of 80 mile-per-hour traffic and looming 18-wheelers? On your next long-distancevacation, take the train. It’s a relaxing and economical form of travel.

Perhaps you’d better hurry though. President Trump’s proposed budget is designed to eliminate funding for long-distance train routes. Those are the ones that cross the country from east to west and north to south such as the local Sunset Limited and Texas Eagle service.

Amtrak, except on the heavily trafficked east coast, has never been a favorite of Republican lawmakers because on the less utilized routes (ironically in the “flyover country” that contributed to Trump’s election) passenger rail operations require government subsidy.

The possible elimination of these routes has local ramifications too. Flatonia civic leaders have been trying for three years to sell Amtrak on creating a local stop on the Sunset Limited route which runs from New Orleans to  Los Angeles three times a week.

Flatonia rail advocate Mark Eversole and a committee of interested citizens are continuing to monitor the situation in consultation with the Texas Eagle Marketing and Performance Organization.

“The proposed cuts are harsh but people at Amtrak are not hitting the panic button yet because the budget has many processes to go through, “ Eversole said Tuesday.

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