Rebuilding and expansion will keep fare increases above inflation for the time being, the Guardian reports: “The government will unveil a multi-billion pound rebuilding programme for the British rail network this summer to ease congestion on the most crowded lines. … However, the government has warned that inflation-busting fare increases will continue for the foreseeable […]
Cardhouse’s tips for travelling cross-country by train pulls no punches about the shortcomings of Amtrak — or the shortcomings of fellow passengers, for that matter. Practical if a wee bit cynical. Still seems to prefer it to flying: “Anyway, on a train you can get up, stretch your legs, walk up and down the train […]
Speaking of Dan Zukowski, he’s impressed with new Amtrak chief Alexander Kummant, particularly for his argument (briefly made here) that public investment in passenger rail promotes economic development. Mr. Kummant’s comment signals a shift in the conversation. It’s no longer about “subsidies” for passenger trains; it’s about spurring economic development by answering demands for better […]
Dan Zukowski rode Amtrak’s California Zephyr in August 2005, during a time when Amtrak’s future was in some doubt. That three-day trip has now been distilled into a ten-minute video: Via Dan Zukowski.
Minnesota Public Radio on Amtrak, passenger rail in the Midwest, and the possibility of high-speed rail between Minneapolis and Chicago. Rail service between major centres — especially when they’re at a great distance from one another — compares poorly to air travel in terms of both cost and speed, but along the Empire Builder’s line […]
Budget Travel Online has an article on how to save on rail travel in Europe by taking advantage of last-minute discounts. Some of the discounts are quite profound; some of them I already knew about, like the German “Schönes-Wochenende” ticket that allows up to five people on a single pass good for non-express trains, which […]
VIA Rail lost its case at the Supreme Court today, and as a result must spend as much as $48 million to make its Renaissance coaches more wheelchair-accessible — the cars only cost VIA $139 million to buy in 2000. VIA appealed a 2003 ruling by the Canadian Transportation Agency that the cars presented undue […]
I can’t help thinking that this is somehow a way to keep British anoraks busy and blissfully geeked out: BBC News’s Magazine has a feature on how to get cheaper rail fares, with 10 examples. In a nutshell: buying a through ticket from point A to point B is not necessarily the cheapest fare; it’s […]
The government of Canada will not appeal a federal court ruling ordering it to reinstate Jean Pelletier as chairman of VIA Rail. Back in March 2004, Pelletier was fired by then-Prime Minister Paul Martin over comments he made about former VIA employee (and Olympic gold medallist) Myriam Bédard. (I blogged about it at the time: […]
High Speed Rail Now is a blog that advocates high-speed rail for California. The premise is explained in the inaugural post: “California needs high speed rail more than most any other place on earth that does not yet have it. The charter for this blog is to provide both a visceral and technical understanding of […]
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