Trains in rural areas

[Matthew H Fish]

Some of those cuts make sense, especially in what is a really hard time for airline staffing. If a city is 90 minutes from a city with another airport, or if it has a train station, it doesn't really need its own airport (at least not right now), but some of those cities are in places where that EAS really is essential. People in Decatur, Illinois have a lot of options for transportation. People in Jamestown, North Dakota do not.

 

[Siegmund]

People in Decatur, Illinois have a lot of options for transportation. People in Jamestown, North Dakota do not.

I've often mused about whether it'd be possible to get 'essential air service' modified to 'essential transportation.' Collecting the EAS subsidies for places like Jamestown and Miles City would make a big contribution to the operating costs of a restored North Coast Hiawatha.

 

[Trollopian]

New tweet from Sen. Jon Tester, big burly blue guy with a knack for getting elected in a ruby-red rural state. "We've got to make it cheaper and more convenient to travel by train in this country—and if we do, we'll grow our economy not just in Montana, but throughout rural America." Amen, Senator.