One of the reasons I’ve heard for continuing the Amtrak subsidy is that passenger rail saves energy. Why does anyone think that running empty passenger trains back and forth across the country is saving energy? I have as much nostalgia for trains as anybody, and I probably use them more than most. But there comes a time to let the antiquities go, and accept progress. If Congress had subsidized stagecoach lines, you might still be able to take one across the country. But that doesn’t mean it would be a good thing.
