Why Amtrak Sucks (opens in new tab)

(youtube.com)

13 pointsbrownindian3y ago9 comments

9 comments

He oversimplifies it, I think. Amtrak does get track priority over freight during scheduling, but if a train is late then it won’t be in position to take advantage of it. Freight trains don’t cause Amtrak trains to be late to begin with.

colejohnson663y ago

There was a post a few weeks ago about this. Basically, the freight companies are deliberately making their trains too long to go on the side track (and wait) when Amtrack comes through. So Amtrack is forced to wait instead. This delays them and caused them to lose their priority scheduling.

db48x3y ago

No, it doesn’t. Every train trip is completely planned out in advance, assigning each block of track to a single train at a time. There are no surprises. The Amtrak trains are assigned to wait at the siding while the longer freight train passes, so it certainly slows them down but it doesn’t _delay_ them. It doesn’t put them behind their assigned schedule.

cratermoon3y ago

deregulation, late capitalism, short-term thinking.

rayiner3y ago

Amtrak is owned by the federal government. The President appoints the board of directors. It’s literally socialist (public ownership of the capital stock).

cratermoon3y ago

The video is mostly about private freight rail.

antifa3y ago

Technically you vote for a capitalist oligarch to represent you, the peasant types like AOC are rare in elections. The only "socialism" here is socialism for the rich.

Xorakios3y ago

or rather, over-regulation, union focus on maximizing employment numbers instead of total compensation and quality of life, and similar short-term thinking (edited to reflect that I believe private sector unions are generally good, but focusing on membership count is not)

cratermoon3y ago

Did we watch the same video?

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9 comments

db48x3y ago

colejohnson663y ago

db48x3y ago

cratermoon3y ago

deregulation, late capitalism, short-term thinking.

rayiner3y ago

Amtrak is owned by the federal government. The President appoints the board of directors. It’s literally socialist (public ownership of the capital stock).

cratermoon3y ago

The video is mostly about private freight rail.

antifa3y ago

Technically you vote for a capitalist oligarch to represent you, the peasant types like AOC are rare in elections. The only "socialism" here is socialism for the rich.

Xorakios3y ago

cratermoon3y ago

Did we watch the same video?

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse