• The Quuuuuill@slrpnk.net
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        8 months ago

        Oh I immediately thought hamstrung like how the education, healthcare, and mail systems are hamstrung by a government that refuses to invest in them

        • aeharding@lemmy.world
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          8 months ago

          Yeah exactly, that’s what I meant! Everyone is ignoring the context of what I’m replying to. Amtrak needs more funding. But they do pretty good with what they got.

          • Semi-Hemi-Lemmygod@lemmy.world
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            8 months ago

            They also need to be given priority over freight rail, instead of the other way around like it is now. Plus the super-long freight trains they’re using unsafely mean they can’t use existing sidings.

            • Superduck50@lemmy.world
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              8 months ago

              My understanding is that passenger trains always had priority over freight. The long freight trains are their way around giving priority. Can’t give priority if you’re too long to give it

              • Cethin@lemmy.zip
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                8 months ago

                Yeah, I’m 90% sure you’re right. Legally Amtrak gets priority when possible, so freight companies just make it impossible to sidetrack so Amtrak has to. It’s bullshit, but it’s not like our government is going to stop them.

            • misspacfic@lemm.ee
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              8 months ago

              yeah this is an easy fix to improve the service 100x, almost overnight. outside of the northwest the main reason people give me for not using the train as legit transportation is the fact that they are often egregiously late.

        • Rickety Thudds@lemmy.ca
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          8 months ago

          Okay! Seemed a little ambiguous. I hear people still claim that rail should be privatised because “the government doesn’t know how to run a business”.

    • HiddenLayer5
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      8 months ago

      More like deliberately crippled by the private freight railroads that own the tracks. Ones that the government bailed out multiple times mind you, yet they’re shamelessly resisting the government’s attempts to provide a public service.

    • Asuka@sh.itjust.works
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      8 months ago

      …You think they’ll choose to keep passenger lines running if they aren’t forced to?