HenryAlan wrote: ↑Fri Jan 12, 2024 8:05 amBut this is a big country, there might well be plenty of people who would rather sleep through a slightly longer trip, then have to stay vigilant for 5-6 hours of driving. Why are you trying to argue against a service that others might well like to use, just because it doesn't suit you?
When is the United States Department of Transportation, in the interest of equity across all Americans regardless of their access to one mode of transport or another, going to open up the "Agency for Highway Accomodations", and start a hotel chain called "AmHotel", where long distance travellers on our Nation's highway system are entitled to hotel accomodations, dinner and breakfast ALWAYS included (and not just a pastry table, but a hot, made to order breakfast!), at a cost to the traveller that is only 50% of the operating cost (the remainder to be funded by the United States General Fund) as long as they are travelling over eight hours one way?
Surely, the public interest in having rested, nourished motorists on our highway system means safer roads, fewer fatalities...surely, Amtrak's supporters should not just be 100% for this -
THEY SHOULD BE DEMANDING IT. And think about how many jobs it would create - GOOD jobs, UNION jobs, FULL TIME jobs, with federal benefits including sick time and vacation, and fully funded healthcare benefits. In EVERY STATE in America (maybe not Hawaii, but they'll get an equivalent program to make sure they get equitable service), Red or Blue. Rural AND urban America alike. Literally every town of consequence will have an AmHotel - what could possibly be better for creating American Jobs for America, besides the Postal Service? (Maybe we can find some synergies...locate Post Offices within the AmHotels?)