Brookfield Boy
Supports Amtrak

(Evan Roe is a sixth grade student at Brookfield Elementary School in Sara Davignon's class, who has been working on persuasive writing skills. Below is a somewhat shortened version of Evan's final piece that he is sending to President Bush.)

To President Bush,

I am writing to you about a matter which I believe concerns us all. That matter is Amtrak. I believe Amtrak is under funded, and deserves a larger federal subsidy. In the years ahead, I think Amtrak will have a larger role in American transportation. The ridership of Amtrak has increased each year since it was created as a bailout for private railroads in 1971. This trend shows no sign of stopping. Also, as the price of petroleum rises, trains, which are substantially more fuel-efficient than planes, and therefore less expensive, will become more popular. Amtrak must be prepared for that rise in ridership, and be supported financially.

Amtrak also needs more money to create rail services that are a truly viable alternative to cars and planes. The Northeast Corridor, between Washington, D.C. and Boston via New York, has captured the majority of travelers between those points, thanks to well-kept track, reliable trains, and the high-speed Acela Express. The success of this vital section of track, the only track Amtrak owns, is largely because of federal funding. Amtrak doesn’t serve Wyoming or South Dakota in the lower 48 states, and has only one route in the following states: Nevada, Utah, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Tennessee, New Hampshire, and Maine…

Amtrak also needs capital improvements… Many small communities served by Amtrak don’t have shelter. Randolph, Vermont, for instance, just has a sign saying "Amtrak Randolph." Shelter is vital. It creates a feeling of goodwill towards Amtrak and their services if passengers have a warm and pleasant place to greet them while they wait for the train. And even if it’s just a small shelter or protected platform, a station makes passengers feel at home with the railroad. I suspect the number of people using the Vermonter from Randolph diminishes in the winter when the strip of concrete with an overhanging roof (of a café) is covered with five feet of snow that was plowed from the tracks. I mean, it’s not even kept clear! And Vermonter tickets are sometimes sold on the train for a lack of a station! Huh??…

The government pays Amtrak’s main competitors—the Interstate highway system and the air industry—vast sums, yet Amtrak, in comparison, gets pennies. Amtrak is vital, as was shown after the tragedy of September 11^th, 2001, when it kept people moving through the airplane crisis. And Amtrak is popular. It carries 23 million people annually between America’s great cities. Many trains are frequently filled, like the California Zephyr, one of America’s greatest and most historical trains, and more than a few are profitable, like the AutoTrain, which contributes more than a million dollars per year to cover the costs of other trains.

These are my reasons for allotting Amtrak a larger operating subsidy because Amtrak is a vital piece of transportation. It’s like a three-legged stool. Airplanes and cars are two legs, but without the third leg—Amtrak—the stool will fall over, with jammed interstates, massively crowded airports, and America would grind to a halt. For these reasons, I hope you agree with me.

Evan Roe

Brookfield