Book Review: Waiting on a Train

“Waiting on a Train” by James McCommons details the author’s experiences travelling around the country on Amtrak throughout 2008. The book reads partially as a travelogue, but more importantly as an analysis of the history, current state, and future prospects of inter-city rail in the United States.  McCommons deftly describes his experiences riding the train and speaking with those who work in the business of trains, bringing to light just what a large challenge creating a viable rail network will be, but also what the amazing benefits are as well.

Throughout the book, McCommons examines every facet of the rail experience. He portrays both sides of the Amtrak passenger experience; we see that an Amtrak journey can be both thrilling and frustrating. Captivating views and unexpected connections with other passengers are contrasted with delays of several hours, malfunctioning air-conditioning, and dining cars that seem to always run out of food. He shows that the railroad industry is a diverse group populated by passengers, train enthusiasts (referred to as “foamers” because trains make them metaphorically foam at the mouth), advocates, “hard-assed” businessmen from both passenger and freight companies, and politicians, among others.

Where the book really excels, for those of us interested in the future of inter-city train travel,  is in sharing the conversations that McCommons has with this diverse group of stakeholders all over the country. Included are conversations with railroad passenger advocates, freight rail executives, Alex Kummant (the former president of Amtrak), Michael Dukakis (the former governor of Massachusetts and presidential candidate), and Gene Skoropowski (the former managing director of the Capitol Corridor in California who is now a Florida). These discussions offer a wealth of diverse experiences and potential solutions, which are far too numerous to detail here (I wouldn’t want to spoil the book for you, either).  McCommons does an impressive job of finding the right people to talk to; by presenting so many different perspective he lets the reader make their own judgments about potential solutions to the challenge of inter-city transit. This book is worth the price alone just to hear what these people have to say.

McCommons dedicates a chapter to Florida, and the prospects for inter-city rail travel in our state. He details a conversation with Nazih Haddad, the COO for the Florida Rail Enterprise;

There isn’t a state in the union that could benefit more from passenger rail than Florida, and the misfortune is that the state could have had a bullet train running between its population centers today.

Because it concentrated its efforts on high-speed rail for the past twenty-five years, the state never took the incremental approach with Amtrak and the freights to build conventional service. Consequently, it has no corridor trains or any hope of getting them soon.

“We went for the Cadillac and didn’t get it,” explained Nazih Haddad in his office at the Florida DOT in Tallahasse.

One exchange  sums up what many of us in Florida are already familiar with; there is such great potential in the state but widespread frustration that it doesn’t exist.

The potential ridership for a fast train between these cities is extremely favorable; actually it’s staggering, said Haddad. Detailed studies by the authority showed 100 million city-to-city trips are taken each year in the corridor. In other words, about 300,000 trips per day in which people travel seventy miles or more to reach their destinations, main using Interstates 95, 74, and 4- as well as some state routes.

It isn’t just residents on the roadways. Florida attracts seventy million tourists annually. Between the two groups, 98 percent are travelling intercity on these corridors by car. Air, Amtrak, and bus service make up the remainder.

“They are driving because there just isn’t any other easy way to do it,” said Haddad, who gets calls every week from people who want to know about train service. Tourists, for example, fly into Miami and would like to know how to get to Orlando.

“So you tell people, ‘Walk over to the rental counter and get a car; you could fly, but really there isn’t another choice. If you haven’t developed an alternative, how can somebody make a choice?”

Throughout the book, several themes consistently emerge. One major point is that there is  growing evidence around the country that intercity rail needs to re-emerge as part of a nationwide transportation plan. Amtrak just passed 30 million riders in one year for the first time ever, but is running on outdated equipment. Further, freight-rail transport is expected to double by 2035, and the already congested lines which are shared by both freight and passenger rail will create even more problems if there isn’t an effort to expand the infrastructure. The United States needs a comprehensive transportation policy with dedicated funds for rail, much like  for highways and airports. And lastly, it’s going to take time and money. The book demonstrates that there are many funding sources, but waiting around for the federal government to provide the money is not the most sound plan.

The book is a fascinating read. There is a ton of valuable information and anecdotes in here for the ‘lay’ reader, but it means more if you care about transit; there were stretches of the book when I simply couldn’t put it down. For transit junkies or for those simply looking for an intro into the analysis of the future of train travel in this country, “Waiting on a Train” is a must-read.

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