RoadsideOnline

This article comes from the Wall Street Journal. Have any of you taken a commuter train just for the ride? Some of these trips are quite scenic.

By STAN SESSER

Los Angeles -- The Getty Villa, perched on a bluff in the Pacific Palisades overlooking the ocean, has a cavernous parking garage for visitors to its Greek and Roman art collections. It also is easily accessible by bus from downtown Los Angeles—perfect for the daunting challenge I was about to undertake.

The Getty was my first stop on an unusual five-day odyssey. With the mantra these days to combat global warming by reducing our carbon footprint, I decided to tour what is probably the world's most car-dependent big city using only public transportation. Many car-addicted Angelenos don't realize that their city's public transit system is one of the nation's largest; it claims to be No. 3 in terms of passengers per day. My challenge would be to visit the city's wonderful but widely scattered tourist sites without ever getting into a vehicle that wasn't a bus or a train.

Read the article in its entirety here.

People still seem to look down upon Amtrak as a sort of transportation bastard stepchild, but I've used the passenger rail service quite a bit in the past few years and by and large, they do a pretty good job for a cash-starved railroad. Image how great they might be with a budget! (Reminds me of Roadside). And now, if you live in the northeast or wish to travel around it, Amtrak is offering some pretty good deals. In fact, until September 3rd, you can ride the rails for up to 25% off.

Can't think of a better way to travel the region, and now you have no excuse to visit our new hometown and try breakfast at the much improved Trolley Car Diner in Mount Airy, a tasty ale at McMenamin's, our favorite neighborhood pub also in Mt. Airy, or a smoothie at my long-time favorite Elcy's Cafe in Glenside-- all reachable by rail. Visit here for more info.

Long before Interstate 91 tore its way through farms, homes and downtowns along the banks of the Connecticut River, providing a multi-lane ribbon of auto traffic between New Haven and northern Vermont, there were thousands of miles of rail, both steam and electric, knitting communities and industry together. A hundred years ago, people stepping outside their houses in most towns in the Pioneer Valley had far more transportation options available to them than they do today. Without having their own vehicles, they could go farther and to a wider range of places.

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Amtrak ridership shot up 12% this year over last, with some trains riding at capacity. Our local transit authority, SEPTA, reports a similar jump in ridership, and recently announced plans for a major expansion in service to coincide with the addition of new equipment next year. All around, the drumbeat for expanding existing service and initiating new routes just gets thumps louder in the face of rising oil and gas prices. Indeed, the future for passenger rail hasn't looked this promising since Grover Cleveland's administration -- either one.

Unfortunately, despite the rising popularity, passenger rail remains a money-losing proposition and remains dependent on government subsidy. Amtrak desperately needs to upgrade and add to its equipment roster. According to reports, the service hasn't added a car to its fleet in over ten years, and the existing equipment has taken a beating. Washington has begun to recognize the necessity for Amtrak in its rhetoric, but so far has little to show for actual funds. Meanwhile, according to Amtrak president Alex Kummant, highways got another $10 billion and $8 billion went to "security and life safey for cruise ships." Try commuting on an ocean liner. We bring this up mindful of the presidential race now raging across America.

While we don't make it a practice to endorse any candidates, we would remind you that Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden from Delaware commutes to Washington every day aboard Amtrak and Republican presidential nominee-presumptive John McCain has spent most of his tenure in the Senate trying to eliminate Amtrak altogether.