I'll be gone 500 miles when the day is done

My uncle comes in on the Amtrak train from Austin this afternoon.  It will be the first time he's commuted that way instead of by car.  What a lovely way to take a trip, at least in my opinion.  Time to read or just stare out the window.  Time to enjoy a cup of tea in the dining car.  And no stopping for gas!  

Coincidentally, there was an NPR story this morning on Amtrak and how much money they need to add, update and improve safety of trains and tracks.  The figure was 2 billion plus just for the northeast corridor.  Yikes!  Why don't we take some of the money that certain people in Congress are proposing for additional oil drilling and give it to Amtrak.  Hah.  

I would so love to be able to take trains everywhere, but it dawned on me while thinking about what it would be like that Texas is a difficult place to make this work.  No, not because everybody refuses to give up their vehicles (although that's true too).  It's mostly because it's so hot.  You would be a sweaty mess just walking a few blocks to a stop or station.  It's also because everything's so dang spread out.  This is not like countries and cities in Europe, where everything seems so neatly contained and compact.  

I heard that Fort Worth is thinking of reinstating a trolley line, and it would be a slight nudge in the right direction.  I know that I plan to ride the Trinity Railway Express to downtown and catch the bus to the cultural district, as soon as it cools off a little outside!   (I must admit that part of the reason for this post is so that I could post a train picture for my son.)

Update:  Amtrak needs more than just money.  They could use some customer service training.  I had to wait, holding 33 pound Gabriel the whole time, in a long line where people were mostly buying tickets, to ask where my uncle's train was.  It took them an average of 8 - 10 minutes per customer, which is just insane compared to how they get you through the lines in a European train station.  When I finally made my way up to a counter, they told me first that his train (supposed to arrive at 2pm), would be arriving around 4:30.  I was told that this really wasn't that late by Amtrak standards.  My Mom almost had several blood vessels explode and went back in line to give them a piece of her mind, and was finally able to understand that it would actually be 3:30.  We managed to keep Gabriel entertained the whole time we were there only by standing outside on the platform so he could see city buses, the Trinity Railway Express, and the big Amtrak trains to his hearts content.     It was a long, hot afternoon.