by Winn Mott
he invention of the wheel was followed, some
thousands of years later, by the discovery that a wheel on a rail could
move more tonnage with less energy than a wheel on a road. One locomotive
can pull a train with the freight equivalent of 100 to 150 trucks. One Coaster
train can result in 400 or 500 fewer cars on the freeway. Many industrial
nations take advantage of this efficiency with advanced rail systems, with
travel available at speeds up to 180 miles per hour.
Aside from this efficiency and convenience,
the impact on the environment is much friendlier. The implications for the
relative amount of pollution and congestion, as well as the consumption
of resources such as oil, are clear. Only our affluence and the historical
abundance of fuel has allowed us the luxury of the automobile.
Strong and well-financed special-interest groups,
such as the highway lobby, continue to perpetuate the waste and damage caused
by our dependence on motor vehicles. Organizations which are part of the
solution, such as Amtrak, live in constant danger of extinction by Congressional
fiat and White House neglect.
However, it is also a personal matter of choice
for each of us. If you live in a community where you have the option of
using the Coaster, the trolley or Amtrak, why not give it a try? It requires
a change of style, and maybe even getting some exercise by walking a few
blocks (think of it as an alternative to hopping in the car to go exercise
at the health club). It need not be inconvenient, and you would probably
find it much more relaxing than fighting traffic. It isn't always possible
to always use the rail choice but it is possible for many occasions.
Sometimes the best guide to the future lies
already discovered in the past. As we search for ways to stop the damage
to our environment caused by our lifestyle, some of the answers are already
known to us. The problems are not in the technology, but in our political
process, financial interests and habits.
You can help by supporting the ongoing political
battle to provide a better rail alternative than we now have (or, in the
difficult years, to preserve the minimal system we now have). When the congressional
and state legislative battles rage, make your voice heard. Support the battle
for rail as a fight for a kinder treatment of the planet - because it is.
