Paul Ryan Went On Fox News To Defend Amtrak Safety Funding. It Didn’t Go Well.

[Trip]

my broke uncle rides amtrak. rich people take a plane... my uncle took amtrak from up north down to florida. took his ass fukkin forever it looked like shyt

point is the volume of Amtrak riders are from DC to NY...it's an east coast operation...the volume of ppl who ride AMTRAK make a lot of money

Amtrak’s typical riders are not low-income Americans. The poor are less likely to travel by Amtrak than by most other travel options. Only 13 percent of Amtrak passengers have incomes below $20,000. The average Amtrak rider has a higher household income than the average taxpayer. In fact, the clientele for Amtrak Metroliner service between Washington and New York consists largely of Wall Street traders, K Street lobbyists and other affluent business travelers. These folks aren’t poor.

 

[Ed MOTHERFUCKING G]

how many people travel that route per year? how many unique riders? Amtrak vs JetBlue on the east coast is similar

Seattle to Portland? Every got damn day

 

[Trip]

Seattle to Portland? Every got damn day

is there not a commuter train in Seattle? And Seattle is upper crust is it not?

 

[Ed MOTHERFUCKING G]

is there not a commuter train in Seattle? And Seattle is upper crust is it not?

Seattle to Portland isn't a commuter route. Commuters in Seattle bike, take bus or light rail. Amtrak does not compete with drivers or buses it competes with flights in regional centers....Detroit to Chicago...Seattle to pdx...San Fran to LA....etc

 

[Higher Tech]

why was the train going 106 mph?

edit, you're playing semantics

Nah not really. Its just like calling tom brady a point gaurd.

 

[GPBear]

lol, guy only has a job because his name sounds like "Ron Paul"

Ron Paul, Paul Ryan, Ran Paul, Ayn Rand.

Why is it, if your name sounds like that, you're gonna be some crazy conservative

I wonder if Arn Anderson from old wrestling days believed in the flat tax

 

[Higher Tech]

point is the volume of Amtrak riders are from DC to NY...it's an east coast operation...the volume of ppl who ride AMTRAK make a lot of money

Amtrak’s typical riders are not low-income Americans. The poor are less likely to travel by Amtrak than by most other travel options. Only 13 percent of Amtrak passengers have incomes below $20,000. The average Amtrak rider has a higher household income than the average taxpayer. In fact, the clientele for Amtrak Metroliner service between Washington and New York consists largely of Wall Street traders, K Street lobbyists and other affluent business travelers. These folks aren’t poor.

So much wrong with this statistic, it's why I say numbers may not lie, but they can tell an awfully inaccurate story.
You said only rich people ride Amtrak and this does not validate your statement. If that stat is from DC to New York, it's logical to have mostly lobbyists and Wall Streeters. Its a quick ride and probably a cheaper, more intimate option when traveling such a short distance. Look at the statistics for the rest of the lines around the country.
Also, invoking the poverty line is a weak argument because the majority of those people are not travelers. Find comparable incomes of the traveling public that corraborate your claim and then I'll believe it, but that stat proves nothing of the sort. It is also without link.

 

[Hawaiian Punch]

No lie I thought this shyt was about Rand Paul for a second.

Wait that wasn't rand paul?

 

[Trip]

Nah not really. Its just like calling tom brady a point gaurd.

I forgot the conductor was the guy getting paid 50 dollars on hour to collect the tickets not drive the train.

 

[Trip]

So much wrong with this statistic, it's why I say numbers may not lie, but they can tell an awfully inaccurate story.
You said only rich people ride Amtrak and this does not validate your statement. If that stat is from DC to New York, it's logical to have mostly lobbyists and Wall Streeters. Its a quick ride and probably a cheaper, more intimate option when traveling such a short distance. Look at the statistics for the rest of the lines around the country.
Also, invoking the poverty line is a weak argument because the majority of those people are not travelers. Find comparable incomes of the traveling public that corraborate your claim and then I'll believe it, but that stat proves nothing of the sort. It is also without link.

Why does AMTRAK bleed money then? If AMTRAK went away tomorrow, would anyone notice? There's nothing AMTRAK provides that Greyhound doesnt...at less of a cost.

 

[Higher Tech]

I forgot the conductor was the guy getting paid 50 dollars on hour to collect the tickets not drive the train.

That's a helluva stretch.

 

[Trip]

That's a helluva stretch.

exaggerating but those guys make bank with OT

 

[Berniewood Hogan]

lol, guy only has a job because his name sounds like "Ron Paul"

Ron Paul, Paul Ryan, Ran Paul, Ayn Rand.

Why is it, if your name sounds like that, you're gonna be some crazy conservative

I wonder if Arn Anderson from old wrestling days believed in the flat tax

ARN ANDERSON IS A TROTSKYIST, BROTHER!

 

[Higher Tech]

Why does AMTRAK bleed money then? If AMTRAK went away tomorrow, would anyone notice? There's nothing AMTRAK provides that Greyhound doesnt...at less of a cost.

Because long range passenger service has been bleeding money for years. The reason Amtrak was formed was because all the major rails were pulling out of passenger service. Ever developed country needs alternate routes of transport. Greyhounds are the cheapest, most unsecure modes of transportation. Have you ever ridden a greyhound? It's a dope fiend haven half the time and they wreck too. Rail transport is still necessary, it just needs to be operated more efficiently.

Edit: to the point would anyone notice: yes. There are large groups of people that just flat out love trains. Regular middle class folks who spend vacations on the train and enjoy the scenery and stops similar to a cruise line on land. People really love it, thats why they have the observation cars. Its a whole culture. We call them foamers.

 

[Higher Tech]

exaggerating but those guys make bank with OT

I know, I was a conductor before I became an engineer.