Well, I also view the global warming scare as a flavor du jour, but getting more people out of their cars and planes and onto trains in the Northeast would seem to be a good idea. Certainly the amount of energy used per pax is significantly less. It would save us the cost of building expensive new roads. And it would reserve more of the crowded airspace and airports for necessary longer-distance flying.

The problem is that almost no one believes Amtrak could expand rail service -- make it an option for the masses if you will -- without the result being a boondoggle. I would love to see the entrepreneurship of the airline industry -- where they can fly you astonishing distances at very low cost -- transferred to the passenger rail business. I don't see a path to achieving that worthwhile goal, however.