Amtrak vital to some, but not everywhere

For many of us who live in the Midwest, Amtrak conjures up images of high-cost passenger trains that rely on federal and state subsidies to survive. And many of us question the wisdom of pouring millions of dollars into a service that is under-utilized, serves so few people and piles up enormous costs to keep passenger trains moving across woods, fields and plains from one urban area to another.

But there is another side of Amtrak that is important to literally millions of Americans. In addition to keeping a few trains running in places like Missouri, Amtrak also is responsible for getting millions of workers to and from their jobs every day in densely populated areas in the Northeast and on the West Coast. These are the everyday rail riders who would consider an infusion of federal aid to be critical at a time when Amtrak says it is on the verge of shutting down.

Even though a deal has been struck to keep Amtrak alive through September, there are many issues to be resolved, such as operating efficiencies in Amtrak's biggest service areas and the need for continuing services in places where there are few passengers to travel long-distance routes.

Making cuts where prudent would go a long way toward preserving passenger service for those who need it most.