Yet Another Reason Why the Train is Better!

A week ago today, I boarded Amtrak’s eastbound Capitol Limited to return from Chicago to Washington.  About 11:00 that morning, it began snowing.  While it never got quite to blizzard levels, it was a pretty steady snowfall.

Anyone who has ever had the misfortune of using Chicago’s O’Hare Airport knows what happens when it snows.  You got it, everything screeches to a halt!

Just before boarding the Capitol Limited—and just for the fun of it—I checked the flight status page for O’Hare.  Many flights were cancelled.  The 11:20am flight to Charleston, South Carolina wasn’t scheduled to leave until at least 7:30pm.

Once onboard the train, I shared these stories with my dinner companions.  While we were enjoying a full meal, speeding through Indiana at 79mph, many were stranded at the airport with no idea when they would be moving.  The three of us agreed that we made the right choice!  One of my dinner companions, in fact, used to be a member of the “jet set.”  After one such night at O’Hare, he said, “never again” and began riding the Capitol Limited.  He hasn’t flown since.

Contrary to what critics say, long distance trains are for a lot more than just leisure, or for the rich, or for those who don’t have anything better to do with their time.  They’re for everyone, including business people and those who need to get somewhere.  Its about freedom of choice…isn’t that one of the guiding principles of our democracy?

—Dave Johnson