I'm really only opposed to High-cost Rail in California for about 115 reasons you can read here.  In reality, I love trains and I try to take them whenever they make sense for me.  This weekend was one of those times as I used Amtrak's Empire Service to get from the state capital Albany to Manhattan.  The first interesting point is the northern station isn't really in Albany.  It is across the Hudson River in Rensselaer–a little dinky town known for, well, the train station that has existed since 1968 when it replaced the 1899 era Union Station in Albany.  The point is people will go out of town to get reasonable rail service so maybe stopping High-cost Rail in San Jose and connecting to a decent Caltrain line up and down the Peninsula isn't such a bad idea (Are you listening, Jerry Brown?).

I made a business class reservation a month in advance for the 2 hour 45 minute trip and those seats where sold out.  It is the holiday season so I am not sure this $103 ticket is quite as hot at other times of the year, but it is the "the ninth-busiest, as well as the busiest (station) to serve a metro area with a population smaller than 2 million".  There was only one business class car so perhaps most people want to save a few bucks on a sub-3 hour trip that made about eight stops.

For me, the most interesting thing about the trip was what did not happen.  There was zero security.  None. Nada. Zip.  Nothing that even came close to a TSA check.  There was a flyer in the seat pocket suggesting "If you see something, say something".  As far as I can tell that is about what is planned for California's high-cost rail.  Nothin'.

It got me where I wanted to go on time at a reasonable price.  I'd do it again.  According to the Wall Street Journal article on Dec. 2nd, the whole Amtrak system lost $306.5 million in fiscal 2015 which was its lowest in four decades.  The Northeast Corridor generates operating surpluses, excluding capital expenses, which is to say it loses money in real accounting.  The nationwide network loses more money both ways.  The bottom line:  local service (up to a couple of hours of travel) has a chance, long distance service is an albatross.  Nothing new there, unless you are Jerry Brown or a CHSRA commissioner.

Did you notice the long strip of dangerous dots?