We're not on board with train travel

From an editorial in the Appleton Post-Crescent:

If gas prices tripled and quadrupled, train travel might make sense.

If traffic and congestion were stifling, train travel might make sense.

If we could easily get to wherever we wanted to go after getting off a train, train travel might make sense.

If trains were fast enough to overcome all their other inconveniences, train travel might make sense.

If we somehow no longer cared about the freedom to drive wherever and whenever we wanted to, train travel might make sense.

Do you get where we're headed here?

A group of passenger rail advocates called NEWRails seeks to re-establish passenger rail service between Milwaukee and Green Bay by 2011. It suggests that Amtrak establish a pilot route, with stops in Appleton, Neenah and Menasha.

Travelers going to Milwaukee could connect with other trains going to Chicago. The train would travel as fast as 79 mph, using the current Canadian National tracks.

Proponents say that, if enough people ride the train, it'll be an overall fuel-saver. The project would cost $125 million, expected to come from federal funds, to upgrade the tracks and signals.

As noble as the effort is, we're extremely skeptical about its chances for success in today's times. It's just too easy, convenient and cheap for people to drive. The train would be less easy, less convenient and less cheap. That's a deal-breaker.