We need more tracks

That's one of the bottom lines of rail policy -- there are too many trains on too few tracks. And so too many Amtrak trains have to sit on the equivalent of the side of the road waiting for another train to pass by.

We passenger rail advocates need to find a way to get more tracks built (either sidings or, ultimately, double- and triple-tracking routes with heavy train traffic).

And since the rail companies that own most of the track in the nation also would like more tracks built, we need a new partnership with the rail companies that make both Amtrak and the freight companies better off.