Baltimore Sun editorial: Amtrak, the most energy-efficient way to travel, deserves investment

The Baltimore Sun picks up on a recent report that Amtrak is the most energy-efficient way to travel, beating out airplanes, commuter rail and (of course) automobiles in an editorial today.

The editorial calls for a capital investment to build high-speed rail:

What passenger rail really needs is billions of dollars in additional capital investment - to replace aging equipment and upgrade track in order to provide faster, more efficient service that would allow Amtrak to better compete with no-frills airlines.

From China to Germany, other countries are making that kind of investment in the future while the U.S. sits on the sidelines. High-speed rail has enormous potential, but it first requires government support.

Illinois has proven that if you run trains more frequently, the riders will come.

Now we need capital investment so these trains run faster with better on-time performance.