Administration meddling

Aha! Gotcha! Those of us in the know acknowledge the fact that the present administration is anti-Amtrak, even probably anti-transcontinental passenger rail. Receipt of a rail association newsletter proves it. I don't know when the National Surface Transportation Report came out but an entire section dealing with pro-electric rail was deleted, leaving the readers unaware of some pretty important and useful information.

The opening paragraph of this deleted section states:

"It is the view of the Commission that public transportation, especially in the form of electric railways, must and will play a significantly larger role in Americans' mobility. Federal transportation policy should not only accommodate but encourage this development."

It goes on to discuss the factors that indicate a need for increased public transportation:
1. Increasing traffic congestion
2. Failure of many urban areas to meet Federally-mandated air quality standards.
3. Renewed congestion on newly constructed freeways.
4. Negative impact of automobiles.
5. The rising price of gasoline.

"Rail transit has repeatedly demonstrated its success in drawing riders from choice, people who have a car and could drive but choose to take transit instead, while buses generally carry only the transit-dependent. . . rail transit, but not buses, has a significant potential impact on traffic congestion.

Many cities once had electric railways but they lost them mostly due to massive government intervention in favor of highways and cars. And they lost them quite a long time ago. By the 1920s one-third of the streetcar companies were bankrupt and after WWII the pressure was on to convert to buses.

In conclusion this part of the excised section states: "In the long term, it should be the objective of Federal transportation policy to provide every American the option of mobility without an automobile. In a 21st century where oil supplies will be increasingly uncertain, such a policy will give our country needed security in the form of security of mobility. For a nation as dependent on mobility as America, security of mobility is as important as security of life, liberty and property."

Now if that last bit doesn't speak for increased passenger rail transportation, electric or otherwise, I don't know what does? Why did the administration delete it?