Passenger Trains

Following in the (low-carbon) footsteps of its cousin in commercial rail shipping, the passenger train industry is also increasingly touting its environmental benefits, tailoring its marketing to tap into the growing market of consumers for whom "greenness" is a salient product attribute. Though I can only attest to this anecdotally, a train ad that I heard on NPR the other morning was clearly geared specifically toward eco-conscious travelers, lauding the small carbon footprint of trains compared to the increasingly suffering environmental image of planes. Europe, with its extensive passenger rail system, has latched onto this advertising strategy with even greater gusto, it seems. A little more investment from the next president in the United States' relatively limited passenger rail structure could have a big impact in combating global warming -- and bring in a little much-needed green for Amtrak in the process.