Copyright The Boston Globe
Northeast should demand more of Acela service In “High-speed rail is a distraction. Just make the trains better” (Opinion, Oct. 28), Alan Wirzbicki argues that what’s more important to passengers on Amtrak’s new NextGen Acela trains is quality Wi-Fi, not reduced trip times. The point is: We shouldn’t have to choose between internet speeds and travel speeds — both are important, as are reliability, frequency, cost, and capacity. Acela falls far short on all of these counts. Amtrak’s shiny new Acela trains still average about 65 miles per hour between Boston and Manhattan, at a time when many countries throughout the world already operate, or are planning, high-speed rail networks that run at speeds that are as much as three times faster. These trains provide far more reliable, frequent, on-time, and lower-cost service than Acela does. Advertisement Megaregions around the world have expanding economies, greater housing and employment opportunities for their residents, and, thanks to their rail networks, reduced highway and airport congestion. Why shouldn’t we demand similar outcomes here? It won’t be cheap or easy, but the Northeast’s roughly 55 million residents deserve no less. Bob Yaro President North Atlantic Rail Alliance Guilford, Conn. The writer is the former president of the nonprofit Regional Plan Association in New York and a former associate professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Must our phones be our constant companions? In Alan Wirzbicki’s assessment of the quality, or lack thereof, of high-speed rail service in the Northeast Corridor, I found one particular line very telling about the state of our society: “All passengers with a smartphone can keep themselves entertained in a way that was impossible in 2000, when you had to either look out the window, read a book, or, worst-case scenario, talk to other people.” Advertisement Really? Have we become so shallow that we don’t know what to do with ourselves without our phones to tell us? For that matter, if you don’t want to talk to people, then you can sit in the quiet car. I always sit in the quiet car because I want to — perish the thought — read a book and learn something new. Books can be both educational and entertaining, as can just looking out the window at the passing scenery. I can imagine Wirzbicki is being tongue in cheek. Still, as a society, we need to put down our smartphones and, yes, sometimes talk to other people, preferably with some of that conversation being about the recent book we took the time and effort to read. Rick Cutler West Barnstable
