After a refreshing rainstorm, I redrew again my “Support NLX” message.

The Rail Passengers Association’s white paper, “Long Distance Trains: a Foundation for National Mobility,” said, “Goals like ‘operational self-sufficiency,’ ‘profit,’ or (minimal) federal operating support are neither reasonable nor sound public policy objectives. This is supported by the fact that federal and state funds subsidize air and road travel. The effect of these goals is to block improvements needed to modernize the nation’s intercity passenger train system and rejuvenate our increasingly expensive and dysfunctional transportation system. The driving purpose should be to harvest the public benefits that trains produce for the communities they serve and for the nation as a whole. Studies have found that even one train a day produces benefits that exceed costs.”