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The last paragraph on Amtrak has nothing to do with CN or the rest of the article. Either the author is just unaware of Canadian National or they chose to inclu

The last paragraph on Amtrak has nothing to do with CN or the rest of the article. Either the author is just unaware of Canadian National or they chose to include an unrelated point on Amtrak for some reason. CN is not a "Canadian Amtrak" or even an Amtrak competitor. It's a publicly-traded freight rail company that doesn't currently operate passenger service. The US obviously has analogs: Union Pacific, Norfolk Southern, etc. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_National_Railway https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_National_Railway

Reason077 6y ago
Exactly. “Canadian Amtrak” is VIA Rail: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Via_Rail https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Via_Rail Like Amtrak, VIA is a federal government-owned operator of intercity passenger rail services. And just like Amtrak, it operates mostly on tracks owned by private freight railways such as CN.
- Ensorceled 6y ago
  Where in the article did they call CN the "Canadian Amtrak"?
  - vinay427 6y ago
    In the last paragraph, they claim that Amtrak is the closest thing in the US. > Unfortunately, though, the closest thing the U.S. has to a national rail provider like CN is the chronically under-funded Amtrak
- Rendello 6y ago
  And like Amtrak, it's a hollow husk of what it once was: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1G0Lyh3uik https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1G0Lyh3uik
Ensorceled 6y ago
Did the last paragraph change? It calls CN, the Canadian Nation Railway, a "national rail provider" NOT "Canadian Amtrak". A rail provider can provide either freight or passenger. The words "Canadian Amtrak" don't even appear in the article.
- vinay427 6y ago
  I still see this in the last paragraph: > Unfortunately, though, the closest thing the U.S. has to a national rail provider like CN is the chronically under-funded Amtrak I quoted "Canadian Amtrak" as an expression of my own making, not one from the article.
  - Ensorceled 6y ago
    That's not how quotes work :-) The article is saying Amtrak, a half baked VIA, is the closest thing they, in Texas, have to CN. That's not saying CN is close to Amtrak. If my buddy has a Humvee and I say, "Unfortunately, the closest thing I have is a Schwinn", I'm not saying their Humvee is a bicycle.
    - vinay427 6y ago
      > That's not how quotes work Quotes are commonly used to mark a specific novel phrase. I was not intending to imply that it was a phrase from the article. > The article is saying Amtrak, a half baked VIA, is the closest thing they, in Texas, have to CN. I disagree with the interpretation, and this claim is still wrong. First of all, the part I quoted makes a statement about the US, not just Texas. I realize that the previous sentence mentions Texas, but this sentence is clearly naming the country as a whole. Second, if the article is saying that, this claim would also be incorrect. There are actual rail providers that own significant amounts of railway in Texas, and Amtrak (like VIA Rail) is not one of them. Here's a decent map: https://www.intekfreight-logistics.com/intermodal-network-map https://www.intekfreight-logistics.com/intermodal-network-ma... > If my buddy has a Humvee and I say, "Unfortunately, the closest thing I have is a Schwinn", I'm not saying their Humvee is a bicycle. Yes. Unfortunately for the author, the US has multiple Humvee equivalents depending on the region, so saying that the "closest thing I have is a Schwinn" is just false when Union Pacific (among others) exists in Texas and is in the same market as Canadian National.
  - johnwalkr 6y ago
    FWIW I understood and appreciated your highlight of this inaccurate sentence by reversing it into a short phrase.
johnwalkr 6y ago
It was a crown corporation (like Canada Post is) until 1995. I checked the date since I wondered if it was already privatized. CN and CP are really recognized and somewhat romanticized brands in Canada as they are a really important part of history, to connect the country from East to West. Are the freight railroads not well known in the US? One funny thing is the Canadian CN is..CN. It has extensive operations in the US
- johnwalkr 6y ago
  Oops, I meant "American CN is..CN"
jefurii 6y ago
The point of that last paragraph is the sarcastic last sentence: > Big business, after all, should be expected to put its interests first, no matter the cost to the public, be that a delayed train or weeks-long power outages in the dead of winter. If CN is a business, kudos to them for contributing to the civic good during a time of crisis, unlike so many American corporations.
- Fjolsvith 6y ago
  > unlike so many American corporations. Such as the United States Federal Government under the current administration?
lainga 6y ago
It's the outrage tax for a segment of readership
rossdavidh 6y ago
Yeah, it has little to do with the current situation in Texas, either. While it was a nasty week, there were always public buildings (including event centers, schools, hospitals, etc.) which still had power. The blackout came for anyone who was not on a grid with such a high-priority building. So there was never a time when hauling a train engine to town hall would have made sense, in Texas last week. Still an interesting story, though, if one subtracts the last paragraph.

Reason077 6y ago

Exactly. “Canadian Amtrak” is VIA Rail: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Via_Rail https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Via_Rail Like Amtrak, VIA is a federal government-owned operator of intercity passenger rail services. And just like Amtrak, it operates mostly on tracks owned by private freight railways such as CN.

Ensorceled 6y ago
Where in the article did they call CN the "Canadian Amtrak"?
- vinay427 6y ago
  In the last paragraph, they claim that Amtrak is the closest thing in the US. > Unfortunately, though, the closest thing the U.S. has to a national rail provider like CN is the chronically under-funded Amtrak
Rendello 6y ago
And like Amtrak, it's a hollow husk of what it once was: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1G0Lyh3uik https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1G0Lyh3uik

Ensorceled 6y ago

Did the last paragraph change? It calls CN, the Canadian Nation Railway, a "national rail provider" NOT "Canadian Amtrak". A rail provider can provide either freight or passenger. The words "Canadian Amtrak" don't even appear in the article.

vinay427 6y ago
I still see this in the last paragraph: > Unfortunately, though, the closest thing the U.S. has to a national rail provider like CN is the chronically under-funded Amtrak I quoted "Canadian Amtrak" as an expression of my own making, not one from the article.
- Ensorceled 6y ago
  That's not how quotes work :-) The article is saying Amtrak, a half baked VIA, is the closest thing they, in Texas, have to CN. That's not saying CN is close to Amtrak. If my buddy has a Humvee and I say, "Unfortunately, the closest thing I have is a Schwinn", I'm not saying their Humvee is a bicycle.
  - vinay427 6y ago
    > That's not how quotes work Quotes are commonly used to mark a specific novel phrase. I was not intending to imply that it was a phrase from the article. > The article is saying Amtrak, a half baked VIA, is the closest thing they, in Texas, have to CN. I disagree with the interpretation, and this claim is still wrong. First of all, the part I quoted makes a statement about the US, not just Texas. I realize that the previous sentence mentions Texas, but this sentence is clearly naming the country as a whole. Second, if the article is saying that, this claim would also be incorrect. There are actual rail providers that own significant amounts of railway in Texas, and Amtrak (like VIA Rail) is not one of them. Here's a decent map: https://www.intekfreight-logistics.com/intermodal-network-map https://www.intekfreight-logistics.com/intermodal-network-ma... > If my buddy has a Humvee and I say, "Unfortunately, the closest thing I have is a Schwinn", I'm not saying their Humvee is a bicycle. Yes. Unfortunately for the author, the US has multiple Humvee equivalents depending on the region, so saying that the "closest thing I have is a Schwinn" is just false when Union Pacific (among others) exists in Texas and is in the same market as Canadian National.
- johnwalkr 6y ago
  FWIW I understood and appreciated your highlight of this inaccurate sentence by reversing it into a short phrase.

johnwalkr 6y ago

It was a crown corporation (like Canada Post is) until 1995. I checked the date since I wondered if it was already privatized. CN and CP are really recognized and somewhat romanticized brands in Canada as they are a really important part of history, to connect the country from East to West. Are the freight railroads not well known in the US? One funny thing is the Canadian CN is..CN. It has extensive operations in the US

johnwalkr 6y ago
Oops, I meant "American CN is..CN"

jefurii 6y ago

The point of that last paragraph is the sarcastic last sentence: > Big business, after all, should be expected to put its interests first, no matter the cost to the public, be that a delayed train or weeks-long power outages in the dead of winter. If CN is a business, kudos to them for contributing to the civic good during a time of crisis, unlike so many American corporations.

Fjolsvith 6y ago
> unlike so many American corporations. Such as the United States Federal Government under the current administration?

lainga 6y ago

It's the outrage tax for a segment of readership

rossdavidh 6y ago

Yeah, it has little to do with the current situation in Texas, either. While it was a nasty week, there were always public buildings (including event centers, schools, hospitals, etc.) which still had power. The blackout came for anyone who was not on a grid with such a high-priority building. So there was never a time when hauling a train engine to town hall would have made sense, in Texas last week. Still an interesting story, though, if one subtracts the last paragraph.