The train station offers some of the most colorful stories of life in the moment. From Harry Potter waiting for a fantasy train on the way to new experiences in the Hogworts School to mom and kids going to grandma's house, the train brings tales of people meeting and greeting under a canopy of sights and sounds that air or automobile travel can't match.

The whistle blowing, the conductors in their spiffy suits, the smooth motion of cars on the track all are a part of a way of travel that is in danger of being eliminated. The financial state of Amtrak, the national inter-city rail service in the Untied States, is so dire that a special Congressional committee has been created to do the dirty work of dismantling it. But will it? Can it? And haven't we heard this before?

The rail issue, as complex as it is, will affect what happens to long distance train travel in the United States, the routes that a broke Amtrak run. It may, in our fossil fuel economy, seem like no one cares about the long distance trains that make trips from coast to coast. And while train travel is a good thing both economically and environmentally, it's been a dismal failure outside the Northeast corridor of the United States.

The sounds, sights and atmosphere of a train and inter-city stations offer travelers a unique experience, that far exceeds the seedy reputation that bus travel has. Even though the diesel inter-city Amtrak trains that exist in the United States aren't all that energy efficient, they are a bit more comfortable, scenic, and memorable. There's nothing like gazing out a picture window to see parts of the country where few have been and where roads are absent.

Amtrak should have connected most cities in the United States decades ago with modern stations and on-time trains. But it hasn't. Neither have the high-speed electric inter-city trains that are common in Europe and Japan caught on in the U.S. This is due not only to the oil companies' manipulation of the American transportation system, but also to the regional political quagmires that have prevented capital from reaching those lowly rail stations in cities and towns all across America. Most are desolate places, lonely stops surrounded by scenic vistas and battered by the elements.

There are many political and logistical problems involved in installing rail lines and just as many to upgrade and/or change existing lines. 'We (the government) don't own the rail or tracks. They are private and mostly utilized for freight and goods,' said Will Kleindienst, chairman of the board of a Southern California transit company at a recent meeting of young community leaders.