Wednesday, October 8, 1980
daily nebraskan
page 9
Sky-high, buy -bye, get me to
train on time?
Commentary By Robert Bauer
If I had to describe the Lincoln train
station to someone I would probably tell
them to take Memorial Stadium, put a roof
over it, and turn the lights way down low
and all this when it was empty. It's the
only building I've ever seen where the ceil
ing is so high the light can't even reach up
to it.
departures
I jjuess my opinion of the Lincoln train
station would be a little better if anything
good ever happened to me there. Unfort
unately, the only reason I am ever there is
to catch a train.
My first memory of the station goes
back to when I was 17-years-old. I was
waiting at the station to catch the east
bound train to Chicago. Around midnight
an interesting fellow, smelling something
like a Coors recycling bin, comes in and
starts talking to me. He was doing a sales
pitch for South American marijuana.
Holding my nose I told him that for the
time being I really wasn't interested. He
persisted and continued to extol the virtues
of the South American type over the native
Nebraskan variety. I told him all I wanted
to do was wait for my train. I also
mentioned that my father, the police
officer, would be dropping by to visit me
soon. He suddenly remembered his friend
who needed a ride home.
Some things at the train station are just
beyond human resourcefulness. Take the
arrival of the train for instance. It's not
enough that the train is scheduled to arrive
in Lincoln at the chipper hour of 3:30
ajn, but to have it arrive at 4:30 ajn is
kind of Ike parking meters on campus.
To complicate matters there are the
Amtrak employees. They recently reported
to the Sunday Journal-Star that they had
been on time 60 percent of the time to
Lincoln. It seems that with two of five
trains being late, the employees have given
up telling waiting passengers when the train
will arrive.
I watched an old man become part of
the wooden benches as we waited for the
train one day. In six years and 10 train
rides, Amtrak has gotten me to my destina
tion on time only once or twice. One
morning I awoke expecting to be some
where near McCook, Neb., and found that
I was actually in Missouri.
I wouldn't want to leave anyone with a
totally -bleak outlook on train travel. Some
where in the mass of 24,000 students there
is probably someone who enjoyed riding
Amtrak. I would like to hear from them.
The only thing I can see running in
Amtrak's favor these days is the low fares.
In the mid 1970s it was possible to fly
United or Frontier to Chicago for less than
it cost to take the train. Now that is not
the case. With United Airlines operating a
complete monopoly on the Lincoln to
Chicago market, the airfare is now $139.
Amtrak will get you there, eventually, for
$92 (round trip).
! 13th & P 475-2222 :
5:40-7:40-9:40
TERROR TRAIN
(R)
5:30-7:30-9:30
CADDYSHACK
Chevy Chase (R)
5:20-7:20-9:20
Coast-to-Coast
(PG)
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