Rail & transit advocates: support & be enthusiastic about whatever you feel strongly about, including incremental improvements, esp. when it's on your own time. Yes, push for the best outcomes, including more frequency & lower costs. Sometimes the ideal isn't immediately possible

For this account, I/we come from the perspective that something is usually better than nothing. Others may disagree; that's fine. Often, a new intercity or regional service with 8 trains per day or 1/2 hourly frequency just isn't in the cards very soon. It can't be zero-sum.

I/we believe that, at least in the North American context, launching some new service is the most common path to building momentum for improvements over time. This is most certainly true in CA & VA, where a handful of trips have evolved into more robust operations.

Our Transformative Rail Vision ( https://ctaa.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Transformative-Rail-Vision.pdf) outlines a pretty aggressive approach to significantly improving intercity & regional passenger rail in the U.S. That doesn't mean smaller portions of this vision are not worth recognizing.

Really, "4TPH or GTFO" is a fine goal, but can be arrogant and defeatist in response to those who spend significant time, energy and resources in working against myriad challenges to better mobility options, especially in the N. American context. Sometimes the tone #onhere sucks.

Feel free to share your disagreements here today. As I mentioned personal time earlier, it's Saturday morning here. So, with tomorrow's CP Sundays already put to bed, I'm off to get ourdoors with my son. Cheers, and Happy Mardi Gras from Baton Rouge!