We should be moving toward commuter rail

I read Betty Drew's short letter ("The Rail Way," April 16) and it unleashed a fury of frustration. Two years ago my family was on Thanksgiving holiday in Connecticut. We wanted to go to New York City. So we drove two or three miles to a train station and traveled the 45 minutes into the Big Apple. It was inexpensive and convenient and great for the environment since we parked our car.

I had heard it in stories and seen it in movies, especially those set in "Metroland" England -- the use of the train. I've worked in Pittsburgh for 15 years and travel from the Harmarville area. I would love to park my car and ride a train into town, having not to worry about parking, reading the paper and drinking a coffee legally while in a moving vehicle.

I wished that there were a way we could do this in Pittsburgh but thought that with its topography and the proximity of everything to everything, it wasn't possible. Ms. Drew mentioned that there are railroad tracks that run parallel to Route 28, and she asked why we can't use them.

I join her: Why don't we use them? Or is train travel for those who aren't north/northeast of the city?

 

MICHAEL PAJEWSKI
Indiana Township