It took $4-a-gallon gas to persuade Congress to put some meat on Amtrak's skeleton. Let's hope it's the start of a trend.

The U.S. House recently approved nearly $15 billion in Amtrak funding by a veto-proof majority. The Senate already passed a similar measure to help the government-subsidized railroad survive through fiscal 2013 and even repair worn equipment.

Given tight fiscal times, President Bush is on target in believing that the number of potential riders and fiscal feasibility should govern route planning going forward. The president's push to privatize passenger rail is unrealistic, however. Worldwide, passenger trains generally lose money. Besides, other transit modes benefit from government-funded airports and highways.

Airlines will still retain much of the long-haul traffic, particularly between cities with decent air service. Where Amtrak can shine is on short- and medium-distance routes where trains scorching along improved tracks could be competitive with planes in door-to-door travel time. These travel corridors create opportunities for Amtrak to share costs with states wanting more service. North Carolina is among 14 states that pony up train subsidies.

Georgia doesn't chip in for the cost of the two Amtrak routes serving the state, but its planners have studied several proposed passenger rail routings. A new study for a Macon-Atlanta-Charlotte train line is near completion, and an Atlanta-to-Chattanooga route's also being looked at.

Now that high gas prices have led Gov. Sonny Perdue to embrace rail commuter transit for Atlanta, he should take the next step and look hard at Georgia Department of Transportation intercity rail plans. Putting more state dollars into rails and crossties, rather than new roads, would help drivers keep their SUVs in the garage and away from pricey gas pumps.

—- Andre Jackson, for the editorial board (aajackson@ajc.com)