Posted on 02/20/2019 2:51:40 PM PST by Publius
Seeking to attract millions more passengers, Amtrak is preparing a large-scale overhaul of its national network aimed at boosting passenger service in the South and West—but at the expense of long-haul routes beloved by train buffs and their allies in Congress.
The goal is to revamp the way Amtrak runs trains along the aging network of national routes it already maintains, with more frequent service between pairs of cities in the fastest-growing parts of the country, such as Atlanta and Charlotte, NC, or Cleveland and Cincinnati. Running more trains over shorter distances would allow Amtrak to better serve those commercial corridors where rail can compete with flying and driving, railroad officials said.
But that new service could come at the cost of curtailing some long-distance routes, where storied trains like the Empire Builder and the Southwest Chief have small but fervent bases of support and lineage stretching back to the golden age of railroads.
And any change in Amtrak’s management of the national network will require approval from Congress, which has aggressively defended the long-distance routes in the past, even as it presses Amtrak to prioritize improving its financial performance.
(Excerpt) Read more at msn.com ...
Cleveland is one of the fastest growing parts of the country?
If they want my business, Amtrak will have to make sure their trains arrive at their destinations on time. In 1980, after two back-to-back train trips that were 14 and 12 hours late, respectively, I swore I would never ride Amtrak again, and I never have.
>If they want my business, Amtrak will have to make sure their trains >arrive at their destinations on time. In 1980, after two back-to-back >train trips that were 14 and 12 hours late, respectively, I swore I would >never ride Amtrak again, and I never have.
About 10 years ago, I had an Amtrak train, the Coast Starlite, that was 22 hrs behind schedule.
It’s quite impressive!
Where passenger trains have survived and even thrived is in commuter routes, like the ones that feed large cities which were already major rail centers a century ago. And even all these carriers are not of equal value, as one by one, the Metra umbrella swallowed up each of the individual lines (Burlington, Milwaukee Road, Rock Island, Chicago & Northwestern, South Shore), all of which only fed into Chicago, and nowhere else.
Chicago is important, I suppose, but the possibility of innovating further is pretty much foreclosed for any potential entry into other markets. Amtrak is slowly consuming its own substance.
Open up commuter train service to private competition and then see what happens. Let the market and economics decide the routes, not the government.
We’ve had:
* Stop & wait in the middle of nowhere for we’ve-forgotten-how-long until Amtrak bring the relief crew out to the train - limits on crew operating hours.
Not at a station. The middle of nowhere.
* The rear-most half-dozen passenger cars disconnect and glide to a stop in the middle of Montana. In the summertime. No AC. Took about 8 hours for Amtrak to realize the cars were missing.
Good morning America; how are ya?
My all-time favorite was the Orange Blossom Special, Miami-New York.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990_Back_Bay,_Massachusetts_train_collision
Hey, I am nostalgic about the golden age of passenger trains in America, but I have yet to find where in the Constitution that Amtrak is a valid function of the federal government.
Amtrak was the proud achievement of a conservative, constitutionalist president named Richard Nixon.
It defends the long haul routes to give Acela cover.
Why Fund Amtrak? Because All Must Serve The Capitol
Acela.
That and he gifted us the EPA during his tenure.
I love taking Amtrak cross country in a sleeper. Of the 15 times I’ve done it I’ve never been more than 3 hours late from Chicago to LA, Seattle or San Francisco. Its a fantastic way to see America. I’ve taken the Cardinal (Tardinal) from Cincinnati to DC a few times and it is always late, one time 8 hours which permanently queered my then teenage daughter from ever riding the train again. I hope they keep the California Zephyr (Chicago to San Francisco) for at least two more years when my wife and I plan on taking our youngest pair of grandchildren in a family sleeper.
That and the EPA.
The best thing they can do economically is close it down. Nobody will miss it in 5 years except AOCommie.
Designed to save American rail... then promptly shut down 90% of American rail.
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