The Heartland Chief

Since Amtrak is grappling with how to keep the SWC on it's current route and how to pay BNSF to maintain the Hutchinson to La Junta to Trinidad trackage, why not operate a second train on the route. At least Amtrak will be getting a little more for their money and Texas would get a connection to Colorado, which we haven't had since the 1960's. Apparently that route is now devoid of heavy traffic so space is available. It's really quite easy and it avoids all the congestion on the BNSF route through Amarillo and Trinchera Pass. Just extend the Heartland Flyer to Newton, Kansas as has been already discussed, but then continue on west through La Junta to Pueblo and up the front range on the BNSF to Colorado Springs and Denver. Using current and past timetables the run could be made from OKC to Denver in about 13+ hours giving a mid morning arrival in Denver and an evening departure southbound. It would also connect in Newton with the SWC from KC in both directions something that has been discussed already. And you could extend it southward on the BNSF's old Lone Star/Texas Chief route to Houston, giving Houston a north/south connection and a train to Colorado. Would take just three sets of equipment. With the Sunset Eagle going daily you are freeing up 4 superliner diners and 4 superliner sleepers and a ssl. All you need is 6 coaches and 2 ssl's to finish up the consist. The joint line is congested, but it is also double track from Palmer Lake to Denver and you are only on it from Pueblo north.

Of course with unlimited funds and equipment you could extend it on the UP from Denver all the way to Portland, restoring the Pioneer.

While this sounds great on paper and as much as I would like to see a "meatier" Heartland Flyer coming through every day, I don't know how much traffic that run would generate. Of course it will take about 20 studies over 15 years to look further into this

There is no capacity north of Pueblo. In 1971 the line was single tracked through Colorado Springs up to Palmer Lake and that was before the huge increase in coal trains. This is why there are no passenger trains along the Front Range even with huge increases in population in last 40 years. Only a proposed coal train bypass would make passenger service of any type possible from Denver south. Interest in this has dropped with the economic downturn.

Bedford said:

There is no capacity north of Pueblo. In 1971 the line was single tracked through Colorado Springs up to Palmer Lake and that was before the huge increase in coal trains. This is why there are no passenger trains along the Front Range even with huge increases in population in last 40 years. Only a proposed coal train bypass would make passenger service of any type possible from Denver south. Interest in this has dropped with the economic downturn.

Click to expand...

Some one always has to throw cold water on any proposal. <_<

henryj said:

Bedford said:

There is no capacity north of Pueblo. In 1971 the line was single tracked through Colorado Springs up to Palmer Lake and that was before the huge increase in coal trains. This is why there are no passenger trains along the Front Range even with huge increases in population in last 40 years. Only a proposed coal train bypass would make passenger service of any type possible from Denver south. Interest in this has dropped with the economic downturn.

Click to expand...

Some one always has to throw cold water on any proposal. <_<

Click to expand...

Well you did ask why? :lol:

Bedford said:

There is no capacity north of Pueblo. In 1971 the line was single tracked through Colorado Springs up to Palmer Lake and that was before the huge increase in coal trains. This is why there are no passenger trains along the Front Range even with huge increases in population in last 40 years. Only a proposed coal train bypass would make passenger service of any type possible from Denver south. Interest in this has dropped with the economic downturn.

Click to expand...

Sad, but true.

Just think, way back before the 'Joint Line' was implemented, there were three tracks between Denver and Pueblo--The current ex Rio Grande, the current ex Santa Fe, except for the missing trackage thru Colorado Springs, and the much earler abandoned easterly route of the old Colorado and Southern. Too bad the old C&S isn't still around as it would serve as a nice freight bypass route...

Ok, a question arises that has passed my mind before: Local governments tax the hell out of train tracks. Is there any way that the federal government could turn around and say "the following improvements are not taxable under the following circumstances" and start making this a workable proposition for the RRs? In at least some cases, I'd suspect that going back to double tracking would make sense if there weren't a tax burden associated with it (averting cascading delays does tend to help business), but those local taxes are apparently a bear. Something along the line of "If you contract with Amtrak on running trains with firm preferences for the passenger trains, we'll shield any and all improvements to those segments from local taxation" would be nice...and it would also give Amtrak a damn big stick to use if trouble began on the RR side.

So what are the advantages to this idea? Well, it's an all BNSF route, no UP problems. It connects with the SWC in Newton both directions. So you can go to KC and Chicago or you can go west to Albuquerque, Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon and Los Angeles. And of course you go to Colorado which is the #1 destination for Texans. It is only on the front range from Pueblo to Denver, a distance of only 119 miles of which some 52 miles is double track. It utilizes the little used Hutchinson to La Junta to Pueblo division so no congestion. You only need three sets of equipment which I am sure Amtrak could find somewhere after they take the Sunset daily.