seat38a
Engineer
Today the broke ground in Fresno for the start of the construction for the CAHSR. Has there been any news on who would run the trains? Amtrak as part of Amtrak California?
Today the broke ground in Fresno for the start of the construction for the CAHSR. Has there been any news on who would run the trains? Amtrak as part of Amtrak California?
As strange as it may sound, Amtrak California isn't Amtrak. Especially since the state will soon own almost all of its own equipment (note that Metrolink has been ordering a bunch of 125 MPH-enabled locomotives in spite of not having any capable tracks for that speed), it is quite possible that Amtrak California might become something different in the course of time.Today the broke ground in Fresno for the start of the construction for the CAHSR. Has there been any news on who would run the trains? Amtrak as part of Amtrak California?
If the state of California runs it it will most likely be part of Amtrak California. I mean, why not? Doesn't the state already run other Amtrak California trains?
My understanding is that the initial segment will be used by the San Joaquin services initially, using the existing equipment. So I guess Amtrak California will transfer some if not all of the relevant services to the new line and adjust the schedules accordingly but otherwise there won't be a big change.Today the broke ground in Fresno for the start of the construction for the CAHSR. Has there been any news on who would run the trains? Amtrak as part of Amtrak California?
If the state of California runs it it will most likely be part of Amtrak California. I mean, why not? Doesn't the state already run other Amtrak California trains?
The machinations are rather bizarre. Amtrak California owns their own equipment. The stations are mostly owned by local governments or agencies. The staffing is 100% Amtrak. I've talked to many workers, and they can bid for any Amtrak assignment once a current one expires. The Caltrain positions were the same when Amtrak had the contract.Even Amtrak California itself is not under the same roof. Different corridors run by it are governed by different local governing bodies. And yes, progressively Amtrak is losing more and more control of what happens in Amtrak California. Only the LD trains in California are now fully under the control of Amtrak. It is indeed quite possible for Amtrak to lose their operating franchise at some point in the future.
As far as HSR operations are concerned, they should select the best from an open bidding process.
San Joaquins and Surfliner are both managed by Caltrans currently, but should be under local JPAs like the Capitol Corridor is by the end of the year (with, if I'm not mistaken, ACE and OCTA being the managing agencies for those JPAs). Some equipment, including most of the Surfliner, is leased from Amtrak. While the staffing is 100% Amtrak, that's because Amtrak holds the operating contracts: If someone else were to receive it, you'd no longer see that 100% Amtrak staffing.The machinations are rather bizarre. Amtrak California owns their own equipment. The stations are mostly owned by local governments or agencies. The staffing is 100% Amtrak. I've talked to many workers, and they can bid for any Amtrak assignment once a current one expires. The Caltrain positions were the same when Amtrak had the contract.Even Amtrak California itself is not under the same roof. Different corridors run by it are governed by different local governing bodies. And yes, progressively Amtrak is losing more and more control of what happens in Amtrak California. Only the LD trains in California are now fully under the control of Amtrak. It is indeed quite possible for Amtrak to lose their operating franchise at some point in the future.
As far as HSR operations are concerned, they should select the best from an open bidding process.
While Amtrak California is Caltrans, there's a different authority for each line. I know the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority uses BART to manage the line.
Well their ticketing system and the AGR rewards will probably give it economy of scale.The only benefit to Amtrak running it would be the interconnectivity to the national system. Really, that's ALL that Amtrak is good for - to connect the country.
I wouldn't say that Amtrak California isn't Amtrak. I suppose it's more like a quirky franchise. They pay for all their infrastructure and then pay a "royalty" to Amtrak for reservations and use of the name. It's a lot more complicated than that, obviously, but I'm sure Boardman has some, if little, influence on what happens in the state.
My CC ride this morning was powered by a Genesis. I was under the impression that Amtrak loans them out as needed. Also, Amtrak provides the maintenance facilities.San Joaquins and Surfliner are both managed by Caltrans currently, but should be under local JPAs like the Capitol Corridor is by the end of the year (with, if I'm not mistaken, ACE and OCTA being the managing agencies for those JPAs). Some equipment, including most of the Surfliner, is leased from Amtrak. While the staffing is 100% Amtrak, that's because Amtrak holds the operating contracts: If someone else were to receive it, you'd no longer see that 100% Amtrak staffing.The machinations are rather bizarre. Amtrak California owns their own equipment. The stations are mostly owned by local governments or agencies. The staffing is 100% Amtrak. I've talked to many workers, and they can bid for any Amtrak assignment once a current one expires. The Caltrain positions were the same when Amtrak had the contract.While Amtrak California is Caltrans, there's a different authority for each line. I know the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority uses BART to manage the line.Even Amtrak California itself is not under the same roof. Different corridors run by it are governed by different local governing bodies. And yes, progressively Amtrak is losing more and more control of what happens in Amtrak California. Only the LD trains in California are now fully under the control of Amtrak. It is indeed quite possible for Amtrak to lose their operating franchise at some point in the future. As far as HSR operations are concerned, they should select the best from an open bidding process.
That brings up a good question to mull around; maintenance facilities.Also, Amtrak provides the maintenance facilities.
Yes, but operating the trains and operating some sort of interline ticketing are not the same thing. It is quite conceivable that CAHSR could be operated by someone else but end up in a Thruway-style codeshare with Amtrak. In fact, I suspect that California would probably, in the end, find a way to force Amtrak to codeshare (and likely integrate with AGR) via the contracts on the Surfliners, San Joaquins, and Capitol Corridor (as well as the Coast Daylight and anything else). The "stick" would be the fact that the Capitol Corridor is already under a state contract with UP, and I believe the Surfliners (and possibly the San Joaquins) could probably be transferred to another operator without too much heartache...so if Amtrak refused to work with a through-ticketing operation, California could more or less throw Amtrak out of the state save for the LD trains (especially since a system of CAHSR, the Surfliners, the San Joaquins, the Capitol Corridor, and the Coast Daylight is a pretty comprehensive rail system in and of itself...if any of the other services that have been mooted (Palm Springs, Reading, etc.) come to pass they also integrate with this network well).Well their ticketing system and the AGR rewards will probably give it economy of scale.The only benefit to Amtrak running it would be the interconnectivity to the national system. Really, that's ALL that Amtrak is good for - to connect the country.
I wouldn't say that Amtrak California isn't Amtrak. I suppose it's more like a quirky franchise. They pay for all their infrastructure and then pay a "royalty" to Amtrak for reservations and use of the name. It's a lot more complicated than that, obviously, but I'm sure Boardman has some, if little, influence on what happens in the state.
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