I would have thought Amtrak could find a way for such a profitable train. For many passengers who already have to transfer in CHI, a second transfer is a dealbreaker. The problem is that some people won't want to change trains multiple times. So I think that this summer, some cross-country passengers just won't take Amtrak.
What's all this talk about the Lake Shore being profitable? Sure, certain people on here seem convinced that the route makes money, but that conclusion often comes with completely dismissing a bunch of costs one doesn't like/agree with/etc.
Amtrak's audited financial reports show the route losing $33 million last year. Even if some of those costs are "shared" costs that aren't 100% because of the Lake Shore's operation, the route still takes in less revenue than it costs to run it.
As for "many" passengers who won't make a second transfer...that is limited to those boarding in NYP, CRT, POU and RHI who are traveling beyond CHI. How many people is that, compared to the whole route's ridership? I know a lot of folks on here like taking cross-country train journeys, but even on LD trains, IIRC, that's not a majority of the ridership. For those that do, how logical does this sentence sound: "I was going to take the train from New York to Seattle, but because I have to make an extra transfer in Albany, I just won't go."
Trogdor,
While you are correct in saying "many" LD passengers will not be impeded by making another transfer, there is something to be said for the more "local" markets. In other words, passengers traveling to/from points west of NYP headed to ALB and points north/west. That is a market that is susceptible to drop off and it is not a tiny market.
An additional transfer and a schelp to GCT may indeed be a deal breaker....particularly if it is a self transfer.
Can Amtrak run Superliners CHI-BOS since there are no tunnels since the train wouldn't have to go through NYP? If so,
The "LSL" runs CHI-BOS using Superliner equipment.
The "CL" runs CHI-NYP using Viewliner equipment.
Instead of the New York traffic that has to transfer it's the Washington traffic. Anyone going south of WAS would just transfer to the Silver trains at PHL then.
A train could theoretically run Chicago-Boston or even Chicago-Philadelphia with Superliners, but it would not be able to access many of the stations because they have high-level platforms.
It is not theoretically possible since Superliners can't fit in BBY or BOS or the S&I in Southampton Yard.
Do not know exactly how the tracks are aligned so please enlighten. Why can't there be a connection between the Amtrak Hell Gate route and the CSX Hell Gate route near Hell Gate yard. Then Amtrak LSL trains or others could take the CSX from Hell Gate yard - Mott Haven yard - Connecting to MNRR commuter line at High Bridge Yard and then along MNRR thru Spuyten Duyvil and onto Albany. That would seem to be an important alternate not only for summer 2018 but onto the future in case the regular route to NYP is interrupted ?
Where is Hell Gate Yard? What are you talking about? Are you talking about Oak Point Yard? If you are and you're talking about the Oak Point Connector, we've already discussed Metro-North is not agreeable to movements all over their territory. They are allowing access to GCT and that is it.
This goes for the Adirondack.
This goes for the Maple Leaf
This goes for the Ethan Allen
This goes for the Lake Shore Limited.
I'm surprised I haven't heard the Road of Anthracite mentioned as an alternate route to Buffalo and on to the Northwest Territories.... yuk yuk yuk
This thread has taken a weird turn. We were doing quite fine with the GCT thread. All of a sudden, people are crying like Nancy Kerrigan over a move that hasn't even been announced yet. It isn't even confirmed yet.
This could go the way of the Lake Shore Limited Reroute thread or the Refund thread that had everyone singing. Why not just wait and see what is actually happening?
