47 replies to this topic

[CAQuail]

The State owns the line from Dearborn (I believe Town Line CP is the eastern end of the State's ownership) to Kalamazoo.  From Kalamazoo to Porter Indiana the line is owned by Amtrak.

[SarahZ]

The Pontiac extension allows Amtrak to serve Troy and Royal Oak as well as Pontiac.  The three Oakland County stops had 71,163 passengers use them in 2017, mostly at Troy and Royal Oak.  Oakland county is the wealthiest county in Michigan and as such a good source of potential traffic.  I think it is fair to say that these passengers are less likely to use Amtrak if they have to drive to Dearborn or Detroit.

Why do no other Amtrak trains extend through the suburbs though?

Detroit is a bit of an anomaly in that the majority of the population lives in the suburbs rather than downtown, so the extension is necessary (especially since Detroit doesn’t have regional rail like Metra, MARC, etc).

[IndyLions]

I might agree with that, if they could get the running time close to that of Chicago-Toledo via Elkhart, otherwise, I would stand by my suggestion of just extending an existing Michigan train to Toledo and time it to make the connections....and they could do that now, without adding another train...

Except it is a overnight train. Two hours extra time on an overnight train is not a big deal. You can easily adjust the departure time by two hours to arrive at the destination in the desired time window.

And a cross platform connection at zero-dark-thirty in Toledo for Michigan passengers is infinitely less attractive than a one-seat ride, and ticket sales will reflect that.

[brianpmcdonnell17]

I might agree with that, if they could get the running time close to that of Chicago-Toledo via Elkhart, otherwise, I would stand by my suggestion of just extending an existing Michigan train to Toledo and time it to make the connections....and they could do that now, without adding another train...

Except it is a overnight train. Two hours extra time on an overnight train is not a big deal. You can easily adjust the departure time by two hours to arrive at the destination in the desired time window.

And a cross platform connection at zero-dark-thirty in Toledo for Michigan passengers is infinitely less attractive than a one-seat ride, and ticket sales will reflect that.

Just because it is an overnight train doesn't mean two hours doesn't matter. Most people on LD trains travel relatively short distances, such as Chicago to Toledo, which would be severely harmed by such a change. Even for overnight passengers, it could make a big difference. For example, one trip I'm planning on taking in the future is a long weekend trip from Chicago to Upstate New York, and with only one overnight at the destination would be much less attractive if my time there was cut short by 4 hours.

Edited by brianpmcdonnell17, 20 April 2018 - 10:22 PM.

[IndyLions]

I’ll grant you it would be much better as an addition instead of a re-route.

[LookingGlassTie]

I would say reroute either the Silver Star or the Crescent to Augusta, GA and provide thruway bus service for the other route.  In other words, if the Star is rerouted, the bus would run between Gainsville, GA and Augusta (for the Crescent).  Likewise, if the Crescent is rerouted, the bus would run between Augusta and Denmark, SC (for the Star).  

 

I know that this would require upgrading the RR infrastructure between Augusta and both Denmark, SC and Gainsville, GA (the two closest Amtrak stops to Augusta), but.................

[brianpmcdonnell17]

I would say reroute either the Silver Star or the Crescent to Augusta, GA and provide thruway bus service for the other route.  In other words, if the Star is rerouted, the bus would run between Gainsville, GA and Augusta (for the Crescent).  Likewise, if the Crescent is rerouted, the bus would run between Augusta and Denmark, SC (for the Star).  
 
I know that this would require upgrading the RR infrastructure between Augusta and both Denmark, SC and Gainsville, GA (the two closest Amtrak stops to Augusta), but.................

I don't think it would be worth the huge infrastructure improvements and additional runtime, especially for the Crescent. If Augusta is to gain service, it should be via a new train.

Edited by brianpmcdonnell17, 21 April 2018 - 11:25 PM.

[jis]

Realistically, Augusta is best served by a Thruway bus. The infrastructure cost to get a train there without adversely affecting the train for everyone else is completely unreasonable.