Amtrak Auto Train Expansion Article

[Ziv]

This might not break a lot of new ground for the auto train, but what about having the current auto train start at Newark NJ at 1 pm with older 2 level autoracks to avoid the height difficulties en route to Lorton. Then hook the Newark train to the Lorton train and off you go at 4 pm. I am a huge rail fan, but I probably don't understand a myriad of problems this would face. But it seems like it would be a relatively simple way to add riders to an existing train, while using older autoracks to avoid height issues. And how does the train only average 49 mph if it stops just once?

That train wouldn't be able to operate on the NEC (I don't think there are any auto racks that could fit)...and forget about Amtrak operating any passenger train on a route parallel to the NEC.

Even if you ignored that issue, you couldn't get from Newark to Lorton in 3 hours (and that doesn't even allow time for the switching necessary for a 4 pm departure). The Acela does NWK-WAS in 2.5 hours, with high acceleration and running 125-135 mph. There's no way older auto racks could do more than 70.

Then there's the fact that you wouldn't have enough time to service the equipment and do a same-day turn.

Additional problems would include that the train would probably be too long for HEP to pass through from the locomotives to the last passenger car.

The current Auto Train isn't suffering lack of riders, so I don't know what you'd accomplish by extending the route. Not to mention, you'd increase the costs of the route by a good chunk (say, 50% or so) by adding a new terminal, with needs for staff, facilities, equipment, etc. I seriously doubt you'd increase revenues enough to even cover the increased cost.

It is 235 miles from Newark to Lorton, so even non-stop, the trip would take 3.5 hours on a perfect trip, so my 1 pm dept. wouldn't fly. But I think the old 2 level autoracks would fit, but then you would not be able to use superliner cars, so the Amtrak Car Train would be even longer, with superliners at the front, then old Amfleet height cars, then the older NJ 2 level autoracks, then the newer Lorton 3 level autoracks. Plus the time and labor involved in coupling the NJ train to the back of the Lorton Superliners at 3:45 and then coupling the Lorton autoracks on the back of that. So the train would have to leave NJ at least by noon, and there is a good chance the train would be delayed by the complexity, and it probably be too long for safety, but it would pull in more punters from the NY/NJ area. Too many negatives for a slight positive.

I liked the idea of expanding the Auto Train on the cheap with equipment that is being phased out, but I doubt it would work, as Trogdor points out.

Rats.

 

[Cho Cho Charlie]

Depends on the kind of vehicle you are renting. If you need a mini-van because you have a bunch of kids, the vehicle rental charge is going to be much more than $175, particularly in the Orlando area.

And $175 gets you a Chevy Cruze or Nissan Sentra. Thanks, but I'll bring my Cadillac.

I don't know what the break down actually is, but I don't think that almost all of the vehicles carried on the AT today are vans, and almost all of the passengers on the AT today are families with a whole bunch of kids.

While you might want to bring your Cadillac regardless of the cost. However, IMHO, most travelers today look for the lowest cost. If renting is less than taking their own car, then most will go with renting, even if that means driving a Chevy for a week.

 

[Joeker]

I drive from Chicago to Lorton to catch the auto train and we are a family of 2. I do this because the auto train exists and instead of driving 1400 miles to Florida I now only need to drive half that amount and I still get to keep my car loaded with luggage and basics and this is for a three week stay.

I would like to see service to the Southwest from the Chicago area as I travel there every other year to Tuscon. Driving takes 2-3 days depending on the route and the auto train may save a day but it would save driving all those miles and gas money and hotel fees.

The BNSF transon route could take you from say Galesburg, IL or even KC to Flagstaff in two days. So it is certainly feasable.

 

[trainviews]

This might not break a lot of new ground for the auto train, but what about having the current auto train start at Newark NJ at 1 pm with older 2 level autoracks to avoid the height difficulties en route to Lorton. Then hook the Newark train to the Lorton train and off you go at 4 pm. I am a huge rail fan, but I probably don't understand a myriad of problems this would face. But it seems like it would be a relatively simple way to add riders to an existing train, while using older autoracks to avoid height issues. And how does the train only average 49 mph if it stops just once?

That train wouldn't be able to operate on the NEC (I don't think there are any auto racks that could fit)...and forget about Amtrak operating any passenger train on a route parallel to the NEC.

Even if you ignored that issue, you couldn't get from Newark to Lorton in 3 hours (and that doesn't even allow time for the switching necessary for a 4 pm departure). The Acela does NWK-WAS in 2.5 hours, with high acceleration and running 125-135 mph. There's no way older auto racks could do more than 70.

Then there's the fact that you wouldn't have enough time to service the equipment and do a same-day turn.

Additional problems would include that the train would probably be too long for HEP to pass through from the locomotives to the last passenger car.

The current Auto Train isn't suffering lack of riders, so I don't know what you'd accomplish by extending the route. Not to mention, you'd increase the costs of the route by a good chunk (say, 50% or so) by adding a new terminal, with needs for staff, facilities, equipment, etc. I seriously doubt you'd increase revenues enough to even cover the increased cost.

It is 235 miles from Newark to Lorton, so even non-stop, the trip would take 3.5 hours on a perfect trip, so my 1 pm dept. wouldn't fly. But I think the old 2 level autoracks would fit, but then you would not be able to use superliner cars, so the Amtrak Car Train would be even longer, with superliners at the front, then old Amfleet height cars, then the older NJ 2 level autoracks, then the newer Lorton 3 level autoracks. Plus the time and labor involved in coupling the NJ train to the back of the Lorton Superliners at 3:45 and then coupling the Lorton autoracks on the back of that. So the train would have to leave NJ at least by noon, and there is a good chance the train would be delayed by the complexity, and it probably be too long for safety, but it would pull in more punters from the NY/NJ area. Too many negatives for a slight positive.

I liked the idea of expanding the Auto Train on the cheap with equipment that is being phased out, but I doubt it would work, as Trogdor points out.

Rats.

The only way I see this feasible is if demand started to look like there would be customers for a second frequency. Starting that from a new, more northern terminal would be a good idea, but combining cars from Newark and Lorton in Virginia is a shuffling nightmare, and the train is pretty full anyhow.

But as someone has stated - Amtrak is not going to want a slow auto train on the NEC and with bilevel auto racks and single level passenger cars it probably couldn't carry enough traffic even when full to reach a decent CR. So very unlikely even though the market might be there.

 

[xyzzy]

And how does the train only average 49 mph if it stops just once?

It is a heavy train, at least 35 cars and occasionally much longer, that takes time to accelerate and decelerate. It is usually assigned only two locomotives -- the same as the 10-car Silver Star and the 11-car Silver Meteor. It operates over a railroad that has significant lengths of single track, with the inevitable stopping and starting that single track operation causes. The one stop it does make is a refueling stop that takes time -- not just a "blow and go" stop of three minutes to drop off a few passengers and pick up a few more. And lastly, Amtrak wants the Auto Train to be on-time almost always, so the schedule is significantly padded. This morning the northbound arrived 1 hour 26 minutes early, and the southbound arrived 53 minutes early. That's typical.