RobertB
Train Attendant
This is a topic I've bounced around before on a local forum (dallasmetropolis.com), but I still don't fully understand: why doesn't Amtrak expand the Auto Train concept beyond the one East Coast route? It seems like the most logical thing: if Americans are so in love with their cars that they can't leave them behind, let them take the cars with them.
One reason I was given was that Auto Train loading requires a lot of real estate. That wouldn't be a problem in Texas -- you could easily build car loading areas near Cleburne, Terrell, and Denton to serve Dallas, another around San Marcos to serve Austin and San Antonio, and Houston has plenty of flat spots around it too (to say the least). But that suburban-loading concept, I was told, would go counter to the stated mandate that inter-city trains should support urban transit infrastructure. A laudable goal that I agree with, but one that (IMHO) will require gas to stay over $5 for an extended period to make happen. Why not ease the folks who are new to train travel into the concept?
I'm also curious about the technical issues. Is there something about the Auto Trains that makes them impossible to run outside of that one corridor? It seems like the perfect solution for long-distance routes (like anything between Texas' major cities), and I don't see any problems with running a train with passengers and car haulers on rails that currently carry passengers, and also carry car haulers.
(I'm entirely certain that my post reveals a severe lack of knowledge on my part, and I look forward to enlightenment!)
One reason I was given was that Auto Train loading requires a lot of real estate. That wouldn't be a problem in Texas -- you could easily build car loading areas near Cleburne, Terrell, and Denton to serve Dallas, another around San Marcos to serve Austin and San Antonio, and Houston has plenty of flat spots around it too (to say the least). But that suburban-loading concept, I was told, would go counter to the stated mandate that inter-city trains should support urban transit infrastructure. A laudable goal that I agree with, but one that (IMHO) will require gas to stay over $5 for an extended period to make happen. Why not ease the folks who are new to train travel into the concept?
I'm also curious about the technical issues. Is there something about the Auto Trains that makes them impossible to run outside of that one corridor? It seems like the perfect solution for long-distance routes (like anything between Texas' major cities), and I don't see any problems with running a train with passengers and car haulers on rails that currently carry passengers, and also carry car haulers.
(I'm entirely certain that my post reveals a severe lack of knowledge on my part, and I look forward to enlightenment!)