? for Rafi re: Travel Reporters

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7/20/08 in the Atlanta Journal/Constitution is an article by Clara Bosonetto Maerz (retired travel consultant) on "A weekend in...Biloxi". She offers 3 versions of a trip there: Budget, Moderate and Splurge.

Why on earth does she suggest taking Greyhound from Atlanta for $54-$62 one way for 9 hours instead of showing Amtrak as an alternative? Is she nuts! With either Greyhound or Amtrak alternative transportation will be required at the destination.
 
I don't know what the Amtrak fares are offhand from ATL-NOL, but besides NOL, there may not be an easy connection between Amtrak and Greyhound! (Amtrak no longer goes to Biloxi.)

Yes, it may be 9 hours on the bus, but some people may chose that over __ hours on the train, __ hours on the transfer and __ hours on the bus. (I assume that was the budget choice.)
 
I'll give Clara a call on Monday. Sadly, many Atlantans just have no idea that Amtrak even serves the city. I love visiting the AJC and when folks ask me how the flight was, I tell them I took the train, and they think I rode MARTA from DC. It's priceless. Clara should have known better, though, and should have included Amtrak as an option since we just did a major Amtrak piece in AJC's travel section only a few weeks ago. Still, traveler is correct in that Amtrak no longer serves Biloxi, but it seems to me that some mention should have been made about Amtrak getting sort of close with possible car rental options.

Rafi
 
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Greyhound is a better choice between those city pairs. You can't really get to Biloxi from Atlanta by train, conviniently. The most convenient transfer point is Hattiesburg, but the bus leaves an hour before the train is supposed to get there. Same thing trying to connect in NOL. Even if the connection were timed right, you're talking about $80+ in addition to between 2 and 2 1/2 hours more travel time.
 
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I'll give Clara a call on Monday. Sadly, many Atlantans just have no idea that Amtrak even serves the city. I love visiting the AJC and when folks ask me how the flight was, I tell them I took the train, and they think I rode MARTA from DC. It's priceless.
Surely "METRO" is just the Yankee pronunciation of "MARTA", so of course they connect! :lol:

I had this idea back in March for an April Fools prank that involved putting up posters at METRO Green Line and MBTA Green Line stations, announcing connected Green Line service between the two :) Of course, I didn't have time to line up conspirators in each city, and very few people would have gotten the joke or even noticed the posters, probably. It's probably funnier just to mention it than to actually do it. (You can really only do it between DC and Boston, because while Philadelphia and New York each have blue and orange lines as do DC and Boston, neither one ever thinks of those lines as "Blue" or "Orange" by name. Too bad, it would make for a better joke that way.)

Speaking specifically to Atlanta, though... when Atlantans want to travel, how often is it to somewhere on the Crescent's route versus somewhere like Savannah, Florida, Tennessee, etc...? As in, is Amtrak even an option for most Atlantans, or does it not go where they want to go?
 
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I'll give Clara a call on Monday. Sadly, many Atlantans just have no idea that Amtrak even serves the city. I love visiting the AJC and when folks ask me how the flight was, I tell them I took the train, and they think I rode MARTA from DC. It's priceless.
Surely "METRO" is just the Yankee pronunciation of "MARTA", so of course they connect! :lol:
Next thing you'll try to tell me is that I can not get on METRA in Chicago and connect to MARTA in Atlanta! I though they connected somewhere in Kentucky? :huh: Or is it METRA and METRO that connect? :rolleyes:
 
I had this idea back in March for an April Fools prank that involved putting up posters at METRO Green Line and MBTA Green Line stations, announcing connected Green Line service between the two :) Of course, I didn't have time to line up conspirators in each city, and very few people would have gotten the joke or even noticed the posters, probably. It's probably funnier just to mention it than to actually do it.
One of the stops on the Caltrain commuter line between San Francisco and San Jose is San Antonio. That is of course, San Antonio, California, 34.1 miles from San Francisco. I heard one of the conductors announce once something to the effect, "San Antonio next stop. Home of the Alamo and the Riverwalk" Told him I loved his San Antonio announcement when I got off at a later stop. His comment was You would be surprised how few people get it.
 
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"Greyhound is a better choice between those city pairs. You can't really get to Biloxi from Atlanta by train, conviniently. The most convenient transfer point is Hattiesburg, but the bus leaves an hour before the train is supposed to get there"

Besides Hattiesburg, Picayune and Slidell are options. Give me 9 hours on Amtrak ANY DAY and drop me 50-100 miles away compared to door to door service sardined on Greyhound. Special fares to New Orleans advertised on Amtrak.com are $58. Atlanta to Slidell , also $58 (before any applicable discounts). Atlanta to Picayune 9h53m, is also $58. That 9+ hours on Amtrak means your vacation can start in Atlanta, not when you arrive at the destination. But, we all know that.

"Speaking specifically to Atlanta, though... when Atlantans want to travel, how often is it to somewhere on the Crescent's route versus somewhere like Savannah, Florida, Tennessee, etc...? As in, is Amtrak even an option for most Atlantans, or does it not go where they want to go? "

Maybe Mr. Haithcoat, had8ley, NativeSon and Mr. Harris have a better mind on this but I'd like to see it go to Savannah, Valdosta (restore and reroute the Sunset to go here), Huntsville (AL), Columbia (SC) and Nashville (TN) to give more options to connect to other trains. I would like to daytrip to Toccoa or Gainesville but the times don't work out to come back the same day. As someone mentioned on another thread, Atlanta to the mountains is a desired trip. Some snowbirds, after discovering living conditions in Florida are now halfbacks. They retired to Florida, changed their mind and move half-way back home, i.e., the mountains of GA, NC, VA and SC. So, Atlanta to the mountains and Atlanta to the coast would be very popular routes. In addition, I believe that there ought to be suburban stops (Amshacks are fine) near Duluth to the east and near Douglasville to the west. Atlanta is growing in every direction. Duluth is in Gwinnett County which has an aversion to running MARTA through there but they might have less difficulty with a stealth move by Amtrak to put up a stop.

Atlanta absorbed a large number of New Orleans (Katrina) expats so the Crescent is perfect means of going back "home". Hattiesburg seems to be a jumping off point for many of the contractors working there. A mini boom occurred in HBG. When certain Louisiana organizations wish to reach the expats they advertise in the Atlanta Journal Constitution and other local newspapers.

Thanks Rafi. I did notice your name attached to an Amtrak related picture in the AJC awhile back.
 
I forgot one other thing. I'd REALLY like to arrive in Charlotte somewhere between 5am and 10pm... just wishing.
 
We have an Orange line in Los Angeles but I don't think I would want to ride to the Orange line in New York or Boston.

It doesn't even run trains, they tore up the tracks and paved the roadbed. They have articulated buses that run the route.

People do seen to love it though.
 
To see the status of rail lines in Georgia go to www.ga-sites.com/pdf/Georgia_Rail_Map_2004.pdf

Have no idea why it has 2004 on the end since the title block has a January 2006 date on it.

A complete change of mind of the state legislature would be necessary for any new passenger service to happen.
 
I forgot one other thing. I'd REALLY like to arrive in Charlotte somewhere between 5am and 10pm... just wishing.
I think this is a wish that SHOULD be granted. Has anyone checked availability on the Crescent in coach lately for a WAS-ATL trip? First date available is AUGUST 10TH!!!!!!

A WAS-ATL daytrain could really carry its weight!
 
I had this idea back in March for an April Fools prank that involved putting up posters at METRO Green Line and MBTA Green Line stations, announcing connected Green Line service between the two :) Of course, I didn't have time to line up conspirators in each city, and very few people would have gotten the joke or even noticed the posters, probably. It's probably funnier just to mention it than to actually do it. (You can really only do it between DC and Boston, because while Philadelphia and New York each have blue and orange lines as do DC and Boston, neither one ever thinks of those lines as "Blue" or "Orange" by name. Too bad, it would make for a better joke that way.)
Aren't the trains pretty incompatible, though? I think the METRO Green Line is third rail; the MBTA Green Line uses overhead wire.

Once upon a time, it apparently was possible to take interurban streetcars all the way from Boston to New York City, IIRC. I would expect that the Boston end of that would have gone through what is now the Green Line platform at Park Street.
 
I forgot one other thing. I'd REALLY like to arrive in Charlotte somewhere between 5am and 10pm... just wishing.
I think this is a wish that SHOULD be granted. Has anyone checked availability on the Crescent in coach lately for a WAS-ATL trip? First date available is AUGUST 10TH!!!!!!

A WAS-ATL daytrain could really carry its weight!
The Crescent is nearly always full between ATL and WAS. A morning departure from ATL around 7:00am with an arrival into WAS at around 9:00pm would be a great, great thing. You could do nearly the same schedule on the return leg. Run it with three Amfleet 2 coaches and a Amfleet Cafe/Business Class car with 2+1 seating.
 
The Crescent is nearly always full between ATL and WAS. A morning departure from ATL around 7:00am with an arrival into WAS at around 9:00pm would be a great, great thing. You could do nearly the same schedule on the return leg. Run it with three Amfleet 2 coaches and a Amfleet Cafe/Business Class car with 2+1 seating.
I bet the tracks the Crescent is using are nearly always full between ATL and WAS too. And trying to keep the tracks clear of freight trains for a passenger train that wants to be reasonably on time probably causes the freight railroad to have to run several fewer freight trains.

One other challenge is that there may not be a surplus of Amfleet Cafe cars.

A really great thing to do would build new tracks dedicated to passenger service from Atlanta to Charlotte to Washington, and build them so that the train, once it reaches the edge of the city, can accelerate to 300 km/h or better, and not need to decellerate until it gets near the next city it's going to stop at.
 
I bet the tracks the Crescent is using are nearly always full between ATL and WAS too.
Not entirely true, at least as far as the Lynchburg-Washington segment is concerned. Those tracks are in tip-top shape, and Norfolk Southern feels comfortable enough with the traffic load to be quite open to allowing Amtrak and the state of Virginia to run an additional corridor train down to Lynchburg from New York. The state legislature is figuring out funding and holding town hall meetings now, in fact.

Rafi
 
I bet the tracks the Crescent is using are nearly always full between ATL and WAS too.
Not entirely true, at least as far as the Lynchburg-Washington segment is concerned. Those tracks are in tip-top shape, and Norfolk Southern feels comfortable enough with the traffic load to be quite open to allowing Amtrak and the state of Virginia to run an additional corridor train down to Lynchburg from New York. The state legislature is figuring out funding and holding town hall meetings now, in fact.

Rafi
And believe me, I'm thrilled about this, especially given that the Crescent has been sold out PHL-LYH through early August, since mid-June! (As in, as of mid-June, 19 was sold out for for that city-pair for about six consecutive weeks. That never happens on non-holidays, in my experience.) Of course, I'll have moved by the time this train starts up, but I'll be back east plenty and may relocate to the NEC again in a few years.)

Also, 66 has been sold out, PHL-NYP (and almost filled to BOS) on two days last week, according to friends. The friends also both reported train crews were astonished by the unusually-high passenger load.
 
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