The Gulf Sunset Limited--Coming Back Again??

Amtrak Unlimited Discussion Forum

Help Support Amtrak Unlimited Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

zepherdude

OBS Chief
Joined
Sep 9, 2008
Messages
564
Location
Redding California
Advocates hope to restore Amtrak service lost since Katrina

I found this article today while surfing around. Thought you might find it of interest. These advocates wish a study funded to restore the service. I know times have turned around for Amtrak, but what is the reason to keep beating the Sunset Limited on how it used to be. Maybe short trips or something more creative in passenger routes. Anyway, as I read it, the states involved have 100 million for this study.

http://thehill.com/policy/transportation/252183-advocates-hope-to-restore-amtrak-service-cut-by-hurricane-katrina

This link works, more better!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Yeah, I don't think Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana are interested in funding a revived Broadway Limited.
The article stated "The Senate has passed a very good bill that does two things: It creates a $100 million fund for states to access for services which were annulled (Sunset Limited) or under threat of downgrading of discontinuance (Southwest Chief),"

The Southwest Chief doesn't go through any of these states so my assumption was that all discontinued routes were fair game.
 
Yeah, I don't think Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana are interested in funding a revived Broadway Limited.
The article stated "The Senate has passed a very good bill that does two things: It creates a $100 million fund for states to access for services which were annulled (Sunset Limited) or under threat of downgrading of discontinuance (Southwest Chief),"

The Southwest Chief doesn't go through any of these states so my assumption was that all discontinued routes were fair game.
I don't think the SL east is discontinued. Just "on hold".
 
The official words on the Sunset East are: "The Sunset Limited service between Orlando and New Orleans has been suspended. Future service has not been determined."

Yesterday the Nation remembered the 10th Anniversary of Katrina, the Nightmare that drowned a City and devistated the Mississippi Coast.

Everything, except the Sunset East, has been rebuilt or restarted in the stricken areas.

Maybe the Newspeak version of "Temporary" is Forever?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
The official words on the Sunset East are: "The Sunset Limited service between Orlando and New Orleans has been suspended. Future service has not been determined."

Yesterday the Nation remembered the 10th Anniversary of Katrina, the Nightmare that drowned a City and devistated the Mississippi Coast.

Everything, except the Sunset East, has been rebuilt or restarted in the stricken areas.

Maybe the Newspeak version of "Temporary" is Forever?
Katrina is Saturday FYI. and here in Louisiana, they have been talking about a joint venture with Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. But only to Jacksonville.
 
Yeah, I don't think Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana are interested in funding a revived Broadway Limited.
The article stated "The Senate has passed a very good bill that does two things: It creates a $100 million fund for states to access for services which were annulled (Sunset Limited) or under threat of downgrading of discontinuance (Southwest Chief),"

The Southwest Chief doesn't go through any of these states so my assumption was that all discontinued routes were fair game.
I'm sure the states can quickly come up with studies to use up the money (for the studies, not the service).
 
I read through the bill last night and the associated programs that it's funding, and it's completely inscrutable to me. Anyone know exactly what the ground truth language is on this?
Ryan: you live in Washington! You know that's how it's done! Only a few members ( and staffers) know what's in a bill before its passed!
Smoke and Mirrors! Surprise!!!

And the Lawyers ,Lobbyists and Consultants clean up "fixing and clarifying" it!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I am surprised they don't even have Thruway Bus service. Today Amtrak doesn't even serve Tallahassee or Pensacola and Mobile is a 7 hour thruway from Tuscaloosa. I was thinking of going to a wedding in Pensacola and had I been able to take the SL from Jacksonville off the Silver Meteor I might have gone.
 
Ryan: you live in Washington! You know that's how it's done! Only a few members ( and staffers) know what's in a bill before its passed!
Smoke and Mirrors! Surprise!!!

And the Lawyers ,Lobbyists and Consultants clean up "fixing and clarifying" it!
Wait, hold on there!

I know for a fact that you cannot know what is in a bill until after it has been passed. That came directly from the Speaker Of The House, so it has to be true, doesn't it?
 
For about the eleventy billionth time, that's not what she said. But don't let facts get in the way of your off topic political rant.
Well, actually it is - but it is one sentence, and taken out of the context of the entire paragraph it can be misconstrued. The gist of the entire quote is not suggesting that no one is capable of reading the entire bill so it must be passed for the surprises to be found out. What she was trying to convey is that the bill "has many wonderful things in it, and you have to pass it in order to see those changes and appreciate them".

I find that equally as ludicrous.

But, I was using that quote just to exemplify the opinion general populace has of Congress in general. In other words, it was a joke.
 
No, she was trying to convey that the lying liars that lie a lot (incidentally the same group of partisan jackasses that seized on it, twisted it into something it wasn't, and continue to joke about it today), were making up all sorts of crap about the ACA in order to try and scare the American people into opposing it. They did a pretty fine job, when you look at the polls where overwhelmingly people said they were against "Obamacare", but when asked about the individual policies it contained, indicated they supported them.

In actuality, you and Jim are both wrong. These bills are talked about, studied and discussed nine different ways until Sunday before they're voted on. While it may be a popular myth that this stuff is complicated and nobody reads it, that shouldn't be further from the truth. Unfortunately, that doesn't fit the "politicians are evil and everything Washington does sucks" narrative, so the facts become irrelevant.

This particular bit of legislation is a pain to dig through because it only changes dollar amount ps and years, and so you have to cross reference each line against the original funding bill that it's updating. It's a time consuming pain in the neck, and I wasn't able to successfully complete it in the limited amount of free time I had available last night.

Next time you try to crack a joke, maybe make it funny instead of going for the easily disproved political cheap shot.
 
Some of what you say about Congress Used to be true Ryan!

But today, Bills are written by Lobbyists and staffers, and your average Congress critter, who is dumb as dirt when it comes to Governing, votes in Lockstep however Leadership tells them to.

Then they get back to fund raising since the duty of a Congress Critter is to get Re-Elected!

You have every right to disagree but my Congress person, whom Im proud to have represent me,( 20 year member) told me personally that it is becoming more and more like this and the that the ill will and even pure hate is growing like topsy on the Hill!

How can you run against "Washington" when you're a Career Politician?

One of our Senators,doesn' have a friend in the Senate, and goes out of his way to alienate other Members! He couldn't get the Ten Commandments passed, he's worthless!

Lowest ranked Profession in the US by the Polls: Congressperson
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Don't get me wrong, there is quite a lot of truth in what you're saying. I'm not claiming that everything is all "Mr. smith Goes to Washington" up on the Hill, but they're also not all a bunch of idiot partisan hacks. There are a lot of hard working folks up there doing the best that they can, and when you write off the entire city as a cesspool of filth, you're ignoring all of that good and throwing out the good with the bad.
 
Don't get me wrong, there is quite a lot of truth in what you're saying. I'm not claiming that everything is all "Mr. smith Goes to Washington" up on the Hill, but they're also not all a bunch of idiot partisan hacks. There are a lot of hard working folks up there doing the best that they can, and when you write off the entire city as a cesspool of filth, you're ignoring all of that good and throwing out the good with the bad.
Of course you're correct Ryan! The real problem is the money machine that has to run 24/7 in order for the ones that are there to be able stay in Washington!

Isn't it ironic that the clowns that run against "Washington" fight so hard to stay there once they make it??!!

When I was a kid I thought the best job in the world was to be a US Senator, there were Giants in the Senate in those days! Now we have pygmies and empty suits and partisan hatred dominating the Hill!

Maybe we really do need to throw em all out and start over! We already have term limits, its called Elections!

So if everyone would turn out and vote lots of what's wrong would disappear rapidly!

Of course the Washingtin "Establishment" is totally opposed to this!
 
I have not seen any clear evidence that the Washington establishment is against people voting per-se. OTOH, there is a certain party which seems to be dead set on figuring out every possible way to keep people from voting these days - especially the ones that they consider to be the undesirable "they" as opposed to the desirable "we". :)
 
You're right jis, but I get notes from the principal's office if I get too specific on political topics, so I'm trying to stay generic in my posts when it comes to the shell game in Washington!
 
You're right jis, but I get notes from the principal's office if I get too specific on political topics, so I'm trying to stay generic in my posts when it comes to the shell game in Washington!
Yeah, but my point is that this particular shell game is not in Washington, but in individual states.

Anyhow, there is a new article that is of greater interest to the subject of this thread:

http://www.al.com/news/mobile/index.ssf/2015/10/momentum_builds_for_amtraks_gu.html

It might not be the "All clear!" that rail enthusiasts want to hear, but a December visit by Amtrak representatives to Mobile could signify a key moment in restoring passenger train service to the Gulf Coast.

The Dec. 4 meeting of the Southern Rail Commission will reveal findings of an Amtrak study focusing on reviving passenger rail in a region that saw it disappear 10 years ago after Hurricane Katrina.

"Mobile sits to gain a whole lot if this is established," said Wiley Blankenship, CEO of the Coastal Alabama Partnership, which promotes collaborative development.

Momentum to reboot passenger rail from New Orleans to Mobile, and possibly further east to Jacksonville or Orlando, appears to be gaining steam. The Southern Rail Commission recently named Andalusia's Greg White as its chairman for the next two years. He's a firm proponent of coastal passenger service.
 
As much as this poster would like to see the sunset east restored do not think it possible at this time. Its mainly a lack of equipment. Once Amtrak gets additional 1000 passenger cars and 100 locos + capital funds for restoring stations then we will see the service restored. There would probably be additional service to New Orleans (NOL) from Baton Rouge, Mobile ( on SL east ) Montgomery to provide additional connecting passengers.
 
As much as this poster would like to see the sunset east restored do not think it possible at this time. Its mainly a lack of equipment. Once Amtrak gets additional 1000 passenger cars and 100 locos + capital funds for restoring stations then we will see the service restored. There would probably be additional service to New Orleans (NOL) from Baton Rouge, Mobile ( on SL east ) Montgomery to provide additional connecting passengers.
They're also low on Superliners too? I thought the main problem was Viewliners.
 
Yes, I've been told the Superliner supply is tight. I'm not sure exactly which types of Superliners are in short supply (coaches, dining cars, sightseer lounges, or sleepers), but the 'extra' set for the Empire Builder strained Amtrak's supply of something pretty badly, which is why they have discontinued it.

The coach supply will be alleviated when the new bilevels arrive, assuming they manage to fix the design so that they pass the "crush test".
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Back
Top