Discontinued Amtrak Route You Want Revived.

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.

Discontinued Amtrak Route You Want Revived.

  • Pioneer (Seattle to Chicago via Boise and Cheyenne)

    Votes: 12 13.8%
  • Desert Wind (Los Angeles to Chicago via Las Vegas)

    Votes: 18 20.7%
  • Floridian (Chicago to Miami or St.Petersburg)

    Votes: 28 32.2%
  • Montrealer (Washington, DC to Montreal)

    Votes: 8 9.2%
  • Cape Codder (Boston to Hyannis, MA)

    Votes: 2 2.3%
  • Arrowhead (St. Paul-Minneapolis to Superior, MN)

    Votes: 3 3.4%
  • National Limited (New York to St. Louis)

    Votes: 8 9.2%
  • North Coast Hiawatha (Seattle to Minneapolis via Butte)

    Votes: 4 4.6%
  • Black Hawk (Chicago to Dubuque, IA)

    Votes: 1 1.1%
  • Lone Star (San Antonio to Laredo, TX)

    Votes: 3 3.4%

  • Total voters
    87
I voted with my heart for the Black Hawk since it would be the closest for me to utilize. I suppose if I voted with my head, I would go for the Desert Wind, at least the Los Angeles to Las Vegas portion.

seajay
 
Good poll topic! I voted for the Desert Wind, because it simply makes sense to provide some rail service to our oldest and most famous casino city. And I want to see not just Los Angeles - Las Vegas, but service onward to Salt Lake, Denver, and Chicago.
 
Boy, this was a tough choice! I picked the North Coast Hiawatha because I'd like to see train service into Billings, Montana, which is Montana's biggest city, but I'd also like to see the Desert Wind, the Pioneer, and the Floridian reinstated as well.
 
I chose the Montrealer because like Seajay, its the route closest to me. Hey I wouldnt mind seein ALL of these routes reinstated though :D
 
not knowing as much about Amtrak as you guys, I was wondering if the Floridian has any real chance of being brought back into use? I would think from a financial point of view that it's a train that would be used!

Scott
 
Definitely the Floridian, I feel it has potential, provided you run Daily Service. From what I've heard, even the worst delays were better than the Capitol Limited/Silver Service connection today. I think it should Run: Chicago-Indy-Louisville(The people deserve decent service after fixing up the rail station)-Nashville-Atlanta-Jacksonville-Orlando(Split into TPA section, and MIA Section), and then to TPA/MIA. Would help increase service in Florida.

I think the Sunset Limited also should get an extension to Miami, as it could work well (Should also be made daily).

I agree about the Desert Wind and the Pioneer, those trains should be revived and made daily. Would help compliment the planned (Eventual) LA-LV Talgo, also provide service between CHI-LV again. The Pioneer would also be a good route. What would be really good is if there were a way (enough equipment, etc.) to run the train Through to NY (Direct NYP-LV-LA Service)

Montrealer also sounds good.

I'd add a fourth Silver Service train, the Silver Comet (not historically accurate, but fits in with Silver Service), which would run via the FEC, and leave the Three existing trains on their current routes (restore the Silver Palm too), rather than screwing around with sections (not to mention loss of MIA-ORL service). I would probably add a JAX-TPA (via ORL) section to the Silver Comet, to increase service to TPA.

Here's how it would come together:

1. Repair all "repairable" Superliners, restore the Cardinal to Superliner Equipment.

2. Restore the Silver Palm, complete with Sleeper and Diner.

3. Order: Viewliner Equipment (First! Use to add sleepers to existing routes, replace all other non-Viewliner equipment on Single Level trains, and add new service), then Superliner III equipment (Use to Make Cardinal and Sunset Limited Daily, plus enough to support New Routes)

4. Add New Routes, including an extension of the Silver Meteor to Boston, which there is definitely a market for, providing Direct BOS-ORL-MIA Service. Also give the Three Rivers an Diner (and New equipment), rename to Broadway Limited.
 
I believe Las Vegas is the largest metropolitan area outside of Phoenix without Amtrak service. It's high time it returned.
 
I'm glad so many people are posting in my poll; I wish I could have posted all of the discontinued trains, because I just received every Amtrak travel planner, route guides, and schedules from May 1, 1971 (the day Amtrak was created) to 2002! My mom hunted them down for my birthday, even though my birth was last October, but she explained that it took about one year to get every thing, from the route guides to dining car menus. I now have every Amtrak name! So I will create a new poll about every two - two three weeks depending on my schedule 7th grade is not easy, but I fell lucky I’m not High School Senior or a College student, look for a new poll soon! :D :D :D
 
The Pioneer and Desert Wind...they could even run the Pioneer only 2X a week..better then what we have now...
 
Viewliner, I now agree with you that Silver Comet would be a good name for a FLorida train, though I have years of unlearning, it having been a NY-ATl-BHM train, all my younger impressionable life.

In addition to a restored Floridian, one of my pet desires is the Sunset Limited daily and all the way to Miami as you said.
 
Bill Haithcoat said:
Viewliner, I now agree with you that Silver Comet would be a good name for a  FLorida train, though I have years of unlearning, it having been a NY-ATl-BHM train, all my younger impressionable life.

In addition to a restored Floridian, one of my pet desires is the Sunset Limited daily and all the way to Miami as you said.
Thank you for your thoughts here, its nice to have support from the members on my ideas. I know what you mean about the Silver Comet, that's of course why I put "(not historically accurate, but fits in with Silver Service)."
 
Then, as to the Sunset Limited, it, under Amtrak, was the FIRST truly coast to coast full length train ever.

Back in the"good old days" there were many through sleepers, various routes., across country.......but Amtrak's putting the Sunset all the way to Miami was the first FULL SIZE train to go coast to coast. It has been a big blow to me to lose that.
 
Bill Haithcoat said:
Then, as to the Sunset Limited, it, under Amtrak, was the FIRST truly coast to coast full length train ever.

Back in the"good old days" there were many through sleepers, various routes., across country.......but Amtrak's putting the Sunset all the way to Miami was the first FULL SIZE train to go coast to coast. It has been a big blow to me to lose that.
I agree, I wish it still went to Miami too.
 
I voted for the Pioneer for a number of reasons. It was a good train with excellent scenery and history and I know it well. I liked riding it. Of course, there is the problem that there is no direct connection from Portland's Union Station. A back-up move--straight away across the Steel Bridge onto the UP north-south line, backwards onto the line toward the Albina Yards, then forward onto the Sullivan's Gulch (Graham) line and then eastward. It seems like an involved process but probably the best solution.

I am also for a return of the North Coast Hiawatha. I lived along the route and grew to love it. It was one of the most scenic train rides in the country. However, there can be no routing over Homestake Pass to Butte, as that line is now out of service. The train would have to go through Helena and Mullan Pass. That is a pretty nice ride, too, according to pictures I have seen of the area. Helena is the capital of Montana, and that could be important. Another interesting twist: since the Empire Builder is now serving the ex-GN route between Spokane and Seattle, perhaps we can get the Hiawatha onto the ex-NP line through Pasco and Yakima. In Pre-Amtrak days, the Empire Builder and North Coast Limited were combined into one train between Chicago and St. Paul. Amtrak could do that again.

In Spokane, the GN cars would be switched onto the SP&S line to Portland. The NP cars would be added on in Pasco. Now, however, since both the Builder and Hiawatha would serve the same station, the switching can be done at one station. One of the things we lamented about the Hiawatha when we had it was that it did not provide the direct connection to Portland as was the case pre-Amtrak (NP and SP&S). I think it would be great to be able to go from Billings to Portland in the same coach/sleeper (if not exactly the same train). There should be a connection from both trains at Spokane to Portland.
 
I voted for the Desert Wind.

I refuse to go to Las Vegas again until one of the two happen:

1. Train service is re-established between Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

2. The construction projects on the I-15 corridor are completed.

My only hope is that option # 1 happens before option # 2.
 
The Las Vegas! has my vote (proposed name for the proposed Talgo service between Los Angeles and Las Vegas).

I don't know if the market exists for running service from Las Vegas to Denver, but I know it does from Los Angeles to Las Vegas!

talgo_472x130.jpg
 
Back
Top