Yes, the Hoosier State is likely to be gone in 2 years (or whenever the PRIIA requirement fully kicks in). In the longer run, I expect Indiana and Indianapolis will start getting serious about passenger rail corridor service Chicago, but that will take time. Success on the CHI-STL and CHI-DET corridors can change the politics in Indiana for passenger rail.
If I have added up the budget numbers correctly, the state of Virginia has and will be providing around $25.5 million from the State Rail Preservation fund through FY2016 for tie replacement, ballast replacement, track repair for the Buckingham Branch lines that the Cardinal uses. The VA funding is up to 70% of the project cost, BB and others have to contribute at least 30%. So the total amount being spent on the tracks is around $35 million or more. Track improvements in Ohio and Indiana are on the other hand up to CSX (and Amtrak if it has any money leftover).
The Springfield shuttles may be extended northward to Northampton and Greenfield MA on the CT River Line while CDOT runs a NHV-SPG commuter service. What extending the shuttle service to Greenfield would do for their cost recovery, not a clue. But MA may be required to subsidize the extension, which could make computing CR for the shuttles interesting.
Eliminating the Ethan Allen or the Heartland Flyer would tick off Vermont or Oklahoma because those are state supported trains.
Re the Auto Train, what for? There's already two trains a day between Virginia and Florida, and a third makes it as far as Georgia. The Auto Train also comes closer than any other train (aside from the Acela) to covering its variable costs. Why mess with it?
Yeah, cutting the auto train or insisting that it become a general train is borderline insanity. BTW, the third train makes it all the way to Georgia and from time to time has even made it all the way to Florida.
So, you plan to drive or take a cab to the AutoTrain Lorton station? I guess one could hitch-hike or get a ride from someone. The AT Lorton station is somewhat isolated and intended to only be accessed by car. Which makes sense since it is only used for the AT. If you drive to the station, why not take your car with you to Florida?
This decision may have already been made. But they will probably call it a 'temporary' suspension. haha.
I did not say "why not", but "why only".
AMEN!
) I think I'm with those (from the other thread) that do not favor any "privatization" for Amtrak. Like the federal highway system (and other things no one would want to pay for, privately), I think national LD pas. rail travel is worth holding onto and one of a very "chosen few" things worth Govt. support (read: tax $$). I freely admit I have no logical basis on which to justify this... purely an emotional/historical love of trains (and a growing dislike of air travel). Not to say it can't be managed better (as can many quasi govt. things), but...
Perhaps, as long as you extended the HOOSIER STATE® through to Cincinnati.
That's fine and you're entirely entitled to your opinion, it's just that your opinion is wrong. No jk but still we don't really get why. The CR on the Auto Train is the best of any train in the entire national network minus the Acela. Taking away this train would add some demand to the Silvers, but not all of that same traffic would be diverted if there's no way to take a car. The Silvers would be pushed into a capacity crunch because there is already a shortage of basically every type of car. I don't understand why you advocate cancelling the AT when you are supportive of other AT-like systems out west, such as on the SWC. The train is full to the max with passengers right now, routinely being sold out, and reassigning these cars would not make any other trains do better, because the cars are at capacity basically all year. The market is clearly there, and the demand is clearly not AS strong anywhere else for the new auto racks that Amtrak bought a few years ago. The AT is a great and successful train. If you can come up with an advantage counterplan (sorry debate jargon) plan that uses the same equipment but more efficiently, with higher passenger loads and other stuff, but without a higher cost and other crap like that, then please present it. Sorry, simply put: name one other market that would be sold out year-round and have a higher CR ratio while not utilizing any extra equipment. So please provide this, and then I'll have more respect for your idea.
That, and you do not want to pi$$ off the "snowbirds!"
h34r:
Agree. And you had it leave Chicago at like 2:30P so that it would reach CIN right before midnight and maybe have a few connections left. Extending it to CIN though would make for a necessity of 2 sets of equipment. If you wanted to use three sets of equipment though, you could have 1 CHI-IND RT each day and a CHI-CIN RT each day. The train from CIN-CHI would really not make any connections safely, so there is no reason to try that hard. Have 1 train leave Indianapolis at 7:30am, getting to Chicago at 11:00a. Have the other leave CIN at 10:00a, Indianapolis at 1:00p, and Chicago at 4:30p. Have the train back to CIN leave CHI at 12:00p, IND by 5:30p, and CIN by 8:30p. The have the train that came in from Indy turn around and leave Chicago at 4:00p, getting to Indy by 9:30p, which is much more reasonable than midnight. I think that this would be nice. Would be a suitable alternative to the loss of the Cardinal, but would definitely require Indiana state funding. It would give two RTs from Indy to Chi and one from to CIN. I think it could work. But of course this is assuming that the Cardinal disappears.
But the AT is already sold out! All of the coach seats are full, and the train gets more revenue from people who pay for seats + cars than just seats, and then there is empty car space in the racks. It makes no sense to allow regular pax on at all.
Hear hear!! Thinking the same thing upon seeing the topic title, even as I clicked on the thread, and there it was, right off the bat.
And would those regular pax travel standing from Washington to Florida?
