Search results

Yes! The quicker we get started on replacing the national network with corridor services the better chance we have of preserving passenger rail for the future. If we passenger rail advocates maintain the position of a national network or bust we might just get the bust.

Since I believe that the future of passenger rail in this country is to restructure the LD trains into corridors I would solve the SWC situation by truncating the route at Kansas City on the east end and Albuquerque on the west end. That would free up 904 route miles a day. The 904 miles could...

Yes, that would be a ideal solution. Say you have a choice of four main entrees, 4 sides and four desserts. You could mix and match to make up your internet meal order. The food provider would assemble you order and identify it. Each passenger would get exactly what they wanted and no wasted food.

That is just the point. I wouldn't have to dump anything if I only took what I wanted. Amtrak needs to unbox the boxed meals. The SCA could take every ones order plus a dinner time. Passengers could walk to the diner car, hand over the order form to the "server" and he could box up the meal that...

Rode the CL on June 2nd. Tried the beef salad box. The cold beef was great but since I don't like mustard dressing I skipped the green salad. The potato salad had the skins on the potatoes (which upset my stomach) so I skipped that also. The cheese cake was a nice dessert. Ate the beef, ate the...

I'll be on the CL June 2nd. That will give them one day to fine tune things.

I'm not sure what airline executive said it but "What people want and what they are willing to pay for are two very different things" is one of the most truthful statements I have ever heard. If the true cost of a Amtrak hot breakfast is $75 would you pay it? How about $150 for a cooked to order...

Nothing is feasible unless someone is willing to pay for it. If the private sector chooses not to provide passenger rail and the state governments declines to fund it then all of us passenger rail advocates are left sucking on fumes from the federal government. Maybe, just maybe, Mr. Anderson...

Or he could go for a less-than-LD service. Take the Cardinal for example. For slightly less train miles per week the Cardinal could be restructured into daily 1RT CIN-CHI plus 1RT IND-CHI daytime coach trains. Presto! An inconvenient 3X weekly LD train becomes a useful corridor service. Higher...

I'm glad that the Talgo trainsets were constructed and I'm glad that they will finally be put to use. As a resident of the State of Wisconsin I'm sad that they will not be used here. As a passenger rail enthusiast I will continue to promote passenger rail among my fellow citizens and support...

To this day I can not understand why people on this board give a free pass to WI Gov Doyle. He had the money and the opportunity to contract and fund both the Madison train and the Talgo trainsets. He chose to defer the options to Walker who killed it. I'm getting tired of this selective outrage.

A common complaint on this site is "If the federal government stopped wasting money on (________) there would be more resources for passenger rail. Translation: Take money away from someone else and spend it on something that benefits ME. So boys and girls let us say that the administration get...

A one cent per gallon national gasoline tax would generate a billion dollars a year. That money would fund a lot of passenger rail infrastructure projects over time.

Have the eastbound LSL leave three hours earlier. Run it across southern Michigan and turn it south to Toledo at Ann Arbor on the Ann Arbor Railroad. The grade is in but the interchange track will need to be rebuilt. Keep the ambus but run it Saginaw, Flint, Detroit, Dearborn, ending at Ann...

Now you're talking! The most valuable part of a discontinued LD train is not the saved operating cost but the value of the slot it opens up for the host railroad. So 187.5 million dollars divided by the SL1995 miles = $93,750 per train mile. Is this reasonable? It has been said on this site that...

For the life of me I can not understand the attraction of so many people on this board for LD trains. The Fifties are OVER! I have a vision for passenger rail in the US outside of the NEC. It is modern, (Charger locomotives with Talgo trainsets). Fast, ( 110 MPH or higher.) Frequent, (4 RT per...

What everyone here seems to be forgetting is in my "A proposal to restructure Amtrak" I stated that motor coach services would be provided to all locations that lost Amtrak service. The people of Malta MT would just get on a bus to travel from their town instead of a train.

Neroden: I could not agree with you more on the need of Amtrak to own or at least control the tracks it runs on so you have given me an idea, (you'll hate it.) The SL host railroad wanted $750 million in capital payments to increase the SL from 3X to daily or $187.5 million a day. They have now...

I will conclude my replies on this subject with a summary. 1. I fear that Amtrak's future funding is at risk. 2. The responsible action by Amtrak to deal with this risk is to lower it's need for an operational subsidy. 3. The best way to achieve that and still provide the greatest good to the...