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  1. lrh442

    Dreamstar overnight train between San Francisco and Los Angeles?

    There may well be a market for this, but the real hurdles are obtaining equipment and negotiating reasonable trackage rights terms from UP. I don't see it happening anytime soon. And, if CAHSR is ever fully completed it will make an overnight train a moot issue.
  2. lrh442

    Long Distance (LD) fleet replacement RFP discussion

    Fascinating read! Thank you, Paniolo Man for making these available. I am struck be the incredible complexity of the specifications and wonder if Amtrak will find multiple bidders, and if the bids will be deemed affordable. The Superliner IIs cost about $2.3M each in 1991, which is $5.2M...
  3. lrh442

    40K points for FNBO Preferred Mastercard

    For a limited time FNBO is offering 40K AGR points when you sign up for the Preferred Mastercard, up from 20K points previously. To get the full 40K points you must spend $2K in the first 3 months. If points can be redeemed for approx. $0.027 each then the 40K points are worth $1,080, less...
  4. lrh442

    FRA Long Distance Service Study discussion

    Indeed. According to the presentation deck the earliest to start any service is 15 years out. Conceptual Timelines for Implementation (pg 154): Near Term: 2040 - 2050 Mid-Term 2050 - 2060 Long Term: 2060+ I'm still buying green bananas, but I'm not planning on being around to ride anything...
  5. lrh442

    Long Distance (LD) fleet replacement discussion (2022 - 2024Q1)

    Superliners are fluted, no? Edit: I guess they are a mix of fluted and flat panels.
  6. lrh442

    Long Distance (LD) fleet replacement discussion (2022 - 2024Q1)

    Are they painted for purely cosmetic reasons? Or perhaps the car shell is not entirely SS? Seems that polished SS would be lower maintenance than paint. I can't recall any smooth sided heritage/legacy equipment in polished SS, though. Maybe the smooth sided design doesn't hide imperfections...
  7. lrh442

    Tracking FY 2024 Ridership and Finances

    Tangled indeed. Doesn't Amtrak calculate break even using "above the rail costs", which means that the NEC is not charged (in break-even analysis) for anything to do with the track? Yet, LD route economics do get an accounting charge for the fee paid to the host railroad for use of the track...
  8. lrh442

    Tracking FY 2024 Ridership and Finances

    Trains News Wire did an analysis of how equipment shortages are strangling ridership on the LD trains. https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/a-closer-look-at-how-capacity-impacts-growth-on-amtraks-network-analysis/?_ga=2.204494163.27362900.1707329774-215885997.1707329773 A couple...
  9. lrh442

    Tracking FY 2024 Ridership and Finances

    Is there a landing page from which all of the monthly reports can be accessed? I've tried whittling down the URL to back into it, but without success.
  10. lrh442

    Can Union Pacific bring back their own passenger trains?

    UP's revenue in 2022 was $24.8 Billion. In the same year, total revenue for the Coast Starlight (which is 84% on UPRR tracks) was $43M. UP's "share" of that revenue based on mileage would have been $36M. $36M is equivalent to 0.15% of UP's total revenue. It's barely even a rounding error...
  11. lrh442

    Amtrak trains vs pedestrians or motor vehicles; accidents/fatalities

    A little Googling reveals that the minimum required liability coverage for a commercial truck carrying non-hazardous cargo greater than 10K pounds is only $750K. This level was set by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Agency in 1980 and has not been increased since then. Adjusted for inflation...
  12. lrh442

    Careers with Amtrak

    You're right! The ad popped up again and this time I clicked through. It went to a site called Career Boutique and it wanted your email address to show you the purported job openings. I reported it as misleading and possibly a scam.
  13. lrh442

    Careers with Amtrak

    Saw this ad in my Instagram feed. I follow Amtrak's account on Instagram so no doubt it was a targeted ad. Glad to know they are using various channels to try to get new hires on board.
  14. lrh442

    Why no elevated platform in Flagstaff?

    Good point about the platform in LaPlata. I don't know if that location is a rare exception to the "rule", or if there are many locations with platforms greater than 8" above the rail on freight tracks.
  15. lrh442

    Auto Train extension?

    Even though the new ALCs can provide more HEP (head end power) than the P32s, I believe there is a limit to train length related to the amperage that the Superliner trainline cables can carry (~1,200kW for the total system). To maintain an adequate amount of power for each car this usually...
  16. lrh442

    Why no elevated platform in Flagstaff?

    Some background info platform boarding height: Superliners have an 18" above-the-rail boarding height. Most new platforms are built to a minimum of 8" above the rail. Host railroads do not like heights greater than 8" for tracks that are also used for freight traffic. The tracks in Flagstaff...
  17. lrh442

    Long Distance (LD) fleet replacement discussion (2022 - 2024Q1)

    As we speculate on who might be awarded the contract for the LD fleet replacement I compiled some info on which manufacturers produced cars for North America in the past. Additions, corrections, clarifications are welcome. Builders by Fleet Type: Amfleet 1 – Budd (plans purchased by Bombardier...
  18. lrh442

    Long Distance (LD) fleet replacement discussion (2022 - 2024Q1)

    Corridor Rail owns most of them and has been trying to find interested buyers for years now, offering to deliver them in a completely refurbished "zero-age" condition. Corridor Rail Development If Amtrak was serious about expanding passenger service on an accelerated timeline they would give...
  19. lrh442

    HBO's John Oliver looks at freight railroads in the US and Canada ( 12/10/23 )

    This is an entertaining and spot-on critique of Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR). And it is highly relevant to intercity passenger rail because many of the "freight interference" delays suffered by Amtrak are a result of PSR and the cult of lower operating ratios.
  20. lrh442

    Future Amtrak Sleeper and ADA ideas

    This link is to a Rail Passengers Association (RPA) hotline post about Amtrak's proposed framework to accommodate ADA requirements in its upcoming LD fleet order. https://mailchi.mp/narprail/hotline1324 The post addresses multiple myths such as the trainsets being permanently coupled, the...
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