I have just joined this group and figured that I should get in with both feet, so to speak, so here it goes.
Imagine some time in the near future that Congress and the President decide that the time has come to defund Amtrak except for funding to the Northeast Corridor that would be matched by the states. What, if anything could survive?
1. Would portions of the western long distance trains survive to become seasonal Rocky Mountaineer type of operations?
2. Would the eastern long distance trains be reduced to daytime coach only trains like the Palmetto, or be cut back to short haul corridor type service?
3. Could Auto Train revert back to private operation with a Disney/Marriott consortium running it?
4. The Hoosier State fiasco notwithstanding, would the states that support regional passenger rail service see this as an opportunity to find a lower cost way of providing that service through Iowa Pacific or someone else?
5. Regarding the NEC, would Amtrak be forced to give up the corridor to a network rail style of infrastructure firm and be content to run the trains, or retain the NEC and give up the trains to someone else to run?
6. If it proves to be a roaring success ( a pretty sizeable if ) could FEC's All Aboard Florida , as well as the Texas Central plan, be potential models for other rail entrepreneurs?
I thank you for the chance to post this and I look forward to the responses.
Imagine some time in the near future that Congress and the President decide that the time has come to defund Amtrak except for funding to the Northeast Corridor that would be matched by the states. What, if anything could survive?
1. Would portions of the western long distance trains survive to become seasonal Rocky Mountaineer type of operations?
2. Would the eastern long distance trains be reduced to daytime coach only trains like the Palmetto, or be cut back to short haul corridor type service?
3. Could Auto Train revert back to private operation with a Disney/Marriott consortium running it?
4. The Hoosier State fiasco notwithstanding, would the states that support regional passenger rail service see this as an opportunity to find a lower cost way of providing that service through Iowa Pacific or someone else?
5. Regarding the NEC, would Amtrak be forced to give up the corridor to a network rail style of infrastructure firm and be content to run the trains, or retain the NEC and give up the trains to someone else to run?
6. If it proves to be a roaring success ( a pretty sizeable if ) could FEC's All Aboard Florida , as well as the Texas Central plan, be potential models for other rail entrepreneurs?
I thank you for the chance to post this and I look forward to the responses.