ScottRu
Service Attendant
Reconfigure the Autotrain with shorter car carriers that will allow that train way up the NEC.
Well there is still the overall restriction on just how much juice can be pumped through the HEP cables. However, the Viewliner cars being smaller draw less power than the bi-level Superliner cars. So you can have more Viewliner cars than Superliner cars, but still I suspect that you'd be cutting capacity some as I don't believe that a Superliner car draws double the power that a Viewliner car draws.Then you'd either lose ridership going to cars w/ less capacity or have to split the train into two sections (increasing costs) to keep the same ridership (assuming that the Viewliners have the same HEP restrictions the Superliners do).
Pittsburg, Kansas, or Pittsburg, California? In a day? From the east?Have every Keystone train all the way to Pittsburgh or at least increase frequency so you can do day trips to Pittsburg from the east.
I would wanthe the Georgian back. It could get plenty of passengers. SAV is too far from CHI for a day train.I am interested in your thought about a " Peach State". It so happens that there was once a very fine streamliner called the Georgian which ran overnight from Chicago to Atlanta via Evansville,Nashville and Chattanooga. A typical schedule was to leave Chicago 4 pm CST arrive Atlanta the next morning at 8.35 am EST. The trip from Atlanta to Savannah would have added about six hours . The Georgian also had a section which ran from ST Louis to Atlanta, added on in Evansville.Extend the Palmetto north to Montreal (along the route of the old Montrealer) and south to Miami (on the route of the Silver Meteor). Evening departure from Montreal, morning through the NEC, overnight to Jacksonville, morning through Florida.
Restore the South Wind between Chicago-Indianapolis-Lousiville-Nashville-Chattanooga-Atlanta-Macon-Valdosta-Florida (yes I know Amtrak's South Wind/Floridian went through Alabama, not Atlanta). Extensive upgrades to speed up Chicago to Louisville.
Restore the Floridian between Chicago-Indianapolis-Louisville-Nashille-Birmingham-Mongtommery-Waycross-Florida.
Restore Southern's Royal Palm, but extended north to Toronto. Toronto-Buffalo-Cleveland-Columbus-Cincinnati-Chattanooga (via Rathole)-Atlanta-Macon-Valdosta-Florida.
New service (Peach State?) between Chicago-Evansville-Nashville-Chattanooga-Atlanta-Savannah. Track and capacity upgrades should allow for a daytime schedule similar to the current Palmetto.
Day train between Atlanta and DC.
And this:
The first thing I would do is make absolutely certain there is no way the TSA will ever get near an Amtrak station. The Amtrak Police already does a superior job of keeping the trains safe by using unobtrusive security measures.
This train was widely marketed as being a business persons schedule, i.e sleep and eat on the train, no hotel
Chicago to Atlanta and Chicago to Florida are really two different markets and it would be so neat to have them back,having grown up with them. Selfishness aside we sorely need these markets today for themselves and also for making connections and not just for poor little me.
I'd think it'd make more sense to have it go all the way up to Minneapolis, then shoot down to Sioux Falls. Minneapolis needs another train from Chicago anyways, and it's quite a large market to miss out on (more than would be gained from having a Dubuque-LaX train.)Add Chicago-Dubuque-LaCrosse, WI (timed with connection to EB)-Sioux Falls, SD-Rapid City, SD (Black Hills)-Yellowstone-Southern Idaho-Portland.
Adds two states with no Amtrak service and a third that really doesn't have it (Idaho). Adds access to two prime vacation areas.
Plus I could take the train to my folk's place instead of driving for 10 hours.
Yeah, I realized after I posted that SAV would be too far for a day train. Though, if it left ATL at 11 pm and took 6 hours to get to SAV, it would be a 5 am arrival and could connect with the SB Silver Meteor at SAV.I would wanthe the Georgian back. It could get plenty of passengers. SAV is too far from CHI for a day train.I am interested in your thought about a " Peach State". It so happens that there was once a very fine streamliner called the Georgian which ran overnight from Chicago to Atlanta via Evansville,Nashville and Chattanooga. A typical schedule was to leave Chicago 4 pm CST arrive Atlanta the next morning at 8.35 am EST. The trip from Atlanta to Savannah would have added about six hours . The Georgian also had a section which ran from ST Louis to Atlanta, added on in Evansville.Extend the Palmetto north to Montreal (along the route of the old Montrealer) and south to Miami (on the route of the Silver Meteor). Evening departure from Montreal, morning through the NEC, overnight to Jacksonville, morning through Florida.
Restore the South Wind between Chicago-Indianapolis-Lousiville-Nashville-Chattanooga-Atlanta-Macon-Valdosta-Florida (yes I know Amtrak's South Wind/Floridian went through Alabama, not Atlanta). Extensive upgrades to speed up Chicago to Louisville.
Restore the Floridian between Chicago-Indianapolis-Louisville-Nashille-Birmingham-Mongtommery-Waycross-Florida.
Restore Southern's Royal Palm, but extended north to Toronto. Toronto-Buffalo-Cleveland-Columbus-Cincinnati-Chattanooga (via Rathole)-Atlanta-Macon-Valdosta-Florida.
New service (Peach State?) between Chicago-Evansville-Nashville-Chattanooga-Atlanta-Savannah. Track and capacity upgrades should allow for a daytime schedule similar to the current Palmetto.
Day train between Atlanta and DC.
And this:
The first thing I would do is make absolutely certain there is no way the TSA will ever get near an Amtrak station. The Amtrak Police already does a superior job of keeping the trains safe by using unobtrusive security measures.
This train was widely marketed as being a business persons schedule, i.e sleep and eat on the train, no hotel
Chicago to Atlanta and Chicago to Florida are really two different markets and it would be so neat to have them back,having grown up with them. Selfishness aside we sorely need these markets today for themselves and also for making connections and not just for poor little me.
If you're going to cannect with the SM anyway then you might as well run to MIA. The problem with track capacity is north of ATL, so if you use infinite funding to double-track it, you could just run the whole CHI-MIA on one train, serving many markets at the same time.Yeah, I realized after I posted that SAV would be too far for a day train. Though, if it left ATL at 11 pm and took 6 hours to get to SAV, it would be a 5 am arrival and could connect with the SB Silver Meteor at SAV.I would wanthe the Georgian back. It could get plenty of passengers. SAV is too far from CHI for a day train.I am interested in your thought about a " Peach State". It so happens that there was once a very fine streamliner called the Georgian which ran overnight from Chicago to Atlanta via Evansville,Nashville and Chattanooga. A typical schedule was to leave Chicago 4 pm CST arrive Atlanta the next morning at 8.35 am EST. The trip from Atlanta to Savannah would have added about six hours . The Georgian also had a section which ran from ST Louis to Atlanta, added on in Evansville.Extend the Palmetto north to Montreal (along the route of the old Montrealer) and south to Miami (on the route of the Silver Meteor). Evening departure from Montreal, morning through the NEC, overnight to Jacksonville, morning through Florida.
Restore the South Wind between Chicago-Indianapolis-Lousiville-Nashville-Chattanooga-Atlanta-Macon-Valdosta-Florida (yes I know Amtrak's South Wind/Floridian went through Alabama, not Atlanta). Extensive upgrades to speed up Chicago to Louisville.
Restore the Floridian between Chicago-Indianapolis-Louisville-Nashille-Birmingham-Mongtommery-Waycross-Florida.
Restore Southern's Royal Palm, but extended north to Toronto. Toronto-Buffalo-Cleveland-Columbus-Cincinnati-Chattanooga (via Rathole)-Atlanta-Macon-Valdosta-Florida.
New service (Peach State?) between Chicago-Evansville-Nashville-Chattanooga-Atlanta-Savannah. Track and capacity upgrades should allow for a daytime schedule similar to the current Palmetto.
Day train between Atlanta and DC.
And this:
The first thing I would do is make absolutely certain there is no way the TSA will ever get near an Amtrak station. The Amtrak Police already does a superior job of keeping the trains safe by using unobtrusive security measures.
This train was widely marketed as being a business persons schedule, i.e sleep and eat on the train, no hotel
Chicago to Atlanta and Chicago to Florida are really two different markets and it would be so neat to have them back,having grown up with them. Selfishness aside we sorely need these markets today for themselves and also for making connections and not just for poor little me.
Amtrak already operates a whole bunch what are essentially Bombardier Commuter Coaches in the way of the Horizon Cars.Side note:Can someone pin this?Something I think would be interesting is if Amtrak would by some Bombardier Commuter coaches and run them as short day trains. Like the northwest SEA-PDX One F59phi and 5 coaches per trip. No cafe or car attendants. Just a conductor and the occasional security officer.
I know... but we're dreaming here. (And I suppose you could have a shorter, one-story consist that began in NYP and then joined the taller consist in Lorton.)You'd need a whole mess of single level coaches and sleeping cars to do that as well.
Then you'd either lose ridership going to cars w/ less capacity or have to split the train into two sections (increasing costs) to keep the same ridership (assuming that the Viewliners have the same HEP restrictions the Superliners do).
Either way, Autotrain on the NEC isn't really feasible. Working with CSX to take it up their freight tracks would be a far better plan.
I considered Rockford-Madison-LaCrosse, but Madison is but a short 25-mile drive from the Columbus stop on the EB. A Dubuque route would provide Chicago access to Galena and NW IL which are prime Chicago weekend getaway spots.I'd think it'd make more sense to have it go all the way up to Minneapolis, then shoot down to Sioux Falls. Minneapolis needs another train from Chicago anyways, and it's quite a large market to miss out on (more than would be gained from having a Dubuque-LaX train.)Add Chicago-Dubuque-LaCrosse, WI (timed with connection to EB)-Sioux Falls, SD-Rapid City, SD (Black Hills)-Yellowstone-Southern Idaho-Portland.
Adds two states with no Amtrak service and a third that really doesn't have it (Idaho). Adds access to two prime vacation areas.
Plus I could take the train to my folk's place instead of driving for 10 hours.
That's a bit extreme IMHO. While I'd support a serious mid-life overhaul/refurbishment, 15 years is not even half the life expectancy of a rail car. One is just throwing money out the window if one retires railcars at 15 years. 30 years might be a more acceptable rule.3. New equipment on every route. Nothing older than 15 years. Get it all on a fixed replacement cycle to ensure equipment isn't kept in service just because there's nothing else we can use.
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