B
Bob Miller
Guest
I mean no disrespect and believe me, I'm rooting for a practical alternative to taking a plane.
As a Miami Beach resident, I often travel to Tampa, Orlando, Atlanta and New York City. I have lost count how many times I have looked up a train to, lets say New York City and the result is 28 to 32! hours. As much as I would love to "stop in a dozen interesting places" I can't understand why there isn't at least once a week, a direct, "as fast as the train can go" express to and from Miami.
Unless there is an infrastructure issue that isn't apparent to the casual observer such as not enough tracks, trains, etc to accommodate such a service, I don't understand why it doesn't exist. Maybe they tried it once 20 years ago and it didn't work? Well guess what? 20 years ago planes weren't the stinking cesspools they are now!
Why, with the recent worldwide bad publicity that all air travel is getting isn't Amtrak advertising a 16 hour non-stop (assuming that's a realistic time) from Miami to NYC and back? Do you have any idea how many New Yorkers would welcome something like that? Leave Friday Morning and get home Monday night! With the current trip time taking longer or as long as just getting in my car and driving and losing two or more days in the process, I'm never going to have the time to take a train until I'm retired. And then I'll have one of those motor homes.
This soapbox speech comes because I just checked to see if we could take the train to Tampa instead of driving... 9 hours. Over double the drive time. Come on now Amtrak!
As a Miami Beach resident, I often travel to Tampa, Orlando, Atlanta and New York City. I have lost count how many times I have looked up a train to, lets say New York City and the result is 28 to 32! hours. As much as I would love to "stop in a dozen interesting places" I can't understand why there isn't at least once a week, a direct, "as fast as the train can go" express to and from Miami.
Unless there is an infrastructure issue that isn't apparent to the casual observer such as not enough tracks, trains, etc to accommodate such a service, I don't understand why it doesn't exist. Maybe they tried it once 20 years ago and it didn't work? Well guess what? 20 years ago planes weren't the stinking cesspools they are now!
Why, with the recent worldwide bad publicity that all air travel is getting isn't Amtrak advertising a 16 hour non-stop (assuming that's a realistic time) from Miami to NYC and back? Do you have any idea how many New Yorkers would welcome something like that? Leave Friday Morning and get home Monday night! With the current trip time taking longer or as long as just getting in my car and driving and losing two or more days in the process, I'm never going to have the time to take a train until I'm retired. And then I'll have one of those motor homes.
This soapbox speech comes because I just checked to see if we could take the train to Tampa instead of driving... 9 hours. Over double the drive time. Come on now Amtrak!