New Orlando?

[Guest_Fan_Trains]

Using the US rail Network as a giant toy trainset, how can we fill the gaping hole in the Amtrak national system while New Orleans is unavailable?

1. Run the City of New Orleans Memphis-Jackson-Pensacola-Orlando Restores long lost CHI-Florida service, keeps intact part of the sunset Route and uses an existing Superliner turning and service point.

2. Run the Crescent from Meridian to Houston & San Antonio, or Meridian to Dallas. fix the times so you could change trains at Meridian and salvage the transcon Sunset Route if you are willing to change trains twice. Do we have enough viewliners to do this?

3. If the Crescent goes to Dallas, run the Heartland Flyer to Houston. A City as large as Houston must have service.

4. Or could the Sunset run LAX-Houston-Meridian and connect there to Florida and D.C. The Meridian Mayor is an Amtrak supporter and maybe he could figure out how to turn and service a Superliner there.

any other sugestions? Are their routes that can handle passenger trains in those directions? I am assuming Mobile is also out of the picture for awhile too.

 

[AlanB]

It's hard to say for sure just what will happen with train service in that area for sure. However, at present a lot of what will happen depends on when the City of New Orleans lifts the mandatory evacuation order.

As far as Amtrak is concerned, all reports indicate that the actual station suffered no serious damage. One of the shops lost it's roof and there may be a bit of track work needed. But overall the only thing that might prevent restoring service, would be power. I'm not sure if that's back on in that area yet. Last I knew an Amtrak P42 was still supplying power to the station.

So in theory, as of today, Amtrak could technically restore the Crescent to NOL. Norfolk Southern today reopened it's Lake Ponchetrain bridge and has restored train service into its yard in NOL.

Amtrak of course can't restore the Crescent to NOL, for a few reasons. One, there is no place for anyone to go, since by and large the city remains closed. Two, Amtrak would have no place to put the needed crews and ground support personel. Three, Amtrak would currently be unable to restock the train with supplies.

I haven't seen a recent update on the status on the CN line, which the CONO uses, but if it's not back in action at present, it should be very soon. We already know of course that BNSF is getting into the city from the west, thanks to the evacuation train.

The only true unknown in my book is the CSX line that the Sunset needs to head east of the city towards Mississippi and ultimately Orlando.

But the bottom line here is that once the mayor reopens the city, if Amtrak can crew the trains properly and deal with ground/station support issues, Amtrak could probably restore all services to NOL within the next week or two, with the possible exception of the Sunset route between NOL and ORL.

Of course the other question would be, how many people will want to go to the city and is it worthwhile restoring the services? Of course the NOL airport just reopened to passenger service today, although it's a fraction of the normal amount of planes for that airport. So things are starting to improve and services are coming back.

 

[battalion51]

Alan, I don't know how quickly you'll start to see service come back. Besides the reasons you mentioned, the station is still functioning as a jail. I've also heard through the chain that a manager or two has cleaned out their office (they haven't been relieved of duty, but they are cleaning out the office), so that can't be a good sign. I'd say it'd be mid-October at the earliest before we see service again.

 

[AmtrakWPK]

What's really scary for the country at large is that the center of shipping and oil that the affected area represents is of enormous economic importance to all of us. The ports of south louisiana and new orleans collectively are the largest port, by tonnage, in the u.s., and the fifth largest in the world. More than 50 million tons of outgoing cargo goes out from that port, of which more than half is agricultural products from the heartland of the country, brought down by barge on the Mississippi. If it can't use that port, it would rot in silos, because any other method of transport would cost more than the product is worth. And more than 50 million tons of cargo arrives from abroad to the same port. Then you add all the oil from both the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port that services supertankers, Port Fourchon, the center of oil extraction operations, and all the refineries.

The good news seems to be that most of those facilities have only minor damage. The river hasn't changed course, and appears, at least, not to have major silting. Either of those would have shut down shipping for a considerable time. The bad news, the developing crisis, the really serious problem, is that it is starting to appear that a large proportion of the local population that was evacuated to all over the u.s., isn't going to return. I've seen a lot of interviews of those folks, in Texas, Arizona, Utah, and elsewhere, saying they have decided to put down roots there, to move in with family or friends in those places, and not move back to NOL. That population is absolutely vital to the operation of all those facilities and industries, not just for the workers, but for all the infrastructure of "civlization" - government, transportation, grocery stores, banks, other local businesses, etc., etc. If those folks don't return to their homes to get all of the little engines of local commerce and services running, so that the people that operate shipping and refining and so forth have a "community" within which to live, the whole country could be looking at a very, very serious economic crisis. We've GOT to be able to get that cargo transhipped, and we've GOT to have that petroleum transported and refined. Tourism is of course a large factor in financing a lot of the local economy there, and I guess that's the part (Amtrak's role in it) that we here usually focus on, but it's the shipping and petroleum industries there that will either put us in a recession or not. All the deaths and the destruction of property is horrendous and heartbreaking, but the conomic consequences of a permanently displaced population could be a whole lot worse.

 

[IceColdMintJulep]

The latest I seen from CSX is that it will take "some time" to repair the line from Pascagoula to NOL as several bridges have damage. I bet "some time" means after October.

 

[haolerider]

I am sure "after October" is going to be pretty accurate.

 

[Miami Joe]

Amtrak has already had engineers in the facility to estimate repairs.

The electrical service will be the most complex to repair! Wheelpit motors, 480 boxes, etc. will need to be replaced or overhauled because of grit in contactors, motors grounded, etc.

Gunn said that repairs can be done with the prisoners on the property.

The largest hurdle is the CSX's rail. To get the rescue trains into NOL from the East, 3 or 4 different companies tracks were utilized to get there!

Will update as info is posted!

MJ B)