Yes Virginia there may be a Sunset Limited running east of New Orleans

[AlanB]

Someone want to add a poll to this thread. I'd like to see what us at AU think is the best option.

Done!

 

[AlanB]

I am curious if that SL route has extended. Will New Orleans station handle the capacity for passengers during layover?

If the Sunset is reextended east of NOL, the the passengers that are on the train into NOL will just remain on the train. A few curious might decide to go into the station depending on just how long the layover is, but many won't.

If they don't extend the Sunset east, but instead choose one of the other options, then things would get a bit more interesting. The station itself has the capacity for the passengers, the problem would be with the Magnolia Room, the first class lounge. That doesn't have the capacity.

This past weekend I went to New Orleans for Jazz Fest and to pick up some tickets. I was speaking with one of the station agents and they said that they were planning on expanding the Magnolia Room. It seems that there are some recently vacated Amtrak offices behind the lounge. These offices have apparently been moved to another area in the station.

That's very good to hear.

 

[had8ley]

He goes on to say that these scenarios, and the associated costs, will be presented to Congress on or before July 16th. Let's keep our fingers crossed that service will start soon after.

Considering that Congress is not even in session at that time, I would not keep them crossed for too long.

Not to fret~ I won't be standing on Track #6 platform with my bags packed on July 17th. Do you ever stop to think that this is possibly an Amtrak stall tactic to add to the almost four years of "We don't have a Mobile station so we can't run a train?" I'll take all bets that this proposal WON'T be presented until Congress is home eating watermelon and kissing babies for the 4th of July recess. IF we get service by the first of next year I, for one, will be amazed.

 

[Long Train Runnin']

Well there will at least be some studies! How could we do anyhing with out an in depth study!

 

[Larry H.]

I just sent off a note to our Senator Durbin who is normally a real Amtrak Booster. I outlined the early results of this poll and gave him my suggestion for extending the River Cities into either Omaha or Denver, and perhaps on to New York, Washington. What a difference that couple things could make.

 

[cpamtfan]

I think if you timed everything right, you could have a seperate train, except on three days it would use Superliner equipment (ala CONO) and four times with single level (when running it with single level equipment, extension to Miami) using Silver Service/Crescent equipment.

cpamtfan-Peter

 

[had8ley]

I just voted in the poll. I must say that the City thru to Orlando makes a lot of sense IF there are proper connections with the Crescent and Sunset. The most important aspect of this is daily LD service which would hopefully show Amtrak that tri-weekly service is a bean counters worst idea. Also, the IC/CN provided excellent OTP's even during boom times as opposed to the UP's devastating side tracking of the Sunset at almost every opportunity. I'm not poo-pooing any idea to go east of NOL but to trust the UP again would be equivalent to buying the Brooklyn Bridge.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

I'm not a fan of extending the CONO. I happen to like the current setup... regarding that train specifically. But it seems to be the most logical of the three choices.

EDIT: I would be a fan of a train 590 and 580 or something to that would help separate the pax-- otherwise you're going to deal with higher room prices and such.. You'd need to add cars to the consist anyway...

 

[printman2000]

Extending the CONO would really need to have a lounge back and get a real dining car back.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

Extending the CONO would really need to have a lounge back and get a real dining car back.

Yeah. And from what I've heard the CCC on the CONO has been more or less well received-- but that CCC couldn't handle more pax... and yes a sightseer would be needed. But I can't justify a diner and a CCC and a sightseer-- one of them has to go.

 

[printman2000]

Extending the CONO would really need to have a lounge back and get a real dining car back.

Yeah. And from what I've heard the CCC on the CONO has been more or less well received-- but that CCC couldn't handle more pax... and yes a sightseer would be needed. But I can't justify a diner and a CCC and a sightseer-- one of them has to go.

That is what I meant. Exchange the CCC for a dining car.

 

[AlanB]

I'm not poo-pooing any idea to go east of NOL but to trust the UP again would be equivalent to buying the Brooklyn Bridge.

Actually with the legislation that was passed near the end of last year, one doesn't need to worry quite so much about UP. The new rules and fines that the FRA is now able to impose will help keep UP in line.

 

[MattW]

I had to vote with stand alone overnight (daily). If Atlanta's going to get another train sometime in the next century, it might as well go CHI-ATL-ORL and maybe MIA. CHI-NOL-ORL would basically prevent this.

 

[jis]

I'm not poo-pooing any idea to go east of NOL but to trust the UP again would be equivalent to buying the Brooklyn Bridge.

Actually with the legislation that was passed near the end of last year, one doesn't need to worry quite so much about UP. The new rules and fines that the FRA is now able to impose will help keep UP in line.

I may be wrong in my recollection, but isn't it the Surf-Board (STB) that is the primary body that handles action against operating railroads that fail to stay within the operating parameters for Amtrak trains set by the act late last year?

 

[saxman]

I had to vote with stand alone overnight (daily). If Atlanta's going to get another train sometime in the next century, it might as well go CHI-ATL-ORL and maybe MIA. CHI-NOL-ORL would basically prevent this.

How would that prevent ATL not getting additional service ever? Even if there were CHI-ATL-FL service it is probably still years away due to track condition. So adding extending CONO service to Florida, IMHO, would not prevent future ATL service.

I must say that the City thru to Orlando makes a lot of sense IF there are proper connections with the Crescent and Sunset.

How would it be able to get a same day Crescent connection? Right now it gets into NOL late in the evening and leaves early in the morning. I've pondered several scenarios of making a same day connection from the Crescent to the Sunset, but can't seem to come up with any without messing up another connection on the other end. If it leaves NOL after the Sunset arrives in the late afternoon, you'd miss the connection to the Capitol Ltd in DC. If the Sunset left later, you'd mess up Texas Eagle connections. Of course all this would be solved by two daily trains, but hey...I'm trying to be realistic.

 

[MattW]

Simple, I've discovered that politicians look at a small part of the big picture even IF they look at the "big picture." A politician's going to see Midwesterners gong to Florida, not the communities (including Atlanta) in between. So if you already have direct CHI-Florida service, a politician's not going to give as much thought to a CHI-ATL-Florida service as the endpoints are the same.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

A stand-alone train might be nice-- but in all fairness there needs to be service along the Gulf Coast more than there needs to be another CHI-ATL-ORL train. I would support a 'stand alone' but not as an overnight, unless you can it on a weird routing. I think a day train would be more appropriate if it can make the proper connections. Then again, I wouldn't want this to turn into another Silver Palm gone Palmetto.... Perhaps the original Sunset is the best--

 

[George Harris]

How would it be able to get a same day Crescent connection? Right now it gets into NOL late in the evening and leaves early in the morning. I've pondered several scenarios of making a same day connection from the Crescent to the Sunset, but can't seem to come up with any without messing up another connection on the other end.

Dedicated bus between Mobile AL and Meridian MS. Straight up US 45, 135 miles, less than 3 hours.

 

[saxman]

A stand-alone train might be nice-- but in all fairness there needs to be service along the Gulf Coast more than there needs to be another CHI-ATL-ORL train. I would support a 'stand alone' but not as an overnight, unless you can it on a weird routing. I think a day train would be more appropriate if it can make the proper connections. Then again, I wouldn't want this to turn into another Silver Palm gone Palmetto.... Perhaps the original Sunset is the best--

A day train would break the connections from the CONO and the current Sunset Ltd, because it would probably have to leave early in the morning from NOL and arriving wouldn't get there until in the evening. I don't think an overnight train is such a bad thing.

Dedicated bus between Mobile AL and Meridian MS. Straight up US 45, 135 miles, less than 3 hours.

Ok, yeah that would solve it going connecting to the eastern route, but what if I come down the Crescent and continue westbound?

 

[had8ley]

I'm not poo-pooing any idea to go east of NOL but to trust the UP again would be equivalent to buying the Brooklyn Bridge.

Actually with the legislation that was passed near the end of last year, one doesn't need to worry quite so much about UP. The new rules and fines that the FRA is now able to impose will help keep UP in line.

Not to trump you Alan but I've been party to an FRA hearing where a high six figure fine to the UP was whittled down to $1,500 by UP lawyers. I'd trust a python in my pants pocket before I'd even consider trusting a UP lawyer.

 

[henryj]

The way I see this is it really comes down to equpment availability. Right now the EB Sunset train set sits in New Orleans for three days before returning west. That set is the one that went on to Orlando. Amtrak could restore service east of NOL immediately if you returned to the pre-Katrina schedule, but only for three days a week. This might be the best thing to do in the short term. To extend the CONO on to Orlando would take two more sets of equipment which Amtrak doesn't have. The Sunset has four sets of equipment dedicated to the service now. It would take seven to make it daily to Orlando, or five to make it daily to New Orleans with a connecting train between New Orleans and Orlando. If you use a connecting train it could be anything Amtrak could dredge up, probably single level equipment. Any service between New Orleans and JAX/ORL is going to be an overnight train in order to make connections in New Orleans. So the next phase might be a daily Sunset LAX to NOL with connecting service to Florida as this would only require one more set of Superliner equipment with a phase three being a through daily Superliner Sunset. Extending the CONO is an interesting option. It depends on how many people would really travel through on an extended CONO. Perhaps a through car or two would be an option. Amtrak complains about the long route for a Sunset running between LAX and ORL which is 2,759 miles. However, the Texas Eagle LAX to CHI is 2,728 miles and they don't complain about that one. Really this all boils down to politics and equipment. Who has the most influence and what equipment is available.

 

[WICT106]

I'm inclined to agree with other posters here who state that it should be some sort of stand-alone train, with connecting service at both New Orleans and Jacksonville or Orlando. I feel apprehensive about the ability of the train to keep its schedule if it becomes part of a longer distance run. I also think that it should be twice per day each way operation, or two frequencies per day. Once per day just is inconvenient, unless you're located at one of the "Sweet Spots" of the Builder's schedule (as I am).

 

[Green Maned Lion]

I'm not poo-pooing any idea to go east of NOL but to trust the UP again would be equivalent to buying the Brooklyn Bridge.

Actually with the legislation that was passed near the end of last year, one doesn't need to worry quite so much about UP. The new rules and fines that the FRA is now able to impose will help keep UP in line.

Not to trump you Alan but I've been party to an FRA hearing where a high six figure fine to the UP was whittled down to $1,500 by UP lawyers. I'd trust a python in my pants pocket before I'd even consider trusting a UP lawyer.

Each time they go through the court system, the precedent adds to the case. It won't stay that low for long.

 

[amtrakwolverine]

from reports from the beach grove meeting. no Virgina these is no sunset limited east of NO or west either.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

I'm not poo-pooing any idea to go east of NOL but to trust the UP again would be equivalent to buying the Brooklyn Bridge.

Actually with the legislation that was passed near the end of last year, one doesn't need to worry quite so much about UP. The new rules and fines that the FRA is now able to impose will help keep UP in line.

Not to trump you Alan but I've been party to an FRA hearing where a high six figure fine to the UP was whittled down to $1,500 by UP lawyers. I'd trust a python in my pants pocket before I'd even consider trusting a UP lawyer.

Each time they go through the court system, the precedent adds to the case. It won't stay that low for long.

Not to mention UP has to pay these layers 6 figures and each time they get a case they usually have to cough up something more-- the more legal battles UP has to go through, the more money it costs them in the long run.