posted
New Jersey Transit and Long Island Rail Road have published their Amtrak strike contingency plans.
CALTRAIN has said "If there's a strike, then we're shut down."
Didn't Metrolink find a new vendor besides Amtrak to staff their trains?
It's gonna be gridlock in a fair number of cities. Are you ready to watch?
After all, the price of the PEB is only $150 million... that Amtrak doesn't have. Their options to get it are 1) Cut services, 2) Raise fares, 3) Ask Congress for a supplemental.
Posts: 1404 | Registered: Oct 2001
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posted
I say let them strike. We might shock ourselves into the 21st Century and get something that actually works OK.
On the other hand, I hope that the strike is not until 1/31 as I am planning to take #21 from DAL to AUS 1/30. Totally selfish as always - along with everyone else LOL!!
Posts: 326 | From: San Antonio Texas USA | Registered: Dec 2003
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If Caltrain shuts down, it will be a mess here in the Bay Area, that's for sure.....
Re: Metrolink.....it's not Amtrak crews. I forget the name of the company that operates those trains though. I wanna say Herzog, but I don't think I'm correct.
Posts: 2355 | From: Pleasanton, CA | Registered: Apr 2007
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But any provision to blanketly afford Senior Citizens a free ride is absurd. I for one, at age 67 and able bodied, can quite afford to pay my freight; so can the vast majority. For those who cannot, free rides can be added to the array of benefits that an existing "litmus" (need) program named Circuit Breaker offers to Seniors whose need for such has been established.
But then, Seniors are a very reliable voting bloc; and there are no term limits attached to any Illinois public office coming to mind.
Posts: 9976 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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posted
I had forgotten this was an issue. I am going to DC Feb 7-10 and hope this is resolved. If not I might have to consider driving from New Haven, which I said I would never do again. Or fly. At this late stage the lower fares from Hartford probably are sold out. I haven't flown from NY in many years because of the hassle involved in getting there, but I might have to consider that. Then there is the hassle of getting from Reagan airport to my hotel in NW DC with my heavy suitcase. The scenarios just are not good. I just hope a strike can be averted.
Posts: 17 | From: CT | Registered: Mar 2007
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posted
One result of all these threats is that if they ever came to pass, passengers are not going to discern between Amtrak management and Amtrak labor. The average man and woman on the street will tell their congress member to "get rid of Amtrak." Any strike of this magnitude will be enough to push those elected officials on the bench to the anti-Amtrak, and anti-passenger rail, side of railroad issues.
Get the issues settled, otherwise there may be no passenger trains outside of commuter rail.
-------------------- "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one corner of the Earth all one's life." Posts: 506 | From: Wisconsin | Registered: Mar 2002
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There seems to have been a tentative settlement this morning.
Posts: 2236 | From: Evanston, Ill. and Ontonagon, Mich. | Registered: Feb 2007
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posted
I guess I can say "never mind" about my earlier post. In any case I am relieved. Any shutdown of Amtrak would create huge travel headaches for a lot of people. So this is good news. I hope the agreement stands.
Posts: 17 | From: CT | Registered: Mar 2007
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posted
Thanks Henry for the good news, hope it holds. Just received tickets this am for SWC/LSL trip starting Jan. 30.
Posts: 2397 | From: Camden, SC | Registered: Mar 2006
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I just hope a strike can be averted.
