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JWB7400 Member # 1206	posted If a person misses a flight it's their fault,but if they miss a train it's the train's fault.What is wrong with this picture ! Also ,If Amtrak would quit making so many stops and have centralized locations every 75 or 100 miles it would greatly reduce the lateness.If you from from Atlanta to Dallas you don't every 10 miles to pick up passengers!
Geoff Mayo Member # 153	posted Would you drive 40-50 miles to pick up a train? No, you'd probably drive the whole distance if it was only a couple of hundred miles. Airlines can't make stops every 100 miles - they'd spend more time on the ground taxiing than in the air flying. Buses, trains, and planes have different purposes. If I was travelling for business and in a rush, then I'd take a bus for (say) less than 100miles, train if between 100 and 500 miles, and plane if over 500 miles. It basically boils down to: - where you want to go - when you want to go - how much you want to pay - physcological (sp?) factors (eg fear of flight) Geoff M.
Mr. Toy Member # 311	posted If a person misses a flight it's their fault,but if they miss a train it's the train's fault. I'm not sure of your point here. If someone misses a train with a guaranteed connection, it is indeed the "train's" (Amtrak's) fault. If someone arrives at the station after the scheduled departure time that his/her fault. Same with airlines, in both regards. Also ,If Amtrak would quit making so many stops and have centralized locations every 75 or 100 miles it would greatly reduce the lateness. The frequency of stops depends on the population density and type of service. Long distance trains can go for hundreds of miles between stops, especially out west where population is sparse. Regional trains serving dense population corridors will stop more often. The two types of trains require different methods of operation. Late trains are not caused by scheduled stops. The time for stops is built into the schedules. Late trains are caused by poor track conditions and freight traffic encountered en-route. These matters are out of Amtrak's control. ------------------ Trust God, love your neighbor, and never mistake opinion for truth. -Mr. Toy The Del Monte Club Car [This message has been edited by Mr. Toy (edited 01-01-2002).]
lakeshorelimited Member # 576	posted It's been said time and time again that one of the big advantages of trains is that they can make multiple stops. The percentage of long distance train passengers travelling from start to end point is actually quite low. Most passengers use the train to stop along the route, an advantage the train has over airlines. Centralized locations would only defeat this purpose and lower ridership.. In my opinion, limited stops on a nationwide scale might work if we had a TGV type system where some trains wouldn't stop for every small town every 10 miles. There would be regionals, and through trains. That's the concept behind the Acela Ex- fast train, limited stops. But in my opinion, for long distance trains, stops don't take up the majority of the time en route, and aren't the major cause of delays.

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