Well, I'm glad Amtrak will be runnning through the summer since I have vacations planned and I'll need the train.
SO CA train Question: What reforms are being suggested route wise? Will long distance trains such as the Coast Starlight cease to exist. I know that the Pacific Surfliner only makes one trip a day to San Luis Obispo; the other being the Coast Starlight on it's way west. Will Surfliner make additional trips up north once long distance lines are gone?
Posted by MPALMER (Member # 125) on :
If Surfliner ever extends further north, it would probably take years before it could be approved. Even though there is not that much freight traffic to contend with, there are still tons of regulatory hoops to jump through to get anything like that done.
There are also issues of equipment availability, etc.
Posted by reggierail (Member # 26) on :
I hope no reduction in routes will be considered. Our national system needs to be expanded, not reduced. A good place to start would be to make the Sunset Ltd. a daily train. Extending the Kentucky Cardinal to Nashville then Atlanta & Florida would be a very popular route. Imagine Chicago to Florida in one night. Extending one of the Silver Service trains to Boston & another to Montreal are good ideas too.
Reggie
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Posted by reggierail (Member # 26) on :
Another popular train would be LA or San Diego even, to Seattle or Vancouver B.C. You'd have overnight service from LA to the bay area and a second day morning arrival into Seattle.
Reggie
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Posted by trainman1 (Member # 1392) on :
I recall reading somewhere that California had been interested in adding a daily train from L.A. to San Francisco, going north from San Jose via the Caltrain route up the peninsula, probably running a couple of hours ahead of the Coast Starlight's schedule in both directions...but it was on hold due to California's current budgetary problems.
Unfortunately, since one of the provisions of the Amtrak funding agreement is that they not add new routes (or even study them) until at least October 2003, it looks like all this will be a long time coming.
Posted by Mr. Toy (Member # 311) on :
quote:Originally posted by trainman1: I recall reading somewhere that California had been interested in adding a daily train from L.A. to San Francisco, going north from San Jose via the Caltrain route up the peninsula, probably running a couple of hours ahead of the Coast Starlight's schedule in both directions...but it was on hold due to California's current budgetary problems.
The Coast Daylight is still very much in California's rail planning. I think start-up is now scheduled for 2003 or 2004, I'm not sure.
being from the midwest my vote would have to go for a chicago/florida train. better yet an auto train.
Posted by Kairho (Member # 1567) on :
I'd be happy just to have a train that comes through here at other than 1 AM and 4 AM . . .
Posted by CNJ (Member # 1465) on :
I believe that the Sunset would work better in its original incarnation as a Los Angeles to New Orleans train.
Have a connecting train from New Orleans to Orlando/Tampa/Miami.
I would also seriously consider whether some routes currently running a single train a day could perhaps function with a additional train.
Start giving a hard look on new routing that makes sense.
Regards......
Posted by RRRICH (Member # 1418) on :
Has anyone heard anything more on a proposed restructuring of the Sunset Ltd route that would bypass San Antonio? A couple years ago, there was talk of having that train rerouted El Paso-Abilene-Dallas, then adding a section of the Crescent from Birmingham to Dallas via (presumably) Jackson, MS, and Shreveport. Assuming AMTRAK does not die and new routes will be added, is this still being considered?
[This message has been edited by RRRICH (edited 07-11-2002).]
[This message has been edited by RRRICH (edited 07-11-2002).]
Posted by Silver Star (Member # 1570) on :
A friend "In the Know" says there is some discussion of a reroute of the Sunset. I don't know if it is the same as was proposed before. It probably would do better if it ran straight from N Orleans to Dallas (not via Houston) then west onto BNSF via Flagstaff to LA. That won't happen as that ends service to Houston, El Paso, and the Phoenix "area" as well as limiting San Antonio to the Eagle only.
Posted by jimmymac (Member # 1182) on :
I would like to see more service from Charlotte, NC to Atlanta. Right now only the Cresscent runs between Charlotte and Atlanta and I have to board at 4 am. A mid-day or afternoon train would be great. I believe the "Selden Plan" recommends changing the route of the Carolinian from Charlotte to NYC to Atlanta to DC. That is a good idea.
Posted by RRRICH (Member # 1418) on :
Another route I've always wanted to see is an additional north-south route somewhere between CHI-NOL and SEA-LAX (there is NOTHING N-S in that area now!!) Maybe an El Paso-Albuquerque-Denver (via Raton)-Cheyenne-Cody-Montana route -- I know the tracks are there, but I don't know in what condition they are in, or even for sure which host freight railroads would be involved in such a route.
Plus it would be great to bring back the North Coast Hiawatha route with service closer to Yellowstone Nat'l Park than what is now offered (SLC is the closest AMTRAK now comes to Yellowstone, now that the Pioneer route (which served Pocatello, ID) is no longer in service), but I think some of that BNSF trackage may have been abandoned.
