The United States Conference of Mayors, at its 75th annual meeting last month in Los Angeles, adopted a resolution supporting U.S. passenger rail service. 

 

The resolution, “A National Intercity Rail Policy for the 21st Century: Recommendations of the U.S. Conference of Mayors,” shows local officials’ high level of support for passenger rail service, as well as the dramatic need for expansion. 

 

The resolution states in part, “The United States Conference of Mayors urges the Administration and Congress to stabilize Amtrak operations, infrastructure, and financials by appropriating Amtrak’s FY08 grant request of $1.55 billion while federal policy makers debate the immediate and long-term authorization for Amtrak”.  The Mayors also expressed support for Amtrak’s long distance trains: “Be it further resolved, that the long distance, including transcontinental passenger trains, form the basis for, and connections to, emerging federal-state supported corridors and provide an important transportation link for many rural communities and regions across the country; therefore, it is the recommendation of The United States Conference of Mayors to the Administration and Congress that the federal government maintain full responsibility for operating and capital [support].”

 

http://www.narprail.org/cms/index.php/hotline/more/hotline_510/

National Association of Railroad Passengers: www.narprail.org

http://www.narprail.org/cms/index.php/hotline/more/hotline_511/

Hotline #511

The House passed a $104.4 billion fiscal 2008 transportation and housing bill late Tuesday night.

 

The bill, H.R. 3074, passed by a vote of 268-153 after lawmakers voted 201-220 against a procedural motion that would have sent the bill back to the Appropriations Committee.  The legislation managed to survive waves of attacks from members of the Republican Study Committee, led by Rep. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) fighting to eliminate funding for many programs and earmarks. 

 

Among many other programs, Flake was busy trying to cut funds from Amtrak.  He offered amendments to cut Amtrak funding in one case by reducing operating funding by $475 million, in the other by cutting the capital and debt service grant by $425 million.  Also, Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX) offered an amendment to forbid Amtrak from spending any operating funds to operate the route with the highest loss per passenger mile, a clearly stated attack on the Sunset Limited.  And Rep. Michele Bachmann’s (R-MN) amendment to the Fiscal 2008 Transportation-HUD appropriations bill sought to cut Amtrak’s funding by $106 million and transfer this to homeless housing programs (similar to an amendment two years ago by then-Rep. Mark Kennedy, whose seat Bachmann now holds).  All four Amendments were soundly defeated.  How members voted is shown at the members-only section of our web site (click on members only resources at left).

 

Interestingly, many previously hostile Republicans voted against at least some of the killer amendments, so there are many that passenger advocates can thank for specific votes.  Eight California Republicans deserve thanks—seven cast from one to three pro-Amtrak votes—Radanovich, Nunes, Gallegly, Royce and Rohrabacher, Calvert and Hunter—while Jerry Lewis, ranking member of the full appropriations committee, voted against all four anti-Amtrak amendments.  Moreover, three otherwise negative Texas Republicans voted against Sessions (and thus in defense of the Sunset Limited): Poe, Hall and Brady.

 

House Appropriations chairman David Obey (D-WI) said Flake’s attempt to cut funding to the Wisconsin regional planning project comes with “considerable ill grace” considering that Arizona has received tens of millions of federal dollars for the Central Arizona Project, a massive aqueduct with an estimated cost of more than $5 billion. 

 

The legislation would provide $4.1 billion more than President Bush requested and $5.9 billion more than enacted in fiscal 2007, totals that earned a veto threat July 23 from the White House.  The Democratic-controlled House showed no intention of heeding either the Bush veto threat or complaints from Republicans about priorities in the bill.  John W. Olver, D-Mass., chairman of the Transportation-HUD Appropriations Subcommittee, defended the bill’s spending totals and earmarks, saying Democrats had made significant progress on getting control over funding for members’ pet projects.

 

The debate, which lasted throughout Monday and Tuesday, was unusually caustic.  In addition to Flake’s numerous amendments to kill specific projects, which were often met with bipartisan ridicule, Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-HI) had a heated exchange with Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA) to the point of threatening a physical confrontation after Westmoreland sought to eliminate housing funds for native Hawaiians.

 

The Senate should take up their version of the bill after Labor Day.

 

U.S.’s loss is Cape Breton’s gain

 

Dismissed as head of Amtrak, Dave Gunn now helping Strait Area transit

 

By ALLENA MACDONALD

Halifax (Nova Scotia) Chronicle Herald

 

Several decades ago there was plenty of public transportation in the Strait Area, with numerous daily train and bus routes connecting small communities throughout northeast Nova Scotia.

 

"You actually could live without a car," said Dave Gunn, who lost his job as president of the U.S. transportation giant Amtrak in the fall of 2005. He is now working with a local volunteer board that is trying to set up low-cost, accessible public transit in the Strait Area.

 

 

http://thechronicleherald.ca/NovaScotia/851406.html

OK...Which forumer was this?  :wink:

 

---

Man jumps from Amtrak train in Cleveland

Posted by Donna J. Miller August 07, 2007 07:25AM

Categories: Breaking News

 

At 6:48 this morning, a man jumped off of a moving Amtrak train at Wendy Park on Whiskey Island, emergency dispatchers said.

 

Police and paramedics were still searching for him at 7:25 a.m. They were looking for a white man in his 50s who was wearing a leather jacket.

 

 

T'weren't me - I'd rather be on the train!!

 

Glad to see the Lake Shore Limited was on time. The eastbound train #48 for New York has been departing Cleveland on time at 7 a.m. almost every day since it was rescheduled last April. Shows what happens when the Lake Shore doesn't have to wait for connections from late-running western hauls and has some padding built into the schedule at Cleveland.

 

The westbound train #49? Well.... Let's just say CSX isn't as friendly to passenger trains as NS. And CSX has been undertaking a major track renewal project from Cleveland east into New York state.

Your Word

 

Sunday, August 12, 2007

By JIM NORTON

Special to the Press-Register (Alabama)

 

When debating the value of a national passenger railroad, Amtrak opponents conveniently fail to acknowledge the generous taxpayer subsidies received by aviation and highways.

 

The Press-Register's recent Amtrak editorials ("Losing even more money," July 25, and "Democrats seek more funds for boondoggle," July 17) illustrate this lack of information regarding the nation's transportation policy.

 

 

http://www.al.com/opinion/press-register/index.ssf?/base/opinion/1186910151276330.xml&coll=3

Outstanding!

Amtrak News

 

Amtrak ridership, revenues rise in June

 

Amtrak reports that its June ridership of 2.29 million was 5% over June last year and 2% over budget. Continued strong Acela Express demand helped bring June ticket revenues up 7% to $138.7 million, 1% over budget. Acela ridership was 10.7% higher than in June 2006. Amtrak said Acela improvement will be more moderate as sell-out conditions are reached on many routes. NEC regional ridership was even with last year and 4% above budget. In other regional corridors, June saw a general improvement of 7% in ridership and revenues, due partly to increased service in the East (Keystone), the Midwest (Illinois), and the West (Capitol Corridor and Cascades). Amtrak said that on an individual route basis, FY07 demand “remains “weak” for the Texas Eagle, Cardinal, Capitol, California Zephyr and Lake Shore trains. Long- distance ridership in June was up 1% over last year, and while ontime performance was only 40%, it represented an improvement of 11 points. Customer satisfaction with Amtrak performance also improved in June. Overall customer satisfaction was at 77%, up two points, “due generally to ontime performance improvements on Acela and some long-distance runs.”

For more Breaking News from Railway Age, visit:

Railway Age Breaking News

on the east coast, you can thank airline delays for Amtrak passenger increases.

The Northeast Corridor is not the only place in the U.S. where airline delays exist. But it is one of the very few places in the U.S. where airport/airline-competitive rail infrastructure and rail services exist. That rail infrastructure (like those for airports/airlines and highways) was paid for, for the most part, by the federal government. We probably won't see that level and quality of service in many more places in the U.S. unless the federal government antes up. And air travelers won't have any choice but to put up with this treatment unless there's a viable option to it.

 

The way I see it, the federal government has one of two courses of actions here: put more regulation on the airlines or finally begin investing in passenger rail (high-speed rail in travel markets of less than 500 miles, overnight "hotel" rail services between business centers 500-1000 miles apart, etc.), to provide a competitive alternative to flying in some of the busiest commercial aviation markets.

Clevelanders enjoy boarding an Amtrak train in daylight

Clevelanders enjoy the ride and departing at a decent hour

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Debbi Snook - Plain Dealer Reporter

 

Margie O'Connor of Concord had not been on an Amtrak train in 18 years, the whole time she had lived in Ohio. But one day this summer, she stood on the downtown platform, kissed her husband, Bill, goodbye and boarded the Lake Shore Limited for New York City.

 

 

 

http://www.cleveland.com/travel/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/living-0/1187340070133830.xml&coll=2

Interesting article. If you go waaaay back to 1975, the year the Lake Shore Limited was put on, you'll find it ran overnight between New York and Cleveland and then daytime Cleveland-Chicago, a very convenient and well patronized schedule. Eastbound, it left Chicago in the afternoon, stopped in Cleveland around 10-11 pm and then was into New York late the next morning.

 

The train was put on because of a grass roots campaign by Cleveland resident and activist Al Mladineo to get service back for Cleveland, which was left off Amtrak's map when it was formed in 1971. Once the train was put on, it quickly became one of the most heavily used long distance trains in the country and routinely operated with 17 cars in the summer. I know. I rode it and it was packed.

 

My message is this: Tho the new eastbound schedule is an improvement, it still is a far cry from what was offered before Amtrak screwed the schedules up by running everything at night and junking the old Heritage Fleet cars that were the backbone of the eastern long haul fleet.

 

Yes, Amtrak should try to run a schedule that helps with late arriving passengers from the west at Chicago, but the way to do that is to run a second train, not to mess with the Lake Shore any more than they already have. Give us back the original Lake Shore schedule and run an extended Empire Corridor train to Chicago on the current times!

 

I'll give Amtrak credit for trying, tho and I understand the reason why they don't have a matching westbound sked is because they have to negotiate with CSX.

Gee, ridership is steadily rising with a daylight train -- Shocking!! Also, the Lake Shore has been departing Cleveland eastbound on time virtually every day. True, there's a lot of schedule padding at Cleveland. But it's no longer seeing the 2-5 hour delays like it on its old schedule did when it had to wait for late western trains.

Interesting first-person account by Ms. Snook.  Nice to see a reporter actually make a trip by train instead of relying on sources other than first-hand experience.

 

Now that Amtrak is seeing ridership increases, it would seem a good time for two things:

 

One... a decent marketing campaign in the Cleveland area to increase ridership even further.

 

Two... take these numbers to Mayor Jackson and the City Council and start asking for better signage around the station and (perhaps) a letter to Amtrak asking for more and better service: pointing to these increases as evidence.

I'd go for a marketing campaign once the WB sked is changed to mirror what we have EB. Until we have that, it would be hard to make a case for the train.

 

Aside from that, I think we could have an op-ed that uses the stats to push for more involvement from Cleveland and a call for more service.

 

The second suggestion is a good one. I think that should be done.

its also possible to get to the amtrak station via the waterfront rapid line too, correct?  im not sure what station that would be...?

its also possible to get to the amtrak station via the waterfront rapid line too, correct?  im not sure what station that would be...?

 

it is a "stop on request" station.

Transit-Oriented America, Part 1: Eight Thousand Miles

streetsblog.org

 

My wife and I were married last month in Brooklyn. For our honeymoon, we wanted to see as many great American cities as we could. In 19 days of travel, we visited Chicago, Seattle, Portland (Ore.), San Francisco, Los Angeles and New Orleans (and also stopped briefly in Cleveland, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Houston, Atlanta, Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia).

 

 

http://www.streetsblog.org/2007/08/20/transit-oriented-america-part-1-eight-thousand-miles/

Two people as obsessed as we are with minimizing our transportation carbon footprints

I am trying to figure Amtrak to Upstate NY to do a cross country ski vacation.  A 7am departure from Cleveland would be great, four hours to Rochester is quick, and I sure as heck don't want to skirt the snowy lower Great Lakes during January or February in any automobile. 

 

The city of Stowe, Vermont promotes that  one can take Amtrak to the downtown ski areas.  That would be great if we lived in NYC.  It's a bit long of a trip for us.  I would expect that Amtrak could handle all of our skis in baggage.  Surely would be less bother than bicycles.

 

It seems that the really attractive ski areas are probably an hour or more drive beyond the train stations in Syracuse or Utica.   Perhaps I could get the resort to pick us up if we paid them for a shuttle.  If we had a few more skiers, it might make it worth the expense and bother.  (Is it time to start the Great XC Ski Thread?)

 

WallStreet Journal

Crowds Heed Amtrak's 'All Aboard'

Thursday August 23, 12:44 am ET

By Daniel Machalaba

 

Airplanes are getting stuck in lots of traffic jams this summer, but Amtrak is on a roll.

Ridership on the passenger rail system is up 6% so far this year, the biggest jump since the late 1970s. On the Acela Express, trains that run at higher speeds between Washington, New York and Boston, the number of riders has surged 20% over the past 10 months. That's enough new passengers to fill 2,000 Boeing 757 jets.

 

 

http://biz.yahoo.com/wallstreet/070823/sb118781538275205642_id.html?.v=1

 

On right track, Amtrak ridership soars in Illinois

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

 

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/6C

B20623534147EC86257340000D17F2?OpenDocument

 

Train service between St. Louis and Chicago might just be a hit with

travelers.

 

Passenger train ridership in the St. Louis-Chicago corridor is up more than

40 percent since October, when Amtrak added two trains to the three that

already offered daily round-trip service.

 

 

^Gee what a concept-- build it and they will ride...

 

 

How long before people actually get it????????????

 

 

Maybe sooner rather than later!!!

 

 

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/Travel/story?id=3521158&page=1

^people do get it, it's our elected offcials that don't.  Intercity passenger rail is one of several policy areas where the American people are way ahead of our policitians. 

good point!

RAIL MOMENT

No better time to take the train --and no better time for Amtrak

Sunday, September 02, 2007

The Patriot News (Harrisburg, PA)

 

Given the ever-mounting hassle of air travel, going by train is looking more attractive all the time.

 

 

http://www.pennlive.com/editorials/patriotnews/index.ssf?/base/opinion/1188586537245330.xml&coll=1

 

©2007 The Patriot-News

 

This was on NBC Nightly News Sept. 4 (this video immediately follows ...what else?... a car commercial!)......

 

http://video.msn.com:80/v/us/msnbc.htm?f=00&g=fd2afa99-bd22-49c8-878a-f32f9506443f&p=Source_Nightly%20News&t=m5&rf=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/&fg

One of the best passenger rail stories I've seen from any of the networks or CNN.  And Mr. Utt from the Heritage Foundation looked and sounded like an out-of-touch twit. The two attorneys from DC really told the story and I loved the reporter's on camera reference to being able to actually have productive time on the train.

 

Please.... make sure you let NBC News know you liked the story!  We complain a lot about media coverage in this forum.  Let 'em know when they've hit the mark and done a good job.

... Mr. Utt from the Heritage Foundation looked and sounded like an out-of-touch twit. ...

 

The Heritage Foundation presents itself as a think tank analyzing public policy. It's nothing of the sort, certainly not impartial. The members are shills for conservative and neo-con causes and the lobbyists who solicit the support of right-wing legislators, and they keep parroting the same tired, inaccurate lines in an attempt to justify their existence.

Amtrak “on a roll”

Railway Age Magazine

 

Not only is Amtrak “on a roll,” its “success lately isn’t confined to the Northeast,” and “some big names in the airline industry are supporting Amtrak by calling for the U.S. to do what governments in Europe and Asia have long done—building high-speed train lines for short- distance travelers and freeing up runway space for long-distance flights.”

 

 

http://www.railwayage.com/A/xfromtheeditor.html

Great quotes!

Yeah,  good ol' Bill's got a way with words.  BTW: You ought to consider going to Railway Age's Passenger Trains on Freight Rails Annual Conference.  Check out the agenda at railwayage.com

 

It's not cheap, but it gets a great turnout of the best and brightest in the passenger rail and railroad industry.

I can't afford to change the oil in my car.

Your auto-centric lifestyle is collapsing around you.  You've got to learn to think outside that metal box, my friend.

Amtrak “on a roll”

"If the French can do it, why can't we?" 

 

France has a national government, not a federal government with "divided powers" and most of the powers reserved for the states or individuals.  That means that decisions about siting and vacating land can be done  at the national level. 

 

Could you imagine trying to site corridors for a new transportation system now?  Especially after the cities have "built out" and entire suburban counties are now "built out".  We would be in discussions for decades.

Amtrak sees record ridership despite problems

Train company still faces funding issues

 

By JIM SUHR

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published Monday, September 10, 2007

 

 

ABOARD AMTRAK’S LINCOLN SERVICE — The Illinois cornfields whizzing past Mark Hardacre’s view from the Amtrak cafe car had nothing on the memorable splendor the Australian already had taken in on his trans-America adventure — the Pacific Ocean so vast and blue off California’s coast.

 

 

http://www.sj-r.com/News/stories/15977.asp

I've never seen an AP article about Amtrak without this phrase in it:

 

"The money-losing service, which relies heavily on government funding..."

 

I've been interviewed by AP writers before, and they've questioned me why government should continue to support train service. This is beyond ignorance on their part. The consistency of their reporters asking this question smacks of a directive from their editors. The next time an AP reporter asks me that question, I'm going to ask them my own question.

496 days left... and counting.

 

For those with Firefox, here is a handy countdown timer so you always know how many days left 'The Decider' has in his current role.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/3792

Senate rejects proposed Amtrak cuts

Wednesday,  September 12, 2007 11:00 AM

 

 

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Ignoring a veto promise from the White House, the Senate on Wednesday passed a $106 billion transportation and housing bill rejecting President Bush's proposed cuts to Amtrak, housing programs and community development projects.

 

http://dispatch.com/live/content/national_world/stories/2007/09/12/amt.html

From the NARP Hotline (narp.org)

 

The Bush Administration resumed its attack on Amtrak this week. In a September 11 “statement of administration policy” of opposition to S. 1789, the Senate’s Fiscal 2008 Transportation-Housing appropriations bill, the Office of Management and Budget said, “The Administration strongly objects to providing $1.4 billion for Amtrak, which will perpetuate a flawed model for intercity passenger rail…the bill fails to include reform provisions proposed by the Administration to improve accountability and encourage competition.” The statement includes strong objections to many other provisions in the bill and opens by saying that, “in combination with the other FY 2008 appropriation bills, it includes an irresponsible and excessive level spending…”

 

Undaunted, a day later the Senate passed S. 1789 on a vote of 88-7. The Senate first defeated an attempt to waive Davis-Bacon wage rules for maintenance and replacement of aging bridges.  Debate over the $104.6 billion spending bill lasted over three days.  Just like the version of the bill the House passed, the bill would provide $4 billion more than President Bush’s budget request, making it the target of a presidential veto.  The $1.4 billion for Amtrak is roughly equal to the current level and $600 million more than Bush requested. 

 

Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) said, “The bill before us would provide $1.4 billion for Amtrak, providing the funding it needs to survive and to grow.  I am a frequent user of Amtrak, and I know very well that while the service is radically improved from where it was, more needs to be done to accommodate the volume of passengers who would use the railroad.”

 

The Senate also adopted an amendment by bill manager and Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee Chair Patty Murray (D-WA), that would allocate an additional $1 billion in grants to states for bridge repairs in fiscal 2008.  It would accomplish this by essentially raising the amount of money states can obligate from the Highway Trust Fund.  The bridge funding was added in response to the Aug. 1 collapse of the heavily traveled Interstate 35 bridge in Minneapolis. 

 

The Federal Aviation Administration would receive $14.6 billion, while highway programs would receive $40.2 billion.  Housing programs would get $38.7 billion under the Senate-passed bill, $2.1 billion more than in fiscal 2007 and $3.1 billion more than Bush requested. 

 

The bill will next go to conference with the House, which passed its version on July 24, but it is still unclear when conferees may meet.  There is still a chance that the legislation could be included in a multi-bill package if Democratic appropriators see that as a useful response to White House veto threat.  According to Sen. Christopher Bond (R-MO), ranking Republican on the Transportation-HUD Appropriations Subcommittee, “We are on a collision course [with the White House] with spending on these.” While the Senate’s 88-7 final passage vote comfortably exceeded the two-thirds majority (67 votes if all senators are present and voting) needed to override a presidential veto, the 268-153 House vote did not.

 

http://www.narprail.org/cms/index.php/hotline/more/hotline_518/

Amtrak keeps rolling along

 

Monday, September 17, 2007

BY DON HAMILTON, Columbian staff writer

 

The train pulled to a stop at Kelso but Sean Campbell and Scott Swigart didn't notice.

 

They sat across from each other at a table in the cafe on Amtrak's Cascades, deeply engrossed in conversation. They looked down at their laptops and looked up at each other, talking urgently, gesturing with their hands and sometimes shrugging. The breakfast debris - an empty corn flakes carton, coffee cups and a bottle of apple juice - had been swept aside.

 

 

http://www.columbian.com/printArticle.cfm?story=198710

Don Hamilton can be reached at 360-759-8010 or [email protected].

 

Nice find, Noozer.

Great avatar, Noozer! The GG-1 locomotive was more remarkable for its day than anything now running in the U.S.

 

It was developed in the 1930s and styled by Raymond Loewy, and its implementation by the Pennsylvania Railroad was part of the road's extensive East-Coast electrification to increase commuter capacity by giving trains faster acceleration when leaving stations, in order to allow more trains on shorter headways. The locomotives were splendid in the original Loewy scheme of dark green with gold stripes: (from http://www.spikesys.com/Bin/GG1/Paint/)

 

If I recall correctly, in a 1930s test a GG-1 officially was clocked at around 135mph and still accelerating perceptibly when the engineer had to cut back because he was approaching the end of the segment of track that had been specially groomed for the test. No one ever found out how fast one could actually run on perfect track, because even regular good passenger track wasn't adequate to turn one loose and let it run. I think a GG-1's peak horsepower output was somewhere above 4,000. Its maximum speed was probably only limited by the rpm at which centrifugal force would have blown the windings out of the traction-motor armatures.

 

The first thing to come along with higher performance specs in the U.S. was the E-60 in the early Amtrak era, and it had to be restricted to lower speeds because of suspension resonance problems inherent in its truck design that apparently couldn't economically be corrected. After a couple of derailments, one of which, at 104mph, took down a bunch of catenary and shut down a large segment of the Northeast Corridor, they were speed-restricted to around 100mph, and I think eventually most of them were sold and regeared for freight service. I did see one on the west end of a Keystone Service train at Lancaster around 1991.

 

I recall seeing GG-1s pulling passenger trains at blistering speeds on the stretch along US 30 in the area around Lancaster and Strasburg in the sixties. Pretty dramatic.

 

Two looking nasty in weathered Penn Central black, finishing their run on the westbound Broadway Limited at Harrisburg in 1979. Note the paint literally blasted off the leading surfaces, something you almost never see on most diesels, no matter how carelessly they're maintained:

Rode behind a GG-1 on the old National Limited in Deember of 1971 betwen Harrisburg & Philly.  I noticed we were really going fast and asked the conductor how fast we were going and he winked and said "at least 100 mph... that's for sure."

 

A great design and a great locomotive.

Re: The GG1 locomotive: Can you imagine what might have happened if PRR had electrified its main line all the way to Pittsburgh? They probably would have cut an hour off the Broadway Limited's schedule, as well as those of other trains. PRR would have had a decided time advantage over rivals New York Central and B&O and probably would have weathered competition from the Turnpike as well.

 

I think the PRR intended to electrify the whole mainline, but the great depression stalled the plan and then I think WWII killed it.

 

Electrification surely would have given them a big boost in the mountains of Pennsylvania. West of Pittsburgh they ran some steam locomotives that had a pretty long stride. A local old-timer who ran T-1 duplexes on the Broadway said they could make 120mph on the long, flat, straight stretches between Crestline and Fort Wayne and regularly cracked 100 between Fort Wayne and Chicago.

Right after the war, the New York Central considered electrification of its New York-Buffalo main, using a version of the GE EP-4 locomotives then in use on the New Haven RR. These were roughly equivalent to the GG1 and would have produced a similar reduction in running times for its trains. The plan was also to acquire 125 new S-1 Niagara 4-8-4's for passenger service west of Buffalo. Talk about a super railroad!

 

In the end, NYC made the right decision and rejected electrification in favor of diesels. Subsequent events proved that decision correct, but it's fun to consider what might have come to pass.

 

Maybe if our government hadn't been so hell-bent on building highways and thereby destroying the railroads, we might have seen this happen.

Not to keep living in the past.... Something from today's concerns:The quotes from previous posts show an airline and highway "system" that can't keep up with today's demand and isn't flexible enough to meet the needs of many travelers. 

 

Add to that inconvenient and very expensive air service to intermediate markets, dramatically scaled back bus service, no train service, escalating gas prices and ever-increasing congestion in Ohio. We are set up for a fall since we are forced to drive due to a lack of alternatives and continue to use middle eastern oil at a high rate and continue to contribute to global warming.

 

"Amtrak reports that July 2007 was its "highest ridership and ticket revenue month ever by significant margins," due in part to "collapsing airline service—Northwest and United cancellations, US Airways luggage issues, industry-wide poor on time performance."

 

"Amtrak hopes to attract more business riders turned off by congestion on Interstate 5 and discomfort on the airlines, problems underscored this month by Horizon's cancellation of hundreds of Portland-Seattle flights.

 

The Cascades wasn't the first choice for Campbell's and Swigart's ventures to Microsoft, but it's certainly their final choice. They started these trips seven years ago and spent the first six in the car or on airplanes. But they couldn't get online, couldn't send e-mails and couldn't get any space to work.

 

On Interstate 5, "We tried every trick in the book to make the trip make sense," Campbell said, looking up from his Mac laptop. "We'd phone ahead to a Red Robin. We did everything to make it bearable."

 

Planes weren't any better than cars. They certainly felt faster, but Campbell and Swigart had only about 30 minutes to work on their computers and, no cell phone service. The train made sense."

Amtrak headed for best year in its history

from railwayage.com

 

Amtrak says that fiscal Year 2007 will see the railroad deliver "its highest ridership and ticket revenues ever," thanks mainly to "Acela's service improvements, prudent advertising investments, and sustained Regional growth driven by a good value proposition." Amtrak is projecting a total of 25.8 million trips in FY07 and ticket revenue of $1.52 billion, topping FY06 ridership by 11% and exceeding the revenue budget by $50 million.

 

 

http://www.railwayage.com/breaking_news.shtml

Here's the official Amtrak release on the good news:

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 23, 2007

ATK-07-117

Contact: Media Relations

202 906.3860

 

ANNUAL AMTRAK RIDERSHIP SETS ALL-TIME RECORD; FIFTH STRAIGHT YEAR OF INCREASES

Ridership tops 25.8 million, $1.5 billion in passenger revenue

 

WASHINGTON – Amtrak ridership in Fiscal Year 2007 increased to 25,847,531,

marking the fifth straight year of gains and setting a record for the most passengers using Amtrak

trains since the National Railroad Passenger Corporation stated operations in 1971.

 

This total, for the period October 1, 2006-September 30, 2007, topped the 24,306,965 for

the previous 12 months and is greater than the passenger count of 25.03 million reached in 2004,

before Amtrak transitioned some services to a commuter rail operator.

 

Total ticket revenue for the fiscal year, $1.5 billion was an 11 percent increase over the

$1.37 billion in FY06. If other income from contract services is included, the railroad’s total

revenue was $2.2 billion for the fiscal year.

 

“Highway and airway congestion, volatile fuel prices, increasing environmental

awareness, and a need for transportation links between growing communities, are some of the

factors that make intercity passenger rail extremely relevant in today’s world,” said Alex

Kummant, President and CEO of Amtrak. “Combined with the efforts of the hardworking men

and women of Amtrak who make our service work, our investment in the Northeast Corridor is

paying dividends with improved on-time performance (OTP), and that draws in more ridership

and revenue.

 

“Our record setting ridership and ticket revenue in FY07 indicate the stage is set for

Amtrak to take on a role as not only a contributor to the nation’s transportation network, but as a

leader among modes,” he added.

 

East Highlights

 

Revenue growth was the greatest in the Northeast, where revenue reached $829.3 million,

a 14 percent increase over last year’s ticket revenue.

 

The popularity of the Acela Express service continued in FY07 as is evidenced by the 20

percent increase in ridership (3.1 million passengers) and 23 percent climb in ticket revenue

($403.5 million) versus last year. Acela Express service saw an increase in OTP, frequently

surpassing its goal of 90 percent. At year-end, the OTP for Acela Express was 87.8 percent, up

more than three percent over the same period last year. The popularity and high demand for this

service also prompted the creation in July of another weekday Acela Express round trip between

New York and Washington.

 

Regional Service ridership continues also to rise: 6.6 million passengers rode Regional

trains in FY07, an increase of 1.2 percent. Additionally, Regional passenger ticket revenue for

period rose 7.2 percent.

 

The Keystone Service, which operates between Harrisburg, Philadelphia, and New York

City experienced significant growth with a 20.7 percent increase in ridership, reaching 988,454

in FY07. Moreover, ticket revenue increased by nearly 30 percent, to $20,582,838.

Last fall, Amtrak and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation with support from

the Federal Transit Administration, introduced all-electric service with speeds up to 110 mph on

the Keystone Corridor, which has reduced travel times between Harrisburg and Philadelphia and

Harrisburg and New York City by between 15 and 45 minutes. Weekday roundtrips have also

increased from 11 to 14 – with ten traveling through to New York.

 

The Downeaster, operating daily between Portland, Maine and Boston, Mass., added a

fifth round trip to its service this past August. The service achieved a seven percent increase in

ridership in FY07, reaching 361,634. The Downeaster also brought in $4.8 million in ticket

revenue, a 5.3 percent increase from a year ago.

 

Central Highlights

 

Huge gains are tied to increased frequencies in Illinois, with the three routes between

Chicago and downstate communities showing large increases. The Illinois Department of

Transportation (IDOT) has more than doubled the size of its contract with Amtrak, providing

three of the five round-trips on the Chicago-St. Louis corridor and two round-trips each on the

Carbondale and Quincy routes, starting late last October.

 

On the Chicago-St. Louis Lincoln Service corridor, ridership is up by 55.8 percent for the

state trains and 42 percent for the corridor, with total of 477,888. Ridership between Chicago

and Carbondale, the route the Illini and Saluki trains share with the City of New Orleans, is up by

67.4 percent for the state-supported trains and 46 percent for the corridor, totaling 263,809. For

the Chicago-Galesburg-Quincy route of the Illinois Zephyr, Carl Sandburg and other trains,

ridership has gained 41.4 percent for the state-sponsored trains and 33 percent for the route, with

194,535 passengers.

 

Also from the Amtrak hub in Chicago is the Hiawatha Service, with up to seven daily

round-trips sponsored by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation with IDOT. Nearly

600,000 passengers rode the trains between Milwaukee and Chicago last year, an increase of 2.6

percent.

 

The state-supported routes in Michigan – Grand Rapids-St. Joseph-Chicago Pere

Marquette and the Port Huron-East Lansing-Chicago Blue Water – also posted increases.

Ridership on the Pere Marquette was up 2.8 percent and on the Blue Water, 3.1 percent.

 

West Highlights

 

California’s Capitol Corridor service which operates between Auburn and San Jose,

carried more than 1.4 million passengers in FY07, a 15 percent increase over the same period last

year. Ticket revenue topped $18 million, a 21 percent increase over the previous 12 months. In

addition, the San Diego-San Luis Obispo Pacific Surfliner, showed a nine percent increase in

ticket revenue, reaching more than $46 million.

 

National Highlights

 

Among the trains on the Amtrak national network, the Empire Builder is again the most

popular overnight train. With more than a half-million passengers, the daily Chicago-St. Paul-

Seattle/Portland train showing an increase of 1.6 percent.

 

Also, the Auto Train, which operates between the Washington, D.C and Orlando areas,

posted a ridership increase of five percent from last year.

 

Long-distance trains recording above-average ridership performances include the New

Orleans-Tucson-Los Angeles Sunset Limited (up 22.1 percent), Chicago-Albuquerque-Los

Angeles Southwest Chief (up 5.4 percent) and Chicago-Memphis-New Orleans City of New

Orleans (up 3 percent). In addition, the New York-Miami Silver Service trains (Silver Meteor-

Silver Star) achieved ridership gains of 6.9 and 5.7 percent respectively and the Palmetto’s

passenger number jumped by 7.5 percent over the previous 12 months.

 

About Amtrak

Amtrak provides intercity passenger rail service to more than 500 destinations in 46

states on a 22,000-mile route system. For schedules, fares and information, passengers may call

800-USA-RAIL or visit Amtrak.com.

 

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