If you could restore a defunct Amtrak route

Gilbert B Norman wrote: ↑Thu Feb 04, 2021 2:22 pm True, simply because the train mileage on the affected LD routes has been reduced by 57.14% does not mean that same amount of operating loss has been realized. "We" know that.

But how about John Q Public - and even some of his duly elected representatives?

Does Mr Public even know the trains were cut back? There are railfans that seem to forget and need to be reminded that the LD trains are not running daily. Many who remember they are tri-weekly couldn't tell you what days.

Hopefully government representatives can be better informed when the time comes to support both COVID related restorations and service expansions that may be route restorations or new services.

Gilbert B Norman wrote: ↑Thu Feb 04, 2021 2:22 pmSo all told, I don't think it an automatic "COVID's gone, Daily's back".

More in line with "passengers are back, trains are back". That was the promise made when the trains were cut. Amtrak was going to look at advance bookings several months out and if the advance sales were high enough the daily trains would return.

"COVID's gone" is a matter of opinion. Ridership back is a matter of statistics.

It will depend on how much of the US population gets vaccinated,Figure on at least 2/3 to 3/4 get to true "Herd immunity" level.

We could have 100% vaccinated ... if people don't book travel trains won't return.

From experience here, people will want to travel once they percieve it is safe to do so. and they will want to do so in their own country.

Biden's Infrastructure legislation seems to have a section devoted to restoring old Amtrak routes that have been cut and also those that have have less than daily frequency.
Any chance a reconstituted National Limited might be in the works? I didn't see that as a route on the Amtrak Connects Us proposal.

North Coast Hiawatha:

https://nrvrc.org/nrvpassengerrailstud ... _Study.pdf


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StLouSteve wrote: ↑Thu Nov 11, 2021 7:51 am Biden's Infrastructure legislation seems to have a section devoted to restoring old Amtrak routes that have been cut and also those that have have less than daily frequency.
Any chance a reconstituted National Limited might be in the works? I didn't see that as a route on the Amtrak Connects Us proposal.

I wouldn't get your hopes up because much of the track once used by the National Limited in Ohio and Indiana has been removed, and the section between Dayton and Indy has no reasonable alternative. The National Limited is likely going to be permanent history. We should focus on restoring other now-discontinued LD routes that are more feasible, like the Floridian, North Coast Hiawatha, Lone Star, Pioneer, Desert Wind, Broadway Limited/Three Rivers, and of course, NOL-Florida service along the Gulf Coast.

Okay, lets take a fresh look with what we got...

...and I'm still gung-ho for restoring NOL-Jacksonville service. From Pensicola to Jacksonville is mostly RailUSA track. Everything else is CSX or NS. It'll take some bribery^Wtrack improvement funding to get it all working (including more siding) but it's possible.

Chicago-Indianapolis-Cincinnati is on the map, but is the present Cardinal route a realistic candidate for rehabilitation on the scale required for a commercially viable service? I'm assuming the James Whitcomb Riley route is gone forever -- are there any other practical possibilities?

ExCon90 wrote: ↑Thu Nov 11, 2021 10:57 pmChicago-Indianapolis-Cincinnati is on the map, but is the present Cardinal route a realistic candidate for rehabilitation on the scale required for a commercially viable service? I'm assuming the James Whitcomb Riley route is gone forever -- are there any other practical possibilities?

Nothing practical. (Base map from the State of Indiana.) I'd like to see the Cardinal become daily, but I am not expecting anything more than that.

With the future of the Texas Central Railway Texas Shinkansen very much in doubt, might Amtrak be able to fill the inexplicable gap between Dallas and Houston as part of its Texas Triangle aspirational goals? It seems odd to me that a Fort Worth - Oklahoma City train managed to materialize while the Dallas - Houston corridor remains unfulfilled.

ExCon90 wrote: ↑Thu Nov 11, 2021 10:57 pm I'm assuming the James Whitcomb Riley route is gone forever -- are there any other practical possibilities?

The tracks from Kankakee, IL to Lafayette, IN are still around, but owned by a short line now (Kankakee, Beaverville, & Southern). It would take a great deal of rehabilitation to make them fit for passenger service, so I don't see it as a realistic possibility.

Restore the Broadway Limited now. Sacrifice the Cap Ltd. or convert it to single level as it should be and run it through Philly to WAS. Its a travesty the Broadway was let go.

Regarding the Texas Central, redo your business plan, stop shooting for the stars and maybe use European tech that is probably cheaper and will at least get this decade overdo project started.

Restore the Ann Rutledge. Daily train Chicago St Louis Kansas City. Restore Denver Zephyr as a day train. Like the idea to run Broadway as day train Chicago to Cleveland then maybe next morning in Philadelphia & New York.
Get enough cars to run Cardinal as a daily train. Get enough cars to run Sunset Limited as a daily train. No more triweekly runs.

frequentflyer wrote: ↑Fri Mar 25, 2022 10:11 am Restore the Broadway Limited now. Sacrifice the Cap Ltd. or convert it to single level as it should be and run it through Philly to WAS. Its a travesty the Broadway was let go.

Regarding the Texas Central, redo your business plan, stop shooting for the stars and maybe use European tech that is probably cheaper and will at least get this decade overdo project started.

Thank you. Couldn't agree more.