Dear Mr. Anderson;

[Gilbert B Norman]

It's time for several US Senators, representing rural Western states, have taken pen in hand and writing a "Letter to Santa Claus", or otherwise Mr. Anderson, suggesting an expansion of the LD System. It's just the "same old litany", but here is a link to the letter in its entirety:

https://www.hayspost.com/2019/04/14/mor ... mmunities/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

What I think is concerning about such letters promoting expansion of the LD system is that someone in Hays, KS will start saying "they got one up in Hastings, where's ours?"

It could be a return to the later 70's and into the 80's when every legislator had to get "his train". Starting with the Carter Cuts, continuing with the Clinton, and then finally the Bush "prunings", things are now less than the RPSA70 "Basic System".

Imagine the effect upon railroad operations if there had to be a train running through Hays, Grand Island, and wherever else the advocacy community deems such "essential"? Is the disruption it would cause "worth it" running over lines that last saw a passenger train on A-Day and causing considerable interference with operations over the investor-owned Class I system?

[Philly Amtrak Fan]

If you leave Senators in charge of the Amtrak system, you'll get more "Byrd Crap" rather than trains where people actually live and/or want to go to. If they want to expand to Las Vegas, Nashville, or Columbus, go right ahead. But I have no interest traveling to Hays, Kansas (wherever that is) or paying more taxes just so there can be trains to go there.

[Gilbert B Norman]

Mr. Philly, Hays KS is on the the UP Line (sometimes known as the Kansas Pacific) that last saw a passenger train on A-Day. Let it be noted that Col. Perkowski got "hooked" after his experience aboard the "City of St. Louis" traveling over that line.

Otherwise, I wholly agree with your immediate thoughts.

[Dick H]

1925 Hays KS Depot around circa 1925, now gone, from Pinterest.
Hays had a population of 20,510 in the 2010 census.

http://tinyurl.com/yxzn5xbo" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[mtuandrew]

Like all the above posters, you’ll have a hard time convincing me that Hays is more deserving of 1/day than Houston. I’m not intrinsically opposed to a KCY-DEN train though, and have advocated for such (though I’ve suggested the ATSF and Joint Line via Pueblo, not the Kansas Pacific.)

[Backshophoss]

El-Paso- ABQ-Trinidad-Walsenburg-Pueblo-Denver(aka the El Pasoan),would need to rebuild the connecting track between the ex ATSF and ex- FW&D(CB&Q)
at the East end of the ATSF yard.at Trinidad.(Joint Line)
Dallas-Ft Worth-Amarillo-La Junta-Pueblo-Denver.(Joint Line)
Get both the Sunset Ltd and Cardinal to run DAILY!
That should fill in some gaps in the network.

[Gilbert B Norman]

Get both the Sunset Ltd and Cardinal to run DAILY!

Mr. Backshop, while the UP has committed investor $$ to double tracking much of the Sunset Route West of El Paso, they had best not done so to handle more passenger trains. That's this investor's thoughts who holds Long position UNP, which, as of Mar 31, just happens to be the best performing security in my portfolio (at my age, you don't place too many bets in the tech sector).

[Tadman]

Hey, the tech sector is mature! Google is twenty years old, Microsoft is 44, and Apple is 43. Even Facebook is fifteen!

Which leads me to a conclusion that a "tech" company is really just a company. Every company should be tech-enabled by now. My head spins when I think of the requirements for booking an Amtrak ticket that at one time would require either a travel agent or calling two railroads. I don't think I've ever booked an Amtrak ticket other than online. I seem to recall my first was around 1998.

[Suburban Station]

Provide a larger budget to the national network to allow for improvements. In order to move the needle amytak will need capital to fix bottlenecks, most notably chicago and perhaps long bridge. Maybe this can be part of an eventual deal to build gateway. More reliable trains might allow the expansion of the network

[Gilbert B Norman]

. My head spins when I think of the requirements for booking an Amtrak ticket that at one time would require either a travel agent or calling two railroads. I don't think I've ever booked an Amtrak ticket other than online. I seem to recall my first was around 1998.

Mr. Dunville, you are "not of age" to remember the "good old days" of interline ticketing:

viewtopic.php?f=155&t=152310" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Actually, Amtrak did have some kind of computer generated reservation system up and running by Decomber '71. It was essentially "The Carousel" transcribed to a computer.

The old way:

https://history.amtrak.com/archives/res ... -evolution" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[mtuandrew]

Get both the Sunset Ltd and Cardinal to run DAILY!

Mr. Backshop, while the UP has committed investor $$ to double tracking much of the Sunset Route West of El Paso, they had best not done so to handle more passenger trains. That's this investor's thoughts who holds Long position UNP, which, as of Mar 31, just happens to be the best performing security in my portfolio (at my age, you don't place too many bets in the tech sector).

Nor is it investing maintenance in the Kansas Pacific in order to host a new City of St Louis as suggested in the original post. It might someday be asked to do so, or have such a train imposed as a quasi-tax (a subject on which we’ve spilled a lot of electrons), but it ain’t looking for that “opportunity.”

[charlesriverbranch]

Mr. Backshop, while the UP has committed investor $$ to double tracking much of the Sunset Route West of El Paso, they had best not done so to handle more passenger trains. That's this investor's thoughts who holds Long position UNP, which, as of Mar 31, just happens to be the best performing security in my portfolio (at my age, you don't place too many bets in the tech sector).

How much money are we talking about?

It seems to me if we want more trains, we need to change the laws so they are less expensive to set up and run.

[pateljones]

Dear Mr Anderson,
I agree with you corridor service is Amtrak’s brightest future. Long distance trains need to be de-emphasized and reduced. Please stay on the current path and keep being the innovator you are. You were brought to Amtrak as the agent of change.

[electricron]

Hays is amongst the largest cities in western Kansas. Once Amtrak started begging Kansas, Colorado, and New Mexico to pitch in to keep the existing Southwest Chief running on mostly empty or little used tracks, they opened the door for larger cities in these states to start recommending routing changes. Hays in Kansas and Pueblo in Colorado, are fine examples of politics entering the debate on whether states should help fund long distance trains.
Golly, imagine the havoc to politics Houston could generate if Amtrak asks Texas to fund a SW Chief rerouting.. I’m suggesting Houston would have the political power to stop Texas subsidizing a rerouting of the Chief to the Santa Fe mainline through Amarillo, at least until Houston has more Amtrak trains than what it has now!

Why should Hays help fund a train through Garden City is a great question Amtrak needs to answer if they really expect Kansas to fund the SW Chief track improvements.

[Backshophoss]

The UP southern Transconn is not close to full yet,a daily Sunset Could still be done,the DS's that are on 40,42,44,and 66 desks need to get their
combined act together and "just do it"
During many trips across I-10 to/from the LA basin saw more UP Freights stuck between MW Work Zones on a regular basis.
All of the delays due to yard congestion in EL Paso are now gone with Santa Theresa yard in NM now online.