Jeff Smith wrote: ↑Tue Jul 02, 2019 1:09 pmBut is the number of frequencies really high enough that it matters?Not right now. But I think the Port authority down there is smart enough to realize a successful passenger corridor would grow.
gokeefe
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Jeff Smith wrote: ↑Tue Jul 02, 2019 1:09 pmBut is the number of frequencies really high enough that it matters?Not right now. But I think the Port authority down there is smart enough to realize a successful passenger corridor would grow.
Amtrak’s return to downtown Mobile will not interfere with the cruise terminal, should cause minimal interference with freight traffic, and will bolster the city’s economy, advocates for the service said Friday.
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The service, which could return within 24 months, includes four train stops per day in downtown Mobile, and will run to New Orleans’ Union Passenger Terminal with four stops in Mississippi – Pascagoula, Biloxi, Gulfport and Bay St. Louis.
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-It will cost $5.786 million to improve the tracks, siding, switches and other costs associated with restoring the rail line from the Mississippi line to downtown Mobile. Of that, $2.89 million is financed through a $33 million FRA grant that was awarded last month. Amtrak is spending $671,000, leaving the state’s share of the commitment at $2.2 million.
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Smith said the $3 million operational cost figure is likely too high, because it estimates ridership to be at low levels of under 40,000 people each year and would rival what Amtrak drew during the 1990s, when on-time performances were poor.
The figure also assumes revenue from a ticket of $18.33, which also includes any food or beverages purchased on the train. Ticket fares are estimated to cost $25 to $40 for a one-way trip between Mobile and New Orleans.
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Service, they said, will be improved upon from the previous Amtrak routes that once rolled into Mobile: Gulf Coast Limited (1984-1985), Gulf Breeze (1989-1995), and the Sunset Limited. The latter was a long-distance service connecting Florida with Los Angeles, but was marred with on-time performance problems and stopped in Mobile only about three times a week. It operated until 2005, when Hurricane Katrina destroyed much of the rail line, halting passenger rail since.
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Brad Christensen, director of Real Estate Management with the city of Mobile, said the station will be “completely off the main tracks,” meaning it will not interfere directly with freight operators.
Amtrak, as part of its modifications in Mobile, would add a 1,300-foot track off the main line that leads to the station. The trains are an estimated 300-500 feet long. A final design, and financial details about the downtown station, won’t be known until later this year.
The Gulf Coast trains, according to Amtrak officials, are not long enough to impede access into the Alabama Cruise Terminal. Interference with the downtown cruise facility was among the chief concerns of Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson in recent weeks.
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Roadgeek Adam wrote: ↑Sat Jul 06, 2019 11:13 am The old Mobile station for the Sunset Limited is well north (1400ft) of the crossing in question. You figure the crossing would be blocked for what, 30 seconds?My thoughts as well. I can't believe they have no space for a six car train to sit for 20 minutes.
This reeks of NIMBY politicians.
Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao made the announcement during a conference in Biloxi, Mississippi. The grant will cover the first year of service and leverages about $1.4 million in commitments the states of Louisiana and Mississippi have made toward passenger rail.
gokeefe wrote: ↑Fri Aug 30, 2019 11:53 am Why do you say that? Hard to imagine anyone being more difficult than CSX. Perhaps you're referring to PTC requirements?The problem with the shortline ownership is that they may drop maintenance standards to meet the limited freight needs. They could easily drop the standards so that MAS is, to pull a number out of the air, 35mph, remove signals, etc. If they do, restoring the line to passenger standards will require major public investment.
John_Perkowski wrote: ↑Fri Aug 30, 2019 9:55 am Oh, boy, old horizons and a crappy cafe car! Woohoo!Believe several successful corridors started with the equivalent. The transcontinental Sunset was always little more than a railfan fantasy.
Kiss goodby the dreams of a transcontinental Sunset.