Railroad Forums 

  • Andy Byford joing Amtrak as Executive VP HSR: "Train Daddy"

  • Discussion related to Amtrak also known as the National Railroad Passenger Corp.
Discussion related to Amtrak also known as the National Railroad Passenger Corp.

Moderators: GirlOnTheTrain, mtuandrew, Tadman

 #1618761  by GojiMet86
 
https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2023/03/23/ ... in-amtrak/
STREETSBLOG EXCLUSIVE: Andy Byford to Join Amtrak
By David Meyer
Mar 23, 2023

Former NYC Transit President and beloved “Train Daddy” Andy Byford will join Amtrak next month as an executive vice president, Streetsblog has learned.

Byford, who earned his nickname during his time running the MTA’s city bus and subway system from January 2018 to February 2020, returned to the United States last year after a stint in his native U.K. as the head of Transport for London.

At Amtrak, Byford will oversee the development of high-speed rail, according to an internal company memo. The fast train tech, which is commonplace in Asia and Europe, has historically eluded the U.S.

“Andy is widely respect in the industry and has a wealth of experience leading large transportation systems worldwide,” Amtrak officials said in an email to employees on Thursday. Byford’s first day will be April 10.

The cheery Brit’s tenure in New York was marked by increased on-time subway performance, the approval of $40 billion in proposed spending to modernize city subways and buses, and his very public squabbles and eventual falling out with then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who was later forced to resign in a sexual harassment scandal.

Byford, who also served in executive transit roles in Sydney and Toronto, left New York on the eve of the pandemic, saying he had had enough of “interference” from the now-disgraced governor, with whom he sparred over the cancellation of NYCT’s long-planned L train shutdown.

“I needed to be left to run the system,” Byford told CBS New York’s Marcia Kramer shortly after his departure. “It got to a point where it was obvious … I was not going to be allowed to get on with what needed to be done.

“I had to make to my mind up, as a person with very strong principles, can I accept … a situation where I’m in a safety-critical role and the people are being given direction on operational matters behind my back,” he added.

Amtrak’s decision to hire Byford for a critical mission earned plaudits from Lisa Daglian, executive director of the MTA’s in-house Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee.

“Having Andy Byford in that role means the whole nation can benefit from having a ‘Train Daddy’ and his wealth of experience,” Daglian said.

“He’s lived and worked in places where high speed rail actually exists and is in a great position to help bring it here. He’s got excellent relationships within the MTA that will help smooth the way as conversations about a multitude of projects continue. And he understands the complexity of the system and its components — and mostly, how to put riders first.”

Neither Amtrak nor Byford responded immediately to requests for comment.
 #1618806  by Gilbert B Norman
 
This could be a rerun of the David Gunn saga. Nobody best get their hopes up too high that this is some kind of "awakening" with the opening chords of Strauss' "Also Sprach Zarathustra" being heard with full orchestra.
 #1618879  by Train60
 
His focus on HSR sounds a bit odd, since there's not much chance that Amtrak is going to be building new HSR lines anytime soon. In the short term I guess he'll be focused on transforming the Acela service into a world class product, and filling seats on these trains.

Could also be that the board brought him in to be groomed to take a higher position in the organization at some stage.
 #1619011  by SRich
 
Maybe he will focus on transforming the Amtrak owned part of the NEC to upgrade the tracks and switches around stations to 60 mph.

Another part could be electrification of the state owned Virginia tracks.
Or maybe electrifying the empire connection, for the future ICT trainsets.
 #1619040  by scratchyX1
 
SRich wrote: Mon Mar 27, 2023 5:33 am Maybe he will focus on transforming the Amtrak owned part of the NEC to upgrade the tracks and switches around stations to 60 mph.

Another part could be electrification of the state owned Virginia tracks.
Or maybe electrifying the empire connection, for the future ICT trainsets.
As Alon Levy points out, increasing the speed of the lower speed tracks will cost less, and have more of an over all gain, than raising speed of a few sections to 150+.
Maybe he could also get ashland Va bypass /tunnel worked out.
 #1630845  by Jeff Smith
 
More Train Daddy: https://www.pcmag.com/articles/inside-a ... -to-the-us
Inside Amtrak's Push to Bring Japanese-Style High-Speed Rail to the US

Amtrak wants to bring high-speed trains to the US, a country known more for pickup trucks and planes than public transit, and has recruited Andy Byford to get the job done.
...
After a falling out with since-ousted Governor Andrew Cuomo, Byford left the MTA and went to oversee London's transport system, the New York Times reports. As of April 2023, he's back in America with a new mission: Gaining enough political support, and funding, to finally start the type of high-speed rail service he says is already commonplace in Europe, Asia, Russia, Morocco—"everywhere except the US. The US is the outlier."
...
His team has identified a set of "compelling city pairings" where this type of rail could thrive. So far, Dallas to Houston has emerged as the top candidate. The 3.5-hour drive between them is "just short enough that you don't want to fly," Byford says, yet drivers consistently encounter traffic.

"We're looking at the revenue projections and so far it looks really positive, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's a reality yet," Byford says. His team is also evaluating a Vancouver-Seattle-Portland-Eugene line, and considering other potential candidates such as Charlotte to Atlanta.
...
 #1630895  by electricron
 
If this is more than a political publicity stunt, it is a great sign of things to come.
Dallas to Houston is the most underserved route in the USA, and is the best choice for implementing new HSR financially. The EIS is finished, the FRA's Record of Decision is finished. All that is needed is funds to buy all of the right-if-way and build it. Texas Central hoped to do so privtely, but like California found the private funding needed difficult to collect. Amtrak taking over this project which is basically shovel ready might be the straw to break the camels back and get it done.
If Texas Central or Amtrak can get this project done on budget and on time will probably fix the future of HSR in the rest of the USA for a generation to come. A very important if, and it is comforting to note that an experienced railroader will be leading this project.
 #1630900  by eolesen
 
We've already hashed Dallas-Houston out in the Texas Central thread....

Other than having large populations, why would you think Dallas to Houston is the most underserved route? The only thing Dallas and Houston have in common is being in the same state. They're two widely dispersed metro areas with no clear single business district in either, and only one (Dallas) has a serious local transit network.

There's no real natural draw for HSR if you're still going to spend 30-60 minutes getting from their origin and another 30-60 minutes getting to their destination.

I'd think Houston-New Orleans is a bigger overall market. They've got historical and cultural ties, not to mention the displacement from Katrina which saw tens of thousands of families relocated "temporarily" who opted to stay in Houston...
 #1631109  by Tadman
 
Image
Pic from youtube user "kucko"

Kind of ironic they're hiring an EVP of HSR and the fastest the new HSR trainsets have gone is perhaps 30mph behind antique freight motors from a defunct manufacturer on a deserted branch line.

Great photo though if you're into odd and rare movements like I am.
 #1631114  by Gilbert B Norman
 
Not meaning to talk politics here, but WHAT IF Joe is to leave Washington as a private citizen during January '25, would Amtrak afford, and the Secret Service tolerate, him a send-off with something like that?

I wouldn't place too many bets that the Aviellas will be in revenue service by then, but it would be a nice send off for a Former President who has been "a bit" pro-Amtrak during his term.

The train might need be Diesel locomotive hauled anyway and held to conventional equipment speed, but it would be a nice gesture.
 #1631122  by electricron
 
eolesen wrote: Sun Oct 08, 2023 11:34 am We've already hashed Dallas-Houston out in the Texas Central thread....
Other than having large populations, why would you think Dallas to Houston is the most underserved route? The only thing Dallas and Houston have in common is being in the same state. They're two widely dispersed metro areas with no clear single business district in either, and only one (Dallas) has a serious local transit network.
There's no real natural draw for HSR if you're still going to spend 30-60 minutes getting from their origin and another 30-60 minutes getting to their destination.
I'd think Houston-New Orleans is a bigger overall market. They've got historical and cultural ties, not to mention the displacement from Katrina which saw tens of thousands of families relocated "temporarily" who opted to stay in Houston...
I am not the only one who thinks Dallas to Houston will be a great market for HSR in the USA. Check out City Nerd's "Gravitational" model YouTube video for the top 10 HSR markets in the USA.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwgZfZxzuQU&t=576s
At least he was using a scientific method to support his opinions, not just his whim like you.

As for Dallas to Houston being the most underserved intercity market, would ZERO direct trains per day between two of the largest 10 CSAs in the USA qualify?

Per Wiki top 10 largest CSAs in the USA
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combined_statistical_area
1 New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined Statistical Area 23,143,097
2 Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA Combined Statistical Area 18,372,485
3 Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA Combined Statistical Area 9,968,104
4 Chicago-Naperville, IL-IN-WI Combined Statistical Area 9,806,184
5 San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA Combined Statistical Area 9,482,708
6 Dallas-Fort Worth, TX-OK Combined Statistical Area 8,449,932
7 Boston-Worcester-Providence, MA-RI-NH-CT Combined Statistical Area 8,413,327
8 Houston-The Woodlands, TX Combined Statistical Area 7,533,096
9 Philadelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD Combined Statistical Area 7,381,187
10 Atlanta–Athens-Clarke County–Sandy Springs, GA-AL Combined Statistical Area 7,088,898

FYI, New Orleans-Metairie-Hammond, LA-MS, 1,498,579 ranked 40th on this list.

Both Dallas and Houston have inner city commercial airports, Love Field and Hobby. You can reach either from their central business districts within 15 minutes. No need to drive 30 to 60 minutes to reach their International Airports.

Additionally, my intention was using Dallas to Houston Texas Central being a shovel ready project. Only two other intercity potential HSR routes in the USA are as shovel ready. CHSR and Brightline West. None of the other proposals are as shovel ready.