Anderson possible changes: Dismantling LD, Corridor, Etc.

[R&DB]

Dick H » Sun Jul 29, 2018 10:06 am

Amtrak.com has been down for at least three hours this Sunday AM (7/29)
Maybe Anderson eliminated the weekend internet tech's position.

It's probably a site update. Maintenance does that.

Transitdocs links to Amtrak are not working, although their VIA links are okay. This happens every time Amtrak does a site update.

[JimBoylan]

Amtrak's own map at https://www.amtrak.com/track-your-train.html isn't working either.

[R&DB]

Both tracking systems back up.

[Gilbert B Norman]

Here is a quote taken from a posting made at another site. Agree with it or not, it represents the opinion of a "fellow traveler" on this planet and is as worthy of respect as any views expressed here:

The simpler explanation is that the Board and Mr. Coscia are not doing anything that the railfans want because they do not share the railfan's vision of Amtrak, I have no clue what they believe in, but apparently it is not what many in the railfan/advocate community believe in.

"…..they do not share the railfan's vision of Amtrak"; grief; what goes through the minds of some with whom we share this planet?

The corollary to such is that the Board does not share the vision of the hobbyist Long Distance train traveler. They do not even share the purposeful traveler using an LD, as I believe they recognize that subsidized bus routes over a phase out period serving likely 350 of Amtrak's 500 stations, represent a more economical means to provide transportation to those small number of passengers affected by any LD discontinuances.

While likely not attainable in full, the object of the Board and their "hired hand", Mr. Anderson, appears to be the transformation of Amtrak into a transportation resource serving markets in which such resource is recognized as needed. In the aggregate, the Corridor and the Locally funded routes, put more into the cookie jar than they take out for "gas, lube & oil, car washes, and drivers,". The more the record level of FY 18 funding, and hopefully at the same level in future years, can be directed to infrastructure improvements, Corridor and elsewhere (street running in Ashland or Oakland; "romantic" - but efficient? Chicago area; where to begin!!), the more Amtrak will be recognized as a means to solve transportation problems.

Unfortunately for the Long Distance advocacy "caucus", "Three a Week" through the fastest growing region of the USA, does not.

[Tadman]

Still noticing the fact that the Sunset Limited has not been proposed for discontinuance as a sign in my eyes that what is going on right now has more to do with bargaining than real change.

It is such an obvious target and it has so few supporters compared to the Southwest Chief. Just look at the station in Houston and that should tell you pretty much everything.

This is a really good point. It always makes my head spin when I consider the fourth-largest city in the world, and their train service is less than Galesburg or South Bend.

Also, the bargaining theory seems right, but bargaining for what?

[east point]

Look at San Antonia station makes Houston look absolutely pristine.

[Rockingham Racer]

Still noticing the fact that the Sunset Limited has not been proposed for discontinuance as a sign in my eyes that what is going on right now has more to do with bargaining than real change.

It is such an obvious target and it has so few supporters compared to the Southwest Chief. Just look at the station in Houston and that should tell you pretty much everything.

This is a really good point. It always makes my head spin when I consider the fourth-largest city in the world, and their train service is less than Galesburg or South Bend.

Also, the bargaining theory seems right, but bargaining for what?

Short answer: it's Texas, and good public transit could hurt the oil industry.

[Gilbert B Norman]

It always makes my head spin when I consider the fourth-largest city in the world, and their train service is less than Galesburg or South Bend.

Mr. Dunville, that's Beijing - think they have plenty of rail service.

[Philly Amtrak Fan]

It always makes my head spin when I consider the fourth-largest city in the world, and their train service is less than Galesburg or South Bend.

Mr. Dunville, that's Beijing - think they have plenty of rail service.

If he was referring to Houston, I assume he meant fourth-largest in the country. But yeah, they have three days a week service and irrelevant towns in North Dakota have daily service.

[Tadman]

Ha yes, I meant 4th largest in USA.

And I strongly refute claims about good public transit hurting oil. It wouldn't put a dent in oil if Houston had good public transit. Recently a trend is emerging where producers are declining to invest despite rising prices as a hedge against future drops. That can't last...

It's a thing in Texas because it's a very pragmatic state. Right now, they look at rail transit as useless. And it is. TRE has little connections, the Houston light rail only hits a few hot spots (and no airports), and Amtrak is bloody useless outside NEC. Lately I have had a streak of crummy luck with Michigan corridor service and the CNO. If they can't run the Detroit trains right, where is there hope? Sure as heck not in Texas.

[gokeefe]

Also, the bargaining theory seems right, but bargaining for what?

Tunnel money for New York. It worked last year the Gateway money got spread around multiple programs and was veto-proofed. Pretty impressive accomplishment.

Think about it ... What's the fastest way to ensure ultra-conservatives (and their staffers) go along with funding the Gateway tunnels? Tell them you'll shred their train service.

The proposed cancellation even doubles the pain by substituting bus service as opposed to outright cancellation. Surefire way to keep the fires burning in the prairie by dangling resumption of service even after cancellation.

If Anderson and Amtrak wanted this train cancelled they would have done it. The real answer is that they know the LD service is the "Wells Fargo Express" for their federal operating support. I think they know they can't kill it but they also know that no one in Congress wants to take the hit for pushing Amtrak over the edge.

[Tadman]

At one time, I would've wished you were right. I love the Chief, it was my ride to grad school for years. I dreamed of a trip out through the southwest once.

But in the last few months, I have had some pretty crummy service on basic Amtrak corridors and a few LD's. I'm pretty cross with them. I'm getting to the point where I could not care less if the Chief were sacked and replaced with a Rocky Mountaineer or a Caledonian-like service subbed out to a privateer. I worry that half the problem is the typical inertia of a large company coupled with the typical problems of an under-funded gov't agency coupling and the typical problems of a business stuck in 1959 combining to be borderline untenable.

I've had some nice rides through west Texas so I'm not looking for an opportunity to kill the LD train, but when they can barely get a corridor train right, something's got to give.

[bretton88]

Also, the bargaining theory seems right, but bargaining for what?

Tunnel money for New York. It worked last year the Gateway money got spread around multiple programs and was veto-proofed. Pretty impressive accomplishment.

Think about it ... What's the fastest way to ensure ultra-conservatives (and their staffers) go along with funding the Gateway tunnels? Tell them you'll shred their train service.

The proposed cancellation even doubles the pain by substituting bus service as opposed to outright cancellation. Surefire way to keep the fires burning in the prairie by dangling resumption of service even after cancellation.

If Anderson and Amtrak wanted this train cancelled they would have done it. The real answer is that they know the LD service is the "Wells Fargo Express" for their federal operating support. I think they know they can't kill it but they also know that no one in Congress wants to take the hit for pushing Amtrak over the edge.

Amtrak is not the lead on the Gateway project, and will only have an ancillary benefit from it. What they're really bargaining for is exactly what it looks like, more funding to do a complete repair of the Raton line, or at least get the maintenance costs off their hands. The bus bridge/discontinuance talk is simply a negotiating tactic. I'm still trying to find out what is included, but the Senators in their letter to Amtrak promised that funding. So it looks like the negotiating might have worked.

[David Benton]

Voters (generally older) tend to like trains. They may never ride them, but they don't like to hear they are losing their train service. Many voters, in a place like Houston , may not know or care that Amtrak service is available. But you can safely say most people in a small town will know if there is Amtrak service. And rural people will tend to fight for the loss of any service.

[Rockingham Racer]

It's 277 miles to the nearest Amtrak station for me. A hop, skip and a jump in Texas, but it says something about how important passenger rail is here.