Amtrak Southwest Chief Discussion

[Backshophoss]

NMRX will install PTC,most likely the same setup BNSF uses,Using the same towers the onboard Wi-Fi uses,NMRX asked for, but, was denied a Waver
on PTC..
Not sure on how the state will fund this,possibly a bond issue.

Senators Heinrich and Udall meeting with Mr Anderson might be considered a "sham" at this point,and any further dealing with "Congress critters"
just might put more nails in Mr Anderson's Coffin.

[Rockingham Racer]

Third the motion.

[east point]

It may be Anderson does not to be on the transcon Newton <> ABQ. That might increase the ridership and average load factor too high to cancel the SWC ?

[John_Perkowski]

For those younger than 47,

Amtrak had the option to take the Transcon, it could have chosen the San Fancisco Chief on A-Day. It chose the Super Chief/El Capitan and the historic Santa Fe instead.

You can bet your bottom dollar Mr Buffett's railroad will demand top dollar to put service back on the Transcon.

Senator Udall from New Mexico is on the Surface Transportation Subcommittee of the Senate Commerce Committee. He's the player here, not the guy who has a bug in his rectum about this matter. If he weren't on this I think Mr Anderson would post the 180 Day notices tomorrow.

[RRspatch]

NMRX will install PTC,most likely the same setup BNSF uses,Using the same towers the onboard Wi-Fi uses,

Yes, they will use the freight railroad version of PTC. This is because BNSF has trackage rights over NMRX from Belen to Lamy. Everyday there are two shuttle trains that run from Albuquerque to Belen and back as well as a local switcher that runs nightly from Albuquerque to Bernalillo and back.

NMRX asked for, but, was denied a Waver on PTC..
Not sure on how the state will fund this,possibly a bond issue.

I'm not surprised the FRA turned them down. After all they share tracks with Amtrak and BNSF trains and their passenger train count is way over the PTC cutoff limit for operating passenger trains without PTC (re: Vermonter).

Senators Heinrich and Udall meeting with Mr Anderson might be considered a "sham" at this point,and any further dealing with "Congress critters" just might put more nails in Mr Anderson's Coffin.

We can only hope.

[frequentflyer]

It may be Anderson does not to be on the transcon Newton <> ABQ. That might increase the ridership and average load factor too high to cancel the SWC ?

More like BNSF doesn't want Amtrak on it after years of wanting to switch in the first place. It's easy to make Anderson the scape goat but is a making of kicking the can down the street by other Amtrak CEOs.

[bretton88]

NMRX will install PTC,most likely the same setup BNSF uses,Using the same towers the onboard Wi-Fi uses,

Yes, they will use the freight railroad version of PTC. This is because BNSF has trackage rights over NMRX from Belen to Lamy. Everyday there are two shuttle trains that run from Albuquerque to Belen and back as well as a local switcher that runs nightly from Albuquerque to Bernalillo and back.

NMRX asked for, but, was denied a Waver on PTC..
Not sure on how the state will fund this,possibly a bond issue.

I'm not surprised the FRA turned them down. After all they share tracks with Amtrak and BNSF trains and their passenger train count is way over the PTC cutoff limit for operating passenger trains without PTC (re: Vermonter).

Senators Heinrich and Udall meeting with Mr Anderson might be considered a "sham" at this point,and any further dealing with "Congress critters" just might put more nails in Mr Anderson's Coffin.

We can only hope.

The state is unwilling to cough up more money for Railrunner, so the current plan coming from NMRX is to cut down to the maximum allowable trains (6 RTs) for an exemption and gain more time to install PTC. NMRX is not including Amtrak or freight in those 6 slots, all 6 trips will be Railrunners. Rio Metro is already warning about service cuts for the forseeable future because of this, they aren't going to accommodate Amtrak at the expense of their tax paying citizens. Therefore Amtrak will not be allowed to run in NMRX territory until PTC is installed or another way is approved by the FRA.

[mtuandrew]

The state is unwilling to cough up more money for Railrunner, so the current plan coming from NMRX is to cut down to the maximum allowable trains (6 RTs) for an exemption and gain more time to install PTC. NMRX is not including Amtrak or freight in those 6 slots, all 6 trips will be Railrunners. Rio Metro is already warning about service cuts for the forseeable future because of this, they aren't going to accommodate Amtrak at the expense of their tax paying citizens. Therefore Amtrak will not be allowed to run in NMRX territory until PTC is installed or another way is approved by the FRA.

Ah, it makes much more sense that the state and BNSF are holding Amtrak hostage than for Anderson to deliberately go picking a fight over a well-patronized LD train. This isn’t Perlman and the 20th Century here. Too bad Amtrak doesn’t reach Santa Fe directly, it could take on the role of one of those six RTs.

Maybe the Boy Scouts can chip in for line maintenance
-signed, an Eagle Scout

[Matt Johnson]

Anyone know how highway bus travel safety statistics compare with passenger rail in non-PTC territory? I think I'd bet my life on the train!

[RRspatch]

The state is unwilling to cough up more money for Railrunner, so the current plan coming from NMRX is to cut down to the maximum allowable trains (6 RTs) for an exemption and gain more time to install PTC. NMRX is not including Amtrak or freight in those 6 slots, all 6 trips will be Railrunners. Rio Metro is already warning about service cuts for the forseeable future because of this, they aren't going to accommodate Amtrak at the expense of their tax paying citizens. Therefore Amtrak will not be allowed to run in NMRX territory until PTC is installed or another way is approved by the FRA.

No slots for BNSF freights? Albuquerque generates a LOT of business for BNSF. There is a twice daily transfer train between Albuquerque and Belen which can run up to 60 cars (I used to send it out of Belen around 0100 back to ABQ) as well as a weekly auto rack train between Albuquerque and El Paso. There's also a local switcher that runs every night from Albuquerque to Bernalillo and back. This sounds to me like a ploy for force BNSF to take the line back and install PTC on it's own. If that happened BNSF would only install it Between Belen and Bernalillo and that assumes there are hazmats going east past Albuquerque to Bernalillo. If there are no hazmats going past Albuquerque then it would be two Amtrak trains and just 4 railrunner trains between Albuquerque and CP Madrid. That would be the outcome anyway as BNSF would have no reason to install PTC between Bernalillo and CP Madrid.

Sounds like the boys in Santa Fe finally found a way to get rid of the "Rail Chicken" as we called it. I'm guessing there might be some commuter rail cars and locomotives coming on the used train market soon. Of course there's still those pesky bonds to be paid off ....

And to think I thought Anderson picked the SWC at random as his first long distance "kill". Looks like there's more to this story than meets the eye.

[Backshophoss]

The Lamy Local still runs to Rosario to that plant there,along with Crude Oil reloading at Lamy from trucks to tank cars.

With Gas reaching up to $4.00 + a gal in Santa Fe,and $3.50 a gal in ABQ,there will be an uptick in passenger loadings
for the Rail Runner.
As this is an election Year for the Governor and a good chunk of the Roundhouse critters,Nothing is set in stone right now.

[RRspatch]

The Lamy Local still runs to Rosario to that plant there,along with Crud Oil reloading at Lamy from trucks to tank cars.

That would count as hazmats. It's about three miles from the Rosario switch to CP Madrid. I knew about the Bernalillo local because I had to send them GTB's for the route to Lamy (and slightly past) just in case they actually had something for the Santa Fe Southern (defunct?). I had completely forgotten about the Rosario operation.

I do remember seeing something about a month or two ago about BNSF asking for an extension to PTC account a commuter operator wasn't going to be ready in time. Now I realize that points directly at NMRX. Perhaps the outcome will be for BNSF to take the line back and New Mexico to pay BNSF to dispatch and maintain the line. With that NMRX would only have to install PTC between CP Madrid and Santa Fe ... if they can find the money to do just that part. I sure there are talks going on right now between Amtrak, Congress, the FRA, BNSF and the state of New Mexico on how to solve this mess ...

[Backshophoss]

Santa Fe Southern is still active,on a as needed basis,they have recently done a private car move,Lamy-Santa Fe and return.
Tourist train is Mothballed for now.

[eolesen]

Anderson has only been around for not even two years.

We’ve been having this discussion about Raton Pass and rerouting to the Transcontinental far longer than that. This thread has been active for almost six years, and even the most rail friendly POTUS in recent history didn’t address it.

If you want to place blame, be a little more honest, folks.

[bretton88]

Anderson has only been around for not even two years.

We’ve been having this discussion about Raton Pass and rerouting to the Transcontinental far longer than that. This thread has been active for almost six years, and even the most rail friendly POTUS in recent history didn’t address it.

If you want to place blame, be a little more honest, folks.

Lets not forget why NM backed out of the purchase of the line in the first place. They saw the massive amount of maintenance and upgrades it would require and wanted no part of it, NM's own studies said it would cost 9 million a year and only have 3 million a year in benefits just for keeping amtrak on the NM part of the line north of Lamy. Amtrak is now saying the same thing about the line, with the added bonus of the NMRX PTC problem.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/20 ... co-losses/