This Week in Amtrak

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Volume 8, Number 7

From the Editors…

Recently, Amtrak released its updated fleet strategy plan. What a difference a year makes.

A Tale of Two Strategies

At first blush, it would appear the primary difference between Amtrak’s Fleet Strategies of February 2010 and February 2011 is a thorough going over by our very own proofreader here at This Week. (For the record, she vehemently denies this, but the investigation is on-going.) Upon closer inspection, it becomes obvious certain realities are now being accepted. Before going any further it should be known that the original document and its update are of a high quality and represent the obvious expenditure of many hours of effort.

The updated report acknowledges the orders of 130 single-level cars for Eastern long distance service and 70 electrics for the Northeast Corridor. Priorities held over from 2010 are the replacement of 250 Superliner I's and the development of “a new fuel-efficient high speed diesel locomotive.” New to the priority list are: Replacement of 145 Amfleet II's, developing a “bi-level corridor car to replace single-level cars where clearances permit, adding two cars each to the existing Acela fleet (40 new cars total), and planning the next generation of high-speed trains. Total estimated cost of this 30 year plan is $25.2 billion.

Replacement of the single-level long distance coaches, Amfleet II, has now been moved ahead of the Amfleet I replacement. Why? Despite being a few years newer, the average mileage for an Amfleet II car is 1.4 million miles over an Amfleet I. Truth be told, the Amfleet design was never meant for long-distance service, yet they have performed adequately for over 30 years; a true testament to the construction of the Budd Company. CAF USA has a very tough act to follow, constructing the 130-piece Viewliner 2 order. There are 145 Amfleet II’s in service but the Fleet Strategy does not specify how many new cars will be ordered. If CAF USA gets a chance to build a coach variant of the Viewliner 2 platform, then we could possibly see uniform trainsets in the east, something which has not happened since the introduction of the Amfleet II’s in 1980. Do you believe in miracles?

In 2010, “long distance” services were defined as “more than 600 miles,” whereas in 2011 it is “more than 750 miles.” No doubt this is a sign of inflation. Also curious is the statement that the long-distance trains “have grown around 2 percent annually,” although “Table 8: Amtrak Ridership Growth FY06-10” demonstrates that long-distance trains were the only service during those five years not to have a negative ridership growth; even during the doldrums of 2009. Average growth on the long-distance trains according to Amtrak’s data was 3.7 percent for the last five years, a fact all the more fascinating when one takes into account there has been no addition to the equipment of these trains in over a decade.

A significant difference between the two reports is the acknowledgment of Amtrak’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG). The OIG is evaluating the original report, and will issue its own report this year. “We look forward to receiving the final OIG report and we will continue to work with the OIG to ensure that its insights are incorporated in the next fleet plan update as appropriate.” Where was the OIG during the original report? Oh, right.

In both reports the Horizon fleet of regional-distance cars is panned: “These cars suffer from a variety of operational problems in cold temperatures and winter conditions.” Interestingly these cars are a variant of an original Pullman-Standard commuter car design which has gained acceptance in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts, none of which are known for their balmy winters. The solution for 2011 is a new fleet of 125 bi-level cars ostensibly patterned after the cars used in regional service in California. As these cars do not have any operating history in the extremes of the Midwest, this will be an interesting experiment. Although the “California cars” appear to be similar to Superliners, the difference is in the details. Superliners have their Head End Power (HEP) and Multiple Unit (MU) cables well above the ground and away from snow and ice buildups. California cars have their cables astride their couplers, as is standard with most other equipment. Superliners have successfully pinch hit for Horizon cars in Midwest services during wintertime. If one expects California cars to perform to the same level as the Superliners, one may be in for an unpleasant surprise.

One other curious statement as regards the potential routes for the new bi-level cars: “The only other exception would be Amtrak’s Hoosier State/Cardinal Service between Chicago and Indianapolis, which would continue to use single level equipment because of clearance constraints on the Cardinal route.” Trains between Chicago and Indianapolis have always ferried equipment to and from Beech Grove, Amtrak’s maintenance facility just outside Indianapolis. The deadheading equipment does include cars from Amtrak’s current bi-level fleet: Superliners, Superliner II’s and California cars.

The plans for Acela were wide and varied in 2010. By 2011, the choices have been narrowed: “There is a compelling case for an additional two cars for each set… [the extra cars] will deliver a positive return even if the trains were replaced in 2023.” Moreover, the desire is expressed for an additional 20 trainsets “of a new rather than the existing design and delivery would begin in 2017.” Apparently they have learned one lesson.

Unfortunately, both reports address the potential utility of self-propelled diesel cars or Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs). Not that there is anything wrong with DMUs in and of themselves; however, they are best suited to commuter operations. Amtrak is NOT a commuter railroad, and provides operating crews under contract to a handful of commuter operations around the country. If one of these commuter lines provides DMUs for its operation, so be it; but Amtrak should not be taking the lead on this.

It is recognized in the reports that: “Suppliers need a constant stream of work to ensure that there is sufficient business to support a competitive supplier base and avoid the boom and bust cycles in the past.” This work-fare program of equipment sustainability is the sort of thing a state-owned/operated polity should have pursued since its inception. Well, better late than never. The plan calls for an average of 65 single-level and 35 bi-level cars per year starting in 2012 and 2014, respectively.

Both reports speak of the need for the development of future equipment. The 2011 edition refers to the Next Generation Equipment Committee (NGEC), whose stated goal is “to promote the creation of a pool of standardized, interoperable equipment that could be used by Amtrak and the states in various state-sponsored corridors with flexibility and efficiency.” In light of Amtrak’s past history of equipment, standardization would be a vast improvement. This is, however, a double-edged sword. Such a mandate would mean ostracizing non-standard equipment such as the state-owned Talgo trainsets in Cascade and Hiawatha services. Standardization to the exclusion of innovation has a history of long-term negative consequences. Fifteen years ago, ABB Traction withdrew its product, the X2000, from contention for use in the NEC. The X2000 achieved higher speeds on conventional track through the use of radial steering trucks and active tilting. Since no other bidder could offer radial trucks, it was not included in the Federal bid request, and ABB realized it could not succeed in the face of cheaper, inferior products.

Perhaps the largest sign of change is what was not held over from the original report, the “Calculation of required added cars per set” toward the back of the report. Originally hypothesized were the train consists as they might appear for FY18 and FY23. When first released in 2010, it was these charts which caused many a confused look even from the most ardent Amtrak apologists. For 2018, 10 of the 14 long distance trains would receive one extra sleeping car. By 2023, four more trains would have added one more sleeper; yet this very same chart reports the 2008 load factors for the sleepers, and none are below 80%. Two trains are tied at 94 percent. None of Amtrak’s regional or corridor offerings even come close to matching this load factor. It is also no secret that fares for traveling by sleeping car are especially dear. Even so, sleeping cars are what the traveling public craves. Why? There could be many postulated reasons: An aging population, TSA fatigue, etc. We at This Week do not know the true reason for this trend, but it really is academic. The public has voted with its wallet, demanding sleeping car space.

Through Amtrak’s typical “framing mischief by decree,” it has made it abundantly clear that it is loathe to reinstate trains such as the Pioneer, North Coast Hiawatha, or Eastern leg of the Sunset Limited. Even so, it does acknowledge the growth in long-distance demand. “This gradual increase in demand can be satisfied through the progressive replacement of equipment and lengthening of existing train consists.” Limiting the increase, however, of already paltry long-distance trains by a mere one or two cars just does not correspond with reality. Long-term success of any business requires change, to support changing demand. In the past, the speed at which Amtrak responded to such change was glacial, at best. Amtrak has not received any new equipment since 2002. It may already be too late. After 40 years, it should be getting it right. If not, then perhaps it is really time to let someone or something else have a turn.

This Week In Amtrak

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This Week at Amtrak; August 31, 2009



A weekly digest of events, opinions, and forecasts from



United Rail Passenger Alliance, Inc.

America’s foremost passenger rail policy institute



1526 University Boulevard, West, PMB 203 • Jacksonville, Florida 32217-2006 USA

Telephone 904-636-7739, Electronic Mail info@unitedrail.org • http://www.unitedrail.org





Volume 6, Number 34



Founded over three decades ago in 1976, URPA is a nationally known policy institute which focuses on solutions and plans for passenger rail systems in North America. Headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, URPA has professional associates in Minnesota, California, Arizona, New Mexico, the District of Columbia, Texas, New York, and other cities. For more detailed information, along with a variety of position papers and other documents, visit the URPA web site at http://www.unitedrail.org.



URPA is not a membership organization, and does not accept funding from any outside sources.



1) Respected rail historian Daniel Carleton has some thoughts on the coming of high speed rail.



[Begin quote]



By Daniel Carlteon



Your Attention Please… Next Stop: Fantasyland



After over 30 years of neglect, one of the Sunshine State’s premier railroad terminals has been given a new lease on life. Tampa Union Station (TUS), an Italian Renaissance-style building built by the Seaboard Air Line, Atlantic Coast Line, and Tampa Northern Railroads, was rededicated the weekend of May 29-31 after a $2.1 million, two-year restoration. Originally opened on May 15, 1912, the deteriorating building had been off-limits to Amtrak passengers since 1984 and boarded-up since 1988. – Jackson McQuigg, Trains Magazine, September 1998



All Dressed Up and Nowhere to Go



Saturday, May 30, 1998 was a beautiful day, even by Florida standards. The bands played, the pledge was recited, the politicians pressed the flesh and made the obligatory speeches for all gathered to hear. At one point the “Rough-Riders”, a local group of Teddy Roosevelt aficionados, rode in on an ersatz fire-truck.



Amtrak, CSX and even the short-lived Florida Fun Train had equipment on display. Amtrak ran a round trip between Tampa and Lakeland ostensibly to promote the idea of a commuter service. (Five years earlier the same had been done with equipment from South Florida’s Tri-Rail.) There were also shorter trips in and out of TUS utilizing the Florida Fun Train. One of these was attended by then County Commissioner Ed “Choo-Choo” Turanchik and his family. He was obviously exhausted by the days’ activities but his smile never waned. Even when one of his constituents questioned why a local road had not been widened he patiently and politely explained there was no money for further eminent domain of people’s front yards.



All around the country this scene was repeated as stations and terminals large and small were rehabilitated, usually with ISTEA or other public funds, with the promise of new and expanded passenger service. Yet, behind the scenes the picture was growing ever more desperate. While the decaying building of TUS was boarded up, outside the grounds hosted a small maintenance base where two separate trains per day were faithfully turned, cleaned, stocked and made ready for another journey. This ended in November of 1996 in an ill-conceived cost-cutting move which cut service to Tampa to less-than-half.



Taste the irony: Tampa had superior rail service when the waiting room was a trailer on the platform than with a restored classic building. Less than a year later, the Florida Overland eXpress, which had mutated in concept from a simple single line running Tampa - Orlando - Miami into “an HSR-in-every-pot”, was mercifully axed by the governor. For almost a decade the term High Speed Rail disappeared from the American lexicon. Well, at least the station still looks great.



But now, eleven years after the speeches, music and bunting had faded into obscurity a renewed cry of “High Speed Rail” can now be heard around the country. There are plans. There are studies. There are websites. There is an edict from the highest elected office in the land. There is a dowry of $13 billion for states willing to commit to HSR. All of these pointing to the future; a future of high speed trains of various flavors for all Americans to ride and enjoy… is it time to queue the Rough-Riders, yet?



Learning to Crawl



The remedies are neither easy nor cheap nor immediately realizable. But the task you will set is not beyond the capacity of the aroused American public. – Robert Moses



The HSR dreams of the late 1990’s evaporated in the heat of sober reality; as a nation we simply would not commit the necessary resources for what was deemed as a luxury. Since the end of World War II Americans have deployed themselves to every far-flung corner of the landscape. Heavily subsidized highway transportation has made this possible. The new sobering reality is this may no longer be possible in the not-too-distant future. With the inertia of America’s post-war boom ever slowing to a crawl, many are re-thinking how we are deployed (and move) across the land and how these arrangements will change in the future.



Potential benefactors of a world with less energy are those championing the idea of livable/walkable communities. To many, this an exercise of social engineering, and envision bland Soviet style look-alike apartment blocs. Yet, walkable communities were the norm in the era prior to World War I and these were the greatest victims of the post war economic boom. As an example, Jamestown, New York; today a moderate sized city of around 30,000 in far western New York. From 1950 to 2000 Jamestown’s population decreased over 20%, while the country as a whole doubled. New York City and its rings of satellite suburbs have continued to grow. Jamestown is not a convenient place to visit despite having the Southern Tier Expressway; a drive from the New York suburbs is over six hours. Fifty years ago there were a half-dozen trains every day connecting Jamestown’s now forlorn station to the rest of the world. Without this lifeline Jamestown continues to die on the vine.



The dirty-little-secret of all transportation schemes is none perfectly overlays another; there shall always be winners and losers. As seen above, New York and its convenient-to-drive-suburbs were winners, while cities like Jamestown were not. Shifting the bias of transportation from one scheme to another will have the unintended consequence of shifting paradigms. Those in the transportation sector have most certainly taken note of this fact. There shall not be any real progress in the arena of rail transit – American HSR or otherwise – until all stakeholders agree to accept and mitigate these consequences.



Learning to Walk



Amtrak views itself as a social service, like a transit agency or a sewer authority, and thus as a ward of government. It measures its performance by the metrics of a public agency, in simple transaction volume. The only function at which it truly excels is extracting money from public sector sponsors. This vision condemns Amtrak to always being irrelevant to the needs of the traveling public. Amtrak must adopt a vision of sustained growth, relevance and minimized dependence upon public agency financing in favor of dependency upon customer selection, of mode and route. Amtrak must position its services and its operational network such that it can become the mode of consumer preference for most intercity travel. – Andrew Selden, United Rail Passenger Alliance, www.unitedrail.org



For most Americans, passenger rail is synonymous with Amtrak. Amtrak is the sole provider of long-distance trains, and partners with states to provide some corridor services. For some states, this is a marriage of inconvenience and are taking steps to assert their constituent interests. Wisconsin has decided to purchase its own passenger railcars for its corridor service between Chicago and Milwaukee. Although Amtrak has new rolling stock on its wish list, nothing has been ordered for decade. In a much bolder move, New Jersey has asserted itself by moving ahead with plans for a new terminal in Manhattan, to the exclusion of Amtrak. These public symptoms are only hints at a larger underlying malaise.



America must come to grips with the reality of how close it is to not having a national rail system. Per Amtrak’s own website, they are in possession of “Amfleet, Superliner, Viewliner and other railroad passenger cars totaling 1,519”. End to end this would make a line of twenty-four and a half miles. At the current standard of 79 MPH for passenger trains, this line could be passed in under twenty minutes. (Imagine explaining to the under-informed we are less than twenty minutes away from having no passenger trains.)



More money is not the answer, as at least two states have discovered. Amtrak was born in the midst of the post war economic boom where the taxpayer’s pockets were always deep. Today, those pockets are threadbare. In response to the realities of our day, a new business model must be adopted, if only to serve as a foundation for future expansion. There shall not be any real progress in the arena of rail transit, American HSR or otherwise, until all stakeholders recognize the practical and political limits of Amtrak, and agree to rework or replace it.



Learning to Run



What Americans are likely to get, for the short term, is “high speed” in a relative sense: the current working definition encompasses 100- to 110-MPH trains that would be a huge advance in much of the country where the top speed is often 79 MPH. – Luther S. Miller, Railway Age Magazine, August 2009



Once the national rail passenger scheme is rectified, only then may realistic planning commence for more local and regional rail projects. But, these ambitions must be tempered by economic realities. Although $13 billion sounds like a lot, it must be placed in perspective. The congressionally mandated Positive Train Control system to be installed nationwide by 2015 is estimated to cost around $10 billion. Expecting the freight railroads which host passenger trains to foot the entire bill is completely unrealistic. Anticipating ever larger sums of public monies for rail projects, as were lavished on roads during the boom years, is even more unrealistic.



Realistically, American High-Speed Rail will resemble, if not in form then certainly in function, the American passenger train of three generations ago. This is nothing to be ashamed of; with the economic boom years came an anti-historicist bias, “out with the old, in with the new.” New York’s original Pennsylvania Station was a victim of this bias. In more recent years, we have come to appreciate the intrinsic value of those edifices which are still extant.



Besides the aforementioned Tampa Union Station, there is the Union Terminal in Cincinnati, Ohio which received an extensive renovation, yet, sees fewer trains than Tampa. For the sake of sensibility, it would be wise to replicate what was existing networks, and proceed from there. Instead of re-inventing the flanged wheel, start with a known quantity. This is neither out of nostalgia, nor an allegiance to old architecture, but rather the knowledge these schemes once worked, and did so very well.



However, it is claimed by Florida Department Of Transportation the restored Union Station in Tampa is unsuitable for the Sunshine State's HSR ambitions. And, a study commissioned by the Ohio Rail Development Commission regarding the “3-C” corridor has recommended against using Cincinnati Union Terminal in favor of a river front location now housing a restaurant.



Unlike Cincinnati, the station in Tampa is downtown, but this is not to say we should be tied to existing edifices just for the sake of architecture. Rather, this does point to a disturbing trend of these new corridors being developed outside (and to the detriment of) the existing passenger rail network. There shall not be any real progress in the arena of rail transit, American HSR or otherwise, until all stakeholders acknowledge the very real economic and thermodynamic constraints which lay before us.



If we continue to believe American HSR and the existing rail network are mutually exclusive, then both are doomed to failure. This is not the time to draw fantasy lines on a map for HSR routes that shall not be built. Expecting to build and properly operate HSR without rectifying what is currently extant is as realistic as expecting an infant who has just learned to crawl to run a marathon. Yet, the proponents of HSR in places such as Florida and the Midwest are touting the notion of 200 MPH trains before their existing trains have hit the century mark. It was such pie-in-the-sky ideas which killed the HSR schemes in the late 1990’s. If we continue to press these ideas today the results shall be the same… but then again, maybe that’s the idea?



[End quote]



2) A This Week at Amtrak reader from California sent this message regarding last issue’s feature of the late Dr. Adrian Herzog’s plan for a robust and expanded Amtrak national system.



[Begin quote]



Impressive!!!



Can the scheduling of all these routes allow optimal connection times so that a passenger can travel from any station to all other stations in the entire system matrix so that a passenger won't have several hours waiting for their next train?



I'd like to see a map on URPA's website of this route system. I'm not sure this contains a train going north from Denver to connect w/Empire Builder, North Coast, and/or Hiawatha. Are there cris-crossing routes to connect Kansas City with Denver or Omaha?



[End quote]



In answer to the first question, absolutely, yes. Dr. Herzog was the king of connectivity, and stressed it at every opportunity, and ultimately through his matrix theory. As far as waiting several hours, well, that depends on a number of things, all to be determined by planners at a more precise time than just the broad brush painting of Dr. Herzog. But, optimally, the days of having to wait more than a very few hours for a train should disappear with at least three frequencies on every route.



The writer would like to see a map on URPA’s web site. We would, too. Someone is working on that, now. It may take a short period of time to develop such an extensive map suitable for public viewing.



In answer to the last question, go back at look at some of the Western routes. There are plenty of trains going southeast to northwest, etc. west of Chicago to provide adequate connections.



3) It should be noted a system this size, with nearly 80 distinctive routes, is a robust-enough system to be self-sustaining, and operated at a profit. As has been documented in this space before, when Amtrak reaches enough density in frequencies and routes, profitability is the inevitable result.



In a world of equipment leasing, high utilization of stations and infrastructure, and economies of scale which naturally occur with larger systems, Amtrak could be profitable and continue to grow.



4) What is needed most to make the type of system Dr. Herzog envisioned is simple vision and a viable plan for the future based on growth, not constant handouts from government treasuries.



There are so many changes Amtrak could make today to improve its financial position with asking for any additional monies, including better equipment utilization, better personnel deployment, and better marketing and public relations.



Until someone with vision is installed as the chief steward of Amtrak, today’s embarrassingly skeletal system will remain, and visions like those of Dr. Herzog will only be a mirage.





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J. Bruce Richardson

President

United Rail Passenger Alliance, Inc.

1526 University Boulevard, West, PMB 203

Jacksonville, Florida 32217-2006 USA

Telephone 904-636-7739

brucerichardson@unitedrail.org

http://www.unitedrail.org

This Week In Amtrak

Image by Stephen Rees via Flickr

This Week at Amtrak; August 28, 2009



A weekly digest of events, opinions, and forecasts from



United Rail Passenger Alliance, Inc.

America’s foremost passenger rail policy institute



1526 University Boulevard, West, PMB 203 • Jacksonville, Florida 32217-2006 USA

Telephone 904-636-7739, Electronic Mail info@unitedrail.org • http://www.unitedrail.org





Volume 6, Number 33



Founded over three decades ago in 1976, URPA is a nationally known policy institute which focuses on solutions and plans for passenger rail systems in North America. Headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, URPA has professional associates in Minnesota, California, Arizona, New Mexico, the District of Columbia, Texas, New York, and other cities. For more detailed information, along with a variety of position papers and other documents, visit the URPA web site at http://www.unitedrail.org.



URPA is not a membership organization, and does not accept funding from any outside sources.



1) Good ideas never go bad, they just sometimes are put on a shelf.



Over a full decade ago in 1998, the late Adrian Herzog, Ph.D., one of the original bright lights of United Rail Passenger Alliance, compiled a long term plan for the expansion of Amtrak.



Dr. Herzog, who by profession was a rocket scientist and university physics department chair professor, died far too young of a heart attack at his home in Northridge, California in February of 2001 at the age of 52.



Outside of the classroom, Dr. Herzog was a business partner with the late Byron Nordberg, also an original bright light of URPA. Dr. Herzog and retired United States Marine Corps Colonel Nordberg were the proprietors of NHA, Inc., a highly successful rail consulting firm based in Oceanside, California. NHA was the engine which brought the UTDC (now Bombardier) bi-level commuter passenger cars to Southern California for both Metrolink and the Coaster services. A very young Noel Braymer, now editor of the Western Rail Passenger Review and luminary in California passenger rail circles, and also an early associate of URPA, worked with Colonel Nordberg and Dr. Herzog.



The amount of work coming from Dr. Herzog was nearly unparalleled. He was one of the first, using early desktop computers, to create computer modeling for Amtrak passenger trains to measure performance and successfully predict future needs. Much of Dr. Herzog’s work has been featured on URPA’s web site, www.unitedrail.org and remains today as relevant as when it was created. Perhaps one of Dr. Herzog’s greatest accomplishments was the creation of the matrix theory, demonstrating how hubbing and end point connections are critical to the success of any passenger rail system.



2) One of the documents left by the untimely death of Dr. Herzog in this writer’s care was his plan of how a successful Amtrak would look in 2010, based on several presumptions made for 2000. Alas, those presumptions were not to be at that time, but it is fascinating to see Dr. Herzog’s vision for the future of Amtrak.



Dr. Herzog believed passenger rail was viable on three levels: as a carrier of leisure travelers, as a carrier of regional travelers moving about for any number of reasons, and as a carrier of business travelers seeking an efficient way to travel making the best use of their time in trips under five hours. Remember, in 1998 when this plan was conceived, things like Wi-Fi connections were not yet common, laptop computers were still bulky and heavy, and cellular telephones were in use by a far smaller percentage of the population.



Dr. Herzog and Colonel Nordberg also believed in two basic principles. First, every route should have at least three frequencies, and more if viable. One frequency would be as existing, a second frequency would follow six to 12 hours later so every city or town would have service at marketable times, and a third frequency mimicking the old milk run local trains, where every station had a stop. As you look at Dr. Herzog’s plan below, and see a train with a route name such as the North Coast Limited, imagine a flip schedule train such as the Mainstreeter providing the second frequency, and perhaps another named train for the local.



In some instances, the local train may better serve the route by being a series of shorter trains, such as on the Southern Crescent route between Washington, D.C. and New Orleans, where two separate day trains may provide the best level of service versus one longer train, by providing one train operating between Washington, D.C. and Atlanta, and a second day train operating between Atlanta and New Orleans. The first two trains, the Southern Crescent and the (to pick a name) Peach Queen would run the entire route, and the two day trains serve as the “local” option on two separate ends of the route.



Second, they believed passenger train routes did not always have to be in a straight line. They both favored “L” shaped routes where possible, such as taking the Lake Shore Limited from New York City to Chicago, and extending the western terminus of this train south to Memphis, Tennessee to make maximum use of equipment, and build as many city pair combinations as possible into the matrix theory.



Dr. Herzog’s plan focused primarily on a robust long distance network. Some of today’s short distance trains would be replaced by long distance trains (more efficient in many ways), but some regional services as we know them today would continue. Since this was a broad blueprint, many of the minor, regional services were not mentioned, but Dr. Herzog implied each would be retained based on productivity and cost.



3) Here is Dr. Herzog’s plan, with some updates for changes which have taken place in the last 11 years.



[Begin quote]



Strategic Routes for Amtrak



A Planning Document



October 25, 1998 • Updated 2008



Prepared by Dr. Adrian Herzog, URPA • Northridge, California



Strategic Goal: Output equal to five times the revenue passenger miles produced in FY 2000, achieved by Year 7 of the strategic plan.



This document was originally prepared by the late Adrian Herzog, Ph.D. in October 1998, and updated a decade later in 2008. The breadth of the document demonstrates the foresight of Dr. Herzog in his quest to make passenger rail in his adopted country subsidy-free.



The planning concepts for this document came from several sources, including historic successful passenger train routes and connectivity points, current travel patterns in the United States for both leisure and business travel, and travel to and from major vacation destinations. As an example, more travelers come to New Orleans from Houston, Texas than any other location.



Other factors taken into consideration are population shifts and population growth in new areas, military installations, and locations of major colleges and universities. Additional factors, such as cruise ship terminals were also considered.



Tactical Goal: Maximize network density of flow by maximizing route inter-connectivity, and multiple frequency (2 to 4) trains per route, per day.



National Corridors

• Southern Transcontinental Corridor

• Southwest Transcontinental Corridor

• Central Transcontinental Corridor

• Northern Transcontinental Corridor

• Atlantic Coast Corridor

• Pacific Coast Corridor

• Southwest Corridor

• Central California Corridor

• Pacific Northwest Corridor

• Chicago-Midwest Corridors

• Florida Corridor

• Gulf Coast Corridor

• Texas Triangle

• International links to Canada and Mexico

• Northeast Corridor low level long distance trains



Equipment Types

• Superliner Service

• California Car Service — Use of the successful daylight California Car/Superliner compatible bi-level equipment for non-overnight trains

• Talgo Service

• Viewliner Service — Conversion of existing fleet single level cars. This Includes: Viewliner, Amfleet, and Horizon



Power Types

• Genesis (Long distance trains)

• F59PH (Corridors)

• AEM-7 (NEC Long distance trains)



Crew Bases

• Seattle

• San Jose

• Los Angeles

• San Diego

• Denver

• Fort Worth

• Chicago

• New Orleans

• Tampa

• Sanford (Auto Train T&E only)

• Miami

• Charlotte

• Newport News

• Norfolk

• Philadelphia

• Boston

• Vancouver/VIA Rail Canada



Maintenance Bases and Principal Commissaries

• Vancouver, British Columbia/VIA Rail Canada

• Seattle

• Eugene, Oregon

• San Jose

• Los Angeles

• San Diego

• Denver

• Fort Worth

• Chicago

• New Orleans

• Tampa

• Sanford (Auto Train/racks only)

• Miami

• Charlotte

• Newport News

• Philadelphia

• Boston



Turn Maintenance and Commissary Support

• Vancouver, British Columbia/VIA Rail Canada

• Toronto/VIA Rail Canada

• Montreal/VIA Rail Canada

• Boston

• Washington

• Lorton

• Newport News

• Norfolk

• Cleveland

• Detroit

• Chicago

• Eugene, Oregon

• Seattle

• San Francisco

• Lancaster, California

• Redding, California

• Reno

• Santa Barbara

• Las Vegas

• Nogales

• Duluth

• Kansas City

• St. Louis

• Memphis

• Birmingham

• Charleston, South Carolina



Southern Transcontinental Corridor



Sunset Limited – Los Angeles, Tucson, El Paso, San Antonio, Houston, New Orleans, Jacksonville Orlando, Tampa

Superliner Service



Golden State – Los Angeles, Phoenix, Tucson, El Paso, Abilene, Fort Worth, Dallas, St. Louis, Chicago, Detroit, Toronto

Superliner Service



Southern Crescent – New Orleans, Atlanta, Washington, DC

Superliner Service



Gulf Breeze – New Orleans, Mobile, Montgomery, Birmingham, Atlanta, Washington, DC, Philadelphia, New York, Boston

Viewliner Service



Gulf Wind – Houston, New Orleans, Mobile, Pensacola, Tallahassee, Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa

Superliner Service



Continental – Los Angeles, Phoenix, Tucson, El Paso, Abilene, Fort Worth, Dallas, Atlanta, Washington, DC

Superliner Service



Southwest Transcontinental Corridor



Southwest Chief/Capitol Limited – Los Angeles, Albuquerque, Kansas City, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Washington DC, Newport News

Superliner Service



San Francisco Chief – San Jose, Oakland, Bakersfield, Albuquerque, Kansas City, St. Louis, Chicago

Superliner Service



Grand Canyon Limited – Los Angeles, Albuquerque, Denver

Superliner Service



Zia – Denver, Albuquerque, Las Cruces, El Paso

Superliner Service



El Capitan – Chicago, Kansas City, Flagstaff, Phoenix, Tucson

Superliner Service



Central Transcontinental Corridor



California Zephyr – Los Angeles, San Jose, Oakland, Reno, Salt Lake City, Provo, Denver, Chicago

Superliner Service



Overland Limited – Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Provo, Salt Lake City, Ogden, Laramie, Denver, Omaha, Chicago, Cleveland, Boston

Superliner Service

Pioneer Zephyr – Vancouver BC, Seattle, Portland, Ogden, Salt Lake City, Provo, Denver, Newton, Oklahoma City, Fort Worth, Dallas, Houston, New Orleans

Superliner Service



George Washington – Kansas City, St. Louis, Louisville, Cincinnati, Charleston WV, Charlottesville, Richmond, Newport News

Superliner Service



Cavalier – Fort Worth, Dallas, Little Rock, Memphis, Chattanooga, Knoxville, Roanoke, Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Washington

Superliner Service



The Memphian – Fort Worth, Dallas, Little Rock, Memphis, Nashville, Louisville, Cincinnati, Charleston WV, Charlottesville, Richmond, Newport News

Superliner Service



Northern Transcontinental Corridor



Empire Builder – Vancouver BC, Seattle, Yakima, Spokane, Minneapolis, Chicago, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Newport News

Superliner Service



North Coast Limited – Seattle, Spokane, Missoula, Butte, Bozeman, Billings, Bismarck, Minneapolis, Chicago

Superliner Service



Hiawatha – Eugene, Portland, Spokane, Minneapolis, Chicago

Superliner Service



Broadway Limited/Three Rivers – Duluth, Minneapolis, Chicago, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, New York, Boston

Viewliner Service



Pennsylvanian – Kansas City, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, Philadelphia

Viewliner Service



New England States – St. Louis, Chicago, Toledo, Cleveland, Buffalo, Albany, Springfield, Boston

Viewliner Service



Pacemaker – Chicago, Toledo, Cleveland, Buffalo, Albany, New York, Philadelphia

Viewliner Service



Lake Shore Limited – Memphis, Chicago, Toledo, Cleveland, Buffalo, Albany, New York, Boston

Viewliner Service



Steeler – St. Louis, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, Philadelphia

Viewliner Service; Crew Base: Philadelphia



Columbian – Denver, Chicago, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Washington DC, Newport News

Viewliner Service



Oriental – Vancouver BC, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Minneapolis, Chicago, Detroit, Toronto (Seasonal)

Viewliner Service



Atlantic Seaboard Corridor



Silver Meteor – Miami, Orlando, Jacksonville, Charleston, Rocky Mount, Richmond, Washington, Philadelphia, New York, St. Albans, Montreal

Viewliner Service



Silver Star – Miami, Ocala, Jacksonville, Columbia, Raleigh, Richmond, Washington, Philadelphia, New York, Boston

Viewliner Service



The Sunland – Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, Columbia, Raleigh, Richmond, Washington, Philadelphia, New York, Boston

Viewliner Service



Everglades – Miami, Daytona Beach, Jacksonville, Columbia, Raleigh, Richmond, Washington, Philadelphia, New York, Buffalo, Toronto

Viewliner Service



Auto Train, (Passenger section) – Tampa, Orlando, Sanford, Jacksonville, Savannah, Charleston, Rocky Mount, Richmond, Lorton, Washington, Pittsburgh, Cleveland (All station stops)

Superliner Service



Auto Train, (Car carrier section) – Sanford, Lorton



City of New Orleans – Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, Mobile, New Orleans, Chicago, Detroit, Toronto

Superliner Service



City of Miami – Miami, Orlando, Jacksonville, Charleston SC, Rocky Mount, Richmond, Charlottesville, Charleston WV, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Chicago

Superliner Service



Flamingo – Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, Savannah, Macon, Atlanta

California Car Service



Silver Comet – Miami, West Palm Beach, Daytona Beach, Jacksonville, Savannah, Macon. Atlanta, Birmingham

Superliner Service



The Resort Special – Miami, West Palm Beach, Daytona Beach, Jacksonville, Savannah, Columbia, Raleigh, Richmond, Washington, Philadelphia, New York, Boston

Viewliner Service



Champion – Miami, West Palm Beach, Daytona Beach, Jacksonville, Savannah, Charleston, Rocky Mount, Richmond, Washington, Philadelphia, New York, Long Island

Viewliner Service



Gulf Coast Special – Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, Savannah, Charleston, Rocky Mount, Richmond, Washington, Philadelphia, New York, Long Island



Tidewater – Charleston, Florence, Fayetteville, Rocky Mount, Franklin, Suffolk, Norfolk

California Car Service



Piedmont – Charlotte, Raleigh, Rocky Mount, Franklin, Suffolk, Norfolk

California Car Service



Southern States – Tampa, Ocala, Jacksonville, Savannah, Columbia, Hamlet, Charlotte

California Car Service



Palmland – Miami, West Palm Beach, Orlando, Jacksonville, Savannah, Columbia, Hamlet, Charlotte, High Point, Greensboro, Danville, Charlottesville, Washington, Philadelphia, New York, Boston

Viewliner Service



Rue Orleans – New Orleans, Mobile, Montgomery, Birmingham, Nashville, Louisville, Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland, Buffalo, Syracuse, Montreal

Superliner Service



Southwind – Miami, Orlando, Jacksonville, Savannah, Columbia, Raleigh, Richmond, Washington, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Toledo, Detroit

Superliner Service



Pacific Coast Corridor



Coast Starlight – Los Angeles, San Jose, Oakland, Sacramento, Eugene, Portland, Seattle

Superliner Service



Shasta Daylight – Los Angeles, Bakersfield, Fresno, Sacramento, Eugene, Portland, Seattle, Vancouver BC

Superliner Service



Columbia Starlight – Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Provo, Salt Lake, Ogden, Pocatello, Portland, Seattle

Superliner Service



Southwest Corridor



Pacific Surfliners – San Diego, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, San Jose, San Francisco

Joint Talgo and California Car Service



High Desert – San Diego, Los Angeles, Palmdale, Lancaster

California Car Service



Las Vegans/South – San Diego, Santa Ana, Riverside, San Bernardino, Barstow, Las Vegas

Talgo Service



Las Vegans/North – Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, El Monte, San Bernardino, Las Vegas

Talgo Service



Arizonan – Los Angeles, Riverside, Palm Springs, Indio, Yuma, Phoenix, Tucson, Nogales

Talgo Service



Grand Canyon – Nogales, Tucson, Phoenix, Williams Junction, Grand Canyon

Talgo Service



Central California Corridor



San Joaquins I – San Jose, Oakland, Fresno, Bakersfield, San Bernardino, Santa Ana, San Diego

California Car Service



San Joaquins II – Bakersfield, Fresno, Sacramento, Redding

California Car Service



Capitols – San Jose, Oakland, Sacramento, Reno

Joint Talgo and California Car Service



Pacific Northwest Corridor



Cascades — Eugene, Portland, Seattle, Vancouver BC

Talgo Service



Chicago-Midwest Corridors



Train of the Saints — St. Paul (Minneapolis), La Crosse, Galesburg, Fort Madison, St. Louis

California Car Service



The Motor City — Kansas City, St. Louis, Chicago, Detroit

California Car Service



The Midwesterner — Omaha, Chicago, Cleveland

California Car Service



The Brewer — Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Chicago, Detroit

California Car Service



The City of Nashville — Chicago, Indianapolis, Louisville, Nashville

California Car Service



Florida Corridor



Seminole – Pensacola, Tallahassee, Jacksonville

California Car Service



Tampa Bay – Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa

California Car Service



Henry Flagler – Jacksonville, Daytona Beach, West Palm Beach, Miami

California Car Service



Citrus State – Jacksonville, Ocala, West Palm Beach, Miami

California Car Service



Florida Palm – Tampa, West Palm Beach, Miami

California Car Service



Gulf Coast Corridor



Gulf Coast Limited – Houston, New Orleans, Mobile

California Car Service



Iron Mountain – New Orleans, Mobile, Montgomery, Birmingham

California Car Service



Louisiana Eagle – New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Shreveport, Dallas, Fort Worth

California Car Service



Texas Triangle



Texan – Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio, Houston, Dallas

California Car Service



Northeast Corridor (Extended Service Area, in addition to NEC Acela and Regional Service)



Mid Atlantic – Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington DC, Richmond, Newport News (Viewliner Service)



Maple Leaf/Montrealer – Boston, Albany, Toronto, and New York, Albany, Montreal (Cross Platform at Albany)

Viewliner Service



Royal Blue – Newport News, Washington DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, Long Island (Viewliner Service)



Bostonian – Boston, New York, Allentown, Harrisburg

Viewliner Service



Shenandoan – Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, Charlottesville, Cincinnati Viewliner Service



∙ Note: (Viewliner Service) implies any low level conventional long distance and intermediate distance trains including Amfleet, Horizon, and Viewliner

[End quote]





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J. Bruce Richardson

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United Rail Passenger Alliance, Inc.

1526 University Boulevard, West, PMB 203

Jacksonville, Florida 32217-2006 USA

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http://www.unitedrail.org

This Week in Amtrak

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This Week at Amtrak; July 27, 2009



A weekly digest of events, opinions, and forecasts from



United Rail Passenger Alliance, Inc.

America’s foremost passenger rail policy institute



1526 University Boulevard, West, PMB 203 • Jacksonville, Florida 32217-2006 USA

Telephone 904-636-7739, Electronic Mail info@unitedrail.org • http://www.unitedrail.org





Volume 6, Number 25



Founded over three decades ago in 1976, URPA is a nationally known policy institute which focuses on solutions and plans for passenger rail systems in North America. Headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, URPA has professional associates in Minnesota, California, Arizona, New Mexico, the District of Columbia, Texas, New York, and other cities. For more detailed information, along with a variety of position papers and other documents, visit the URPA web site at http://www.unitedrail.org.



URPA is not a membership organization, and does not accept funding from any outside sources.



1) The irrepressible William Lindley of Scottsdale, Arizona, frequent contributor to This Week at Amtrak, has come up with some sage thoughts about train stations. Mr. Lindley, in the Arizona heat, occasionally rides his motorcycle, drives his car, and frequently uses the metropolitan Phoenix areas bus and light rail transit system in his travels around town. He would very much like to ride Amtrak trains to and from Phoenix for his domestic and world travels, but, alas, none exist. Read, think, and enjoy.



[Begin quote]



By William Lindley



Imagine putting a 10-story building in the middle of Los Angeles International Airport's runway. Ridiculous! you say. Yet, that's what Kansas City did with their Union Station – built a mid-rise building right smack in the middle of the train platform area, destroying its ability to be a train station. Saint Louis built a mall inside its Union Station, but at least most of that could be removed fairly easily (malls are always changing, anyway).



Are our historic train stations only to become museums (like Kansas City's) or should they have a rightful place in our transportation future?



Atlanta recently made what appears to be a bad decision that will prevent some mainline trains from conveniently entering its planned new downtown station, but at least the station will be downtown. Saint Paul, Minnesota likewise is moving forward with the renovation of its Union Depot, close to downtown – as light rail, and possibly a southward extension of the upcoming Northstar commuter trains get underway.



These cities understand, as in most real estate, station sites are about Location, Location, Location. That means walking distance to downtown; it means connections with commuter trains and streetcars and buses; it means a place where mainline trains can move in and out easily, and where rail services can be provided.



When the national argument for passenger rail was at its lowest point, Dallas shortchanged itself on the latter, by providing only three platforms – barely enough for Trinity Railway commuter trains and one or two intercity trains. San Antonio, in contrast, found new life for its main depot building as a food an entertainment complex called Historic Sunset Station at St. Paul Square, but, built a harmonious, functional, and pleasant new adjacent passenger and train servicing facility just a few feet away, using the original passenger platforms.



If the original station does not fit today's demands, it is appropriate to build a new building “around” an existing depot as at San Antonio. But, also have the fortitude to build an updated facility in a new location convenient to the city's modern activity centers. Some of our best historic stations and depots, often over a century old, are located in parts of cities and towns no longer desirable for 24-hour public use because of dangerous neighbors.



While it is highly desirable to keep these older structures and find new uses for them, it is equally important and more desirable to meet the needs of the traveling public by providing a station facility in a safe and secure location. The most beautiful or historic station can be meticulously restored, but if it’s in a bad part of town or lacks adequate parking or transit connections, the purpose of a proper, useful, and desirable gateway for rail passengers into a city or town is defeated.



An interesting point of discussion has been for former New York Central train station and tower in Buffalo, New York. The building has been empty since 1979 and is in a high state of disrepair. The sprawling station complex is located 2.5 miles from downtown Buffalo, and was designed to host an astonishing 3,200 passengers per hour. Debate and plans are raging in Buffalo as to how best preserve this architectural gem, perhaps through reincarnation as a high speed rail terminal.



In Detroit, a similarly magnificent structure is in even more dire condition; the old Michigan Central station and tower in another huge complex sits outside of the normal traffic flow of downtown Detroit. The local government in Detroit has decreed the building should be torn down it is in such bad condition, but supporters of this huge architectural marvel are looking to create a new life for the station either through rail-related purposes or as a convention center and casino, perhaps an international trade processing center (The station is near the Ambassador Bridge and gateway to Canada.), or as police headquarters for the City of Detroit.



When Michigan Central originally constructed the complex in 1913, it was built to last a lifetime, and Amtrak used the facility until 1988. At the time of its construction, it was the tallest railroad station in the world, with its massive tower atop the station, going up 18 floors and comprising 500,000 square feet of space, including the station areas. Located about two miles southwest of downtown Detroit, the station was always considered to be outside the loop of normal downtown traffic. The hope today is a revival of the station building will also bring a revival of the surrounding neighborhood.



In Jacksonville, Florida, the downtown Union Station is today the Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center, named in honor of the late CSX Transportation Chairman of the Board who took a personal interest in saving the historic Jacksonville Union Station, designed by New York Architect Kenneth Mackensie Murcheson. Murcheson also designed Pennsylvania Station in Baltimore, Maryland, which is still in use today by Amtrak on the Northeast Corridor.



When Jacksonville Union Station opened at midnight on November 17, 1919, with its vast array of through-service and stub end tracks, it was designed to handle up to 210 trains a day. On opening day, the station handled more than 110 trains and 20,000 passengers. Every U.S. president from Woodrow Wilson through Richard Nixon traveled through the station. The station was mothballed in 1974, and Amtrak was moved to a far suburban station in the middle of one of Jacksonville’s industrial areas with a high crime rate.



While today’s primary use of the Union Station complex is a convention center, plans are also on the drawing board to remake the complex into a full multi-modal facility, which will include Amtrak, commuter rail, intercity bus, local transit, and downtown airport check-in facility where passengers will be able to come to the complex, check in for their airline, and then take secure bus service from the downtown station to the airport on the north end of Jacksonville. Ideally, when Amtrak moves back downtown, the present, far-suburban Amtrak station will stay in use as a second facility in a sprawling metropolitan area.



For all modern, full service stations, all the local connections – commuter trains, streetcars, buses, taxis, parking – create a "lesser matrix effect," where the intercity train matrix meets the local distribution matrix. The better these two systems tie together, the more useful they both become. Relieved of the necessity to carry every passengers everywhere, intercity trains can again rely, as they did in earlier days, on feeder regional and commuter trains. But, that does mean the Limited needs a stop at one or two suburban stations on either side of downtown, perhaps 10 to 30 miles out, at regional train stations (with that 10-to-30 mile spacing based on regional service levels), to collect and distribute passengers.



Let's look at one more example.



In Phoenix, the 1923 Union Station is still the junction point between BNSF and Union Pacific right downtown. The station is three short blocks from City Hall and a few more blocks away from the new City Hall light rail station (which Valley Metro Rail, in its wisdom, calls "First Avenue and Jefferson Street and Central Avenue and Washington Street Station" – not terribly easy to write and remember).



Phoenix Union Station maintains its alignments for the original six through tracks (a seventh was added during World War II) and several stub-ends on both sides of the depot. There is no other location close to downtown which could accommodate more than perhaps even two platforms, because of the street layout and the historic warehouse district.



Advanced studies are underway for both commuter rail in metro Phoenix and for express trains to Tucson (120 miles to the southeast). The Tucson trains would not be "high speed," but would likely travel at 79 MPH or 90 MPH on upgraded (double-and-triple-tracked) Union Pacific rails. UP, BNSF, and Arizona's short-line railroads are involved, and it is known the railroads are businesses and expect any passenger agreement to be beneficial to their freight business. Arizona has learned from California and New Mexico, Utah, and other western states which have succeeded in working relationships and actual operations with host freight railroads.



Valley Metro Rail ("METRO"), meanwhile, is planning a westward extension in the median of Interstate 10, taking LRVs potentially right past the railroad depot. There has been some talk also of historic or modern streetcars along Washington Street from downtown to the Capitol at 19th Avenue, should the LRT line be deferred or rerouted – and these streetcars could certainly connect Union Station to the Capitol with its thousands of daily workers at the west end, and the LRT line at the east end.



The city of Phoenix has certainly grown since the historic downtown station was built. In the 1920s, a civic goal was 100,000 citizens; today the city boasts 1.5 million, and the metro area over 4 million. But, as the population has expanded fifteen-fold, transportation options have expanded, too. Union Station was built to handle 90% of the transportation needs of a city of 100,000, so it certainly could handle 10% of transportation of a city ten times larger. It still fits the city.



And, it fits the city, too, in its Mission Revival architectural style. It is not enough for a station to be correctly located (both in the city and on the railroad mains) – a station also serves as a gateway, setting the mood for travelers entering a city or town. A station is part of a city's identity; and Phoenix Union Station does fit.



So, in Phoenix, at least for the upcoming decade, Union Station is the only logical intercity train station.



In the future, following Berlin, Germany's motif, a new modern station could be built west of the Airport LRT station (which METRO again calls "44th Street and Washington Street" instead of “Airport”). There is room enough between 38th Street and 44th Street to build an eight or 10 platform railroad station with connections to the new people-mover (to all airport terminals, parking garages, the car rental center, taxicabs and tour buses). This new station would handle commuter trains, intrastate express trains, intercity trains from Los Angeles, San Diego, the Grand Canyon, El Paso, Albuquerque, and points east.



Yet, even in that scenario, Union Station remains the only choice for a downtown depot. Perhaps the commuter trains and express trains will stop there, with the intercity trains serving the Airport station. Once regional commuter trains cover the intermediate stations, a modern Golden State intercity train would likely stop at suburban Gilbert on the east side and suburban Goodyear on the west, with those stations' regional rail connections. Arizona Express trains would likely serve Union Station, the Airport, Tempe (with Arizona State University's huge main campus), Mesa, and Gilbert and just a few more intermediate stops north of downtown Tucson.



A mix of trains and services then blankets southern Arizona. Union Station steps back at that point from some of its design role, and becomes more an historic gathering place, a meeting place, perhaps with conference facilities or shopping in addition to regional rail and streetcar connections.



Southern California has the newest and among the most robust examples of several overlaid systems, although there is room for improvement even there. Los Angeles Union Station has been well refitted to its modern role, a re-interpretation of its historic one; the same is true of San Diego's Santa Fe station. These serve as models for other cities; look, too, to Saint Paul. Learn from mistakes at Kansas City and near-misses like Dallas. Denver would be wise to consider the constraints at Dallas as it looks to reconfigure its historic station built in 1881 as part of a new development, even as it seeks to bring commuter and more intercity service back to the station.



Many of our historic train stations should continue their revival along with their passenger trains... past is prologue.



[End quote]



2) It’s contest time here at TWA! How many train stations can you name where a local or state government treasury has paid to rebuild, upgrade, or create a new station on behalf of Amtrak, and only perhaps months or very few years later Amtrak abandons or severely curtails service to that station?



Here’s a short sample to start your thinking process:



Tampa, Florida

Lakeland, Florida

Dade City, Florida

Ocala, Florida

Pensacola, Florida

Tallahassee, Florida

Chipley, Florida

Lake City, Florida

Madison, Florida

Atmore, Alabama

Bay St. Louis, Mississippi

Gulfport, Mississippi

Tempe, Arizona

Louisville, Kentucky



Okay, that should get you started. Send your list to TWA at info@unitedrail.org and we will publish a complete list along with the name of the winner. When you send the list, please include the name of the train which served the former station and, if possible, when the service was discontinued.



3) Just before all the commotion began about Amtrak’s grievously flawed Gulf Coast report restoring passenger train service east of New Orleans, news came from Wisconsin the state was purchasing two train sets, totaling 14 cars, from well-respected Talgo of Spain to place in service on a high speed route between Chicago and Wisconsin stations.



Those with a current copy of Amtrak’s Summer 2009 timetable will notice it is a Talgo train set speeding along Puget Sound en route to Olympia, Washington and Eugene, Oregon for Amtrak’s Cascades service in the Pacific Northwest.



Most people, including this writer, thought Talgo had been banished from expansion in the United States because of safety restrictions imposed by the Federal Railroad Administration. Talgo had received a waiver for those restrictions, but was only allowed to operate trains on approved trackage in the Pacific Northwest. Just a couple of weeks prior to the Wisconsin announcement, it was learned from insider sources the FRA had been studying a relaxation of its perhaps overly rigid standards for Talgo. That information proved to be true with the Wisconsin announcement.



As a bonus, Wisconsin convinced Talgo to perform final assembly of the Talgo equipment in the state, creating local jobs along with buying shiny new trains.



Some old time railroaders have lightly grumbled about mixing in too many types of equipment into Amtrak’s fleet, and the need for overall uniformity for ease and lower cost of maintenance. Certainly, a case can be made for that, but an equally compelling case can be made for the right type of equipment on each individual route.



Along those lines, there are a number of present Amtrak routes where the old Colorado Railcar/now US Railcar DMU self-propelled units are the perfect answer to lower operating costs and matching the right type of equipment to the right type of passenger demand and route.



4) Continuing with that subject, Amtrak has published an RFP for Viewliner 2 passenger cars. In part, here is what the RFP said:



[Begin quote]



PURCHASE OF “VIEWLINER 2” LONG-DISTANCE SINGLE-LEVEL PASSENGER CARS



RFP# X-047-9167-001



INTRODUCTION:



Amtrak intends to issue a competitive Request for Proposal for a vendor to design, manufacture and deliver 130 “Viewliner 2” Long Distance Single-Level Passenger Cars, with an option for Amtrak to purchase up to an additional 70 cars. The “Viewliner 2” rolling stock which is fully described in the Technical Specifications, will be used as Amtrak passenger trains, primarily in long-distance service, but capable of operating anywhere within Amtrak’s system. There are four (4) “Viewliner 2” car types: Diners, Sleepers, Baggage-Dorms and Baggage cars. The “Viewliner 2” cars will be modeled on the concept of the Amtrak “Viewliner 1” cars.



[End quote]



The RFP goes on to state ultimately the contract for purchase of these cars and the start of construction will be issued in May 2010, with a notice to proceed in June 2010.



So, with all due lack of speed, we’re a year away from anything even being brought to a point of construction.



Let’s break down the specific order.



– 130 cars total, with an option to purchase up to 70 additional cars, for a grand total of 200 cars, if every option is exercised.



– The 130 cars will be divided into four types: Diners, Sleepers, Baggage-Crew Dorms, and Baggage Cars.



Even if you divide 130 relatively evenly, you still come up with only 32 or 33 cars per type of car. That will not double the existing 50 car Viewliner 1 sleeping car fleet, which is so worn out it can only charitably be described as a long line of rolling slums.



Amtrak’s single level dining car fleet is exclusively made up of Heritage fleet diners, which have operated far beyond their initial service life expectancy. At present, Amtrak doesn’t operate any crew dormitory cars, but instead wastes sleeping car revenue space with crew billets (Granted, you have to put the crews somewhere, but a better solution would have been to keep the older Heritage crew dorms running than taking up high-dollar revenue sleeping car space.).



Baggage cars are all Heritage fleet cars, and there is always a need for more baggage cars.



So, even adding the additional 70 cars for the optional order, once again, Amtrak is doing nothing more than replacing fleet instead of adding to its fleet – inadequately so.



This may be news to Amtrak’s financial folks and senior executives, but, why is Amtrak always buying equipment? It’s very rare among common carriers – especially airlines – to actually buy passenger equipment. Amtrak already knows how to lease locomotives, why can’t it lease passenger cars, too? What is the purpose of getting free federal monies from Congress to buy, when private capital can be used to lease? Is this another example of Amtrak’s lack of financial sophistication? Is it just easier to beg money from Congress every year instead of doing something proactive in the leasing market?



5) Look at some of Amtrak’s internal numbers. Amtrak reports revenue several different ways (not different revenue, but revenue as it relates in different ways). One of the ways it reports revenue is “revenue per car day.” This measures coach revenue versus sleeping car revenue, and it’s done by route. The numbers are based on average days.



This particular set of figures is based on 12 months prior to and including November of 2008; this is NOT a fiscal year report.



Route and classes of revenues



Empire Builder

Superliner Coach – $5,163

Superliner Sleeper – $5,015



City of New Orleans

Superliner Coach – $4,624

Superliner Sleeper – $3,253



Southwest Chief

Superliner Coach – $4,419

Superliner Sleeper – $4,467



Auto Train (Northbound, Train No. 52) *

Superliner Coach – $4,339

Superliner Sleeper – $5,286



Auto Train (Southbound, Train No. 53) *

Superliner Coach – $4,255

Superliner Sleeper – $5,583



California Zephyr

Superliner Coach – $3,251

Superliner Sleeper – $3,587



Coast Starlight **

Superliner Coach – $3,134

Superliner Sleeper – $2,818



Capitol Limited

Superliner Coach – $3,048

Superliner Sleeper – $3,243

Texas Eagle

Superliner Coach – $2,238

Superliner Sleeper – $2,603



Sunset Limited

Superliner Coach – $1,972

Superliner Sleeper – $2,545



12 Month Average

Superliner Coach – $3,476

Superliner Sleeper – $3,835



* Auto Train is reported as two separate figures, north and south.

** Coast Starlight figures include long periods of the train not operating due to the mudslides included in this period, and when the train did operate for some of the period, it only operated on part of the route and without sleeping cars.



What do we learn from these figures? On average, sleeping cars generate more revenue than coaches. What do we conclude from these figures? Sleeping car and first class travel are an important part of the future growth of Amtrak and should have equal – if not greater – weight than coach travel when planning for the future and compiling new car orders.



The most important fact to remember when looking at how well the sleeping car business does for Amtrak long distance trains is that sleeping cars are an even greater secret to Amtrak passengers than Amtrak is itself to the traveling public.



Everything Amtrak does overall is aimed at the coach passenger. When calling an Amtrak reservations center, an assumption is automatically made by res agents passengers only want coach, and in most cases, sleeping car accommodations are never mentioned as an option. When booking through Amtrak’s Internet portal, coach tickets are offered first, and sleeping car accommodations are offered only to hawk-eyed ticket buyers as an afterthought.



In reality, just like Amtrak continually ignores long distance trains in its future plans, it even more ignores sleeping car passengers.



6) This always filters back to the same question: Where is Amtrak’s vision for the future? Where is Amtrak’s long term plan? Where will Amtrak be five, 10, or 20 years from now? Based on what we’ve heard so far, probably exactly the same place it is today, constantly begging for money from a government treasury, and ignoring the most lucrative parts of its business.



7) Comments continue to come into TWA about the grossly flawed P.R.I.I.A. Section 226 Gulf Coast Service Plan Report.



A number of people have asked about simply restoring the route of the Floridian between Chicago and Florida, which was discontinued in 1979 during the Carter administration. The quick answer is some of that railroad infrastructure is gone, and other parts of that route have been severely downgraded to “creeping along” track speeds. Many will remember the short-lived Kentucky Cardinal, which operated between Chicago and Louisville, Kentucky. The biggest part of the problem of that route was slow track; the train crept along at speeds not much faster than speed walking.



While a restoration of the Floridian – or any Chicago to Florida route, especially one via Atlanta – is desirable, from an economic standpoint and the ability to quickly restored Chicago to Florida service, the cheapest and best bet is to either extend the City of New Orleans from New Orleans to Florida, or the Capitol Limited from Washington, D.C. to Florida. Restoring the Floridian route or a similar route would require an entire new set of station infrastructure, upgrading hundreds of miles of railroad to acceptable passenger speeds, and have a need for a number of new sidings or double tracking of very congested railroads. Simply extending the City of New Orleans or Capitol Limited would require no new stations, and only additional train sets, not completely new fleets of equipment.



Depending on originating terminal departure times, either the City of New Orleans or the Capitol Limited could make it to Florida by traveling one night, but it would be two very long days on either side of that one night’s travel. By extending existing schedules, two nights of travel are required, but, based on the success of multi-night schedules in the west, this is not an insurmountable problem.



Here are comments from several TWA readers.



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I look forward to receiving each issue of This Week at Amtrak and appreciate URPA's consistent support for the restoration of rail service east of New Orleans. I am especially pleased to see I am not alone in my analysis of Amtrak's prejudged, fraudulent report concerning the restoration of this missing link in the national rail passenger system.



Back when the Sunset Limited ran through to Florida I was a frequent rider and spent many hours observing Sunset operations and speaking to station agents and train crews. When timekeeping became a major problem for eastbound train No. 2, the station agents and on board crews whom I had come to know collectively came to the conclusion the traveling public would be better served by an extension of the City of New Orleans to Florida. This would reestablish through service between Chicago and Florida and would maintain westbound service to California via a connection at New Orleans. Eastbound passengers from California would likely be required to make an overnight layover in New Orleans before heading to Florida, however, this would be no worse than the present routing via Chicago and Washington in terms of travel time. The net gain would be the ability to operate a timely service with great savings to Amtrak which often had to bus passengers east of New Orleans and/or provide overnight lodging in Jacksonville due to late operations and/or missed connections.



Amazingly, Amtrak never thought of this option on their own despite often having to annul two out of three trips per week of train No. 2 in New Orleans due to excessive lateness. This also necessitated the cancellation the following trip of westbound No. 1. After paying massive amounts of money for the recently released report, Amtrak points out the Chicago option would be the most effective, yet, thanks to fraudulent expenses, this (and all options) appears to be extremely costly.



The report lists expenses for station improvements along the route despite the fact the facilities across North Florida are basically in the same condition as when Amtrak abruptly left the scene after Hurricane Katrina, a move straight out of the playbook of Baltimore Colts owner Robert Irsay who snuck out of town in the dead of the night and moved his team to Indianapolis.



The full service stations in Pensacola and Tallahassee were constructed and/or improved with ADA compliance in mind. Platforms were constructed with the appropriate safety features that had just come into use elsewhere in that day and time. The Tallahassee station, which was actually a remodeled freight station, had ADA compliant ramps added to allow easy access to the off grade waiting room/ticket office. Since Amtrak's pullout, a local group of film buffs has used the waiting room periodically to show movies. The organizer of this group tells me people in wheelchairs often attend. I challenge Amtrak to explain to me why massive amounts of money are needed to rebuild the platform and make other ADA improvements at that station. Likewise, what changes are needed in Pensacola since the station is basically a grade level facility?



There are numerous other inaccuracies in the report such as the time required to train crews and the absurd allocation of money for a new Sanford station. These have been well documented in your newsletter, hence, I will reserve comment.



Thanks again for your leadership in exposing this report. Hopefully, Amtrak will be pressured to restore service at least at the tri-weekly level sooner rather than later, with a goal of making that daily in the near future. To do that, Amtrak needs new leadership who has a vision, a plan to build a large amount of new equipment so that additional routes can be added, and existing trains can be operated with adequate capacity.



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The Amtrak report on service from New Orleans - Orlando comes as no surprise. It is typical of the work Amtrak puts out. In the 1990's Amtrak produced a report on Chicago–Milwaukee service which concluded that not only should there not be any more intermediate stops, but that ridership would be greatest if the then two existing stops, Sturtevant and Glenview, were eliminated, thereby allowing the service to run non-stop, i.e. faster.



We all said "Huh?". Then I figured out their mathematical model obviously factors in a speed/population combination that the faster the schedule, the more people are likely to turn from driving to the train. Of course this is mostly [junk science]. No speed up of five or 10 minutes between Chicago and Milwaukee is going to attract more passengers, especially since the current 92 minute schedule beats driving, anyway. Common sense and/or real knowledge of the area being served is not important to Amtrak planners.



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Since I am very much in favor of the return rail passenger between New Orleans, Jacksonville and points south; I desire to post my comments.



The greatest problem is Amtrak is the originator of this report with no auditing agency to review and comment on this report. This report should have been contracted out to a professional consulting firm and submitted back to Congress. Especially when Amtrak – even the CEO Boardman's – bias' have recently been made known regarding the long distance train system and reluctance to turn in a new car order reveal a lack of concern and empathy for the traveling public.



In 1993, when the Sunset started serving the New Orleans, Jacksonville, and Miami segment, I suspected a problem when the word came back we can’t offer daily service since we need more train sets. It seems Amtrak’s Cardinal and Sunset are unwanted step-children, merely tolerated.



I find it interesting Amtrak is willing to take the Texas Eagle to Los Angeles but extend the City Of New Orleans to Florida? no way! Amtrak is willing to run a train from San Antonio to New Orleans, but why not continue that same train to Florida instead of a separate train from New Orleans to Florida? Why not restore the Floridian? Isn’t the real goal here to expand the system? Oh, I almost forgot, Amtrak needs more train sets!



You brought up an excellent point on interconnecting trains! By not restoring the Sunset to the New Orleans-Florida segment, leaving the segment vacant of train service is perhaps an even greater loss for the traveling public.



Thanks for allowing me to share my thoughts!



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Where is the story on the St. Louis Cardinal's Baseball Team riding passenger trains for the first time in 40 years? It was on yesterday's NPR, that the team was riding Amtrak's Northeast Corridor.



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Sorry, not being at all a follower of National Public Radio, and only a very, very casual observer of baseball, we missed that story.



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Perhaps the good part of the "Sunset Report" is the fact it is the smoking gun of incompetence/lack of vision/dull thinking/passivity/ignorant-arrogance that is the decision making process of the present Board and management of Amtrak. There is no denying it! What to do? I always write my two senators and now have written Ray LaHood but, who is in a position to change the board and direct them to buy out the senior managers and replace them with competent people?



I am uncertain of the line of authority here ... I doubt if Vice President Biden will do anything, and I have gotten no response from Senator Durbin on another Amtrak matter. Perhaps the alternative of just pushing for private – Veolia for instance – companies to bid on new and existing routes would be more productive. Both BNSF and NS executives seem to have some entrepreneurial interest in a role in passenger service, and perhaps they should be encouraged to explore some ownership/management models.



Maybe putting the freight fox in the Amtrak board chicken coop would do something constructive? I am hoping this administration is open to new, collaborative ideas about building a 21st Century world class passenger railroad system which will include some bold moves on the Amtrak problem.



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Is there any chance Veolia might be interested in taking over Amtrak lock, stock and barrel and then be given free reign? Seems like a WIN-WIN situation to me, for all concerned.



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Our thanks to everyone who takes the time to write and share their thoughts and opinions. Regrettably, we are unable to share every e-mail due to space limitations, but we share those which are representative of groups of e-mail.



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J. Bruce Richardson

President

United Rail Passenger Alliance, Inc.

1526 University Boulevard, West, PMB 203

Jacksonville, Florida 32217-2006 USA

Telephone 904-636-7739

brucerichardson@unitedrail.org

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