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Empire Builder moved to a more southerly route?

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[quote user="arbfbe"]Montana Rail Link runs between Jones Jct, MT east of Billings, westward to Sandpoint, Jct, ID.  The area you describe with erratic operations is hundreds of miles east of where MRL responsibilities for BNSF trans end.  MRL is not without it's share of congestion problems but they still can run a train between Sandpoint and Jones Jct with a better on time performance than what BNSF is doing between say Pasco, WA and Spokane, WA.I will have to say BNSF does a commendable job of keeping the Empire Builder on schedule.Note to the rest, RE: train naming.The former train on the NP lines was called the North Coast Hiawatha under AMTK service.  Not that has anything to do with any future nomenclature.  Remember, we are not talking about moving the Empire Builder off the former GN lines at all.  What is being requested is an additional train on a route serving populous  portion of MT.  I doubt AMTK will have much to say about it for now since the state legislature has not voted to appropriate the funds for a study of the new train.  The legislature has not adjourned yet, though, and some really crazy things happen when the legislatures try to close up business to beat feet towards home.   [/quote]Name change cleared up, be-that-as-it-may, I still feel that ridership wouldn't suffer that much if MRL hosted Amtrak instead of BNSF, but Amtrak has had its' share of problems in keeping its' host railroad to maintaining the Trackage, and clearance rights. a.k.a. - The Pennsylvanian from Cleveland suffers from NS having schedules that seem to supercede its' trackage, and clearance agreements with Amtrak [just 1 example] that has made the Pennsylavnian constantly late to Pittsburg and further east!And dealing with Washington Rail Group [Dennis Washington] where the Railroad leases the line from another Railroad Amtrak would be dealing with 2 Railroads instead of one in the main area where they would need to be on time. With MRL shcedules, and BNSF Cola trains, and BNSF by-pass x-tras the route thru Fargo, Dickinson, Billings, Helena, Missoula would be more late than on-time. True the end-of-run at [say] Tacoma, or Seattle would be on schedule because from Missoula to Spookaloo there really isn't much reason to stop, and is much faster than the same area on the "High Line" seeing it mostly by-passes the major section of the Bitteroots. Still the final operation loosk to be more complex than Amtrak can seem to hanlde, what makes me wonder is that Morrison Knudsen offered to Build Amtrak a Monorail System 22 years ago for passenger service between Salt Lake City and Cheyenne Wyoming. This would be totally independent from organizing with a host railroad for scheduling, and the Monorail would have had a high speed [145 mph] ability. Amtrak passed this up which looks foolish.AAAhhhhhhhhhhh...........I can see it now, Murphsiding will come back with his juvenile comments on my statement!
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