ALL:
I am moving this topic from Transit to General as I have not received any responses to my topic in that forum.
The Trains Digiest and the Minneapolis STar Tribune paints a dire picture for North Star Rail. Presently there are two round trips between Big Lake MN to Minneapolis instead of the five round trips and Saturday/Sunday service.
Before Covid, the Anoka and Coon Rapids Riverdale parking lots were full. Now there are about six or so cars in each lot. I have not driven to Elk River or Big Lake to count automobiels.
This Covid pandemic hs hit the whole world very hard. Many people are working from home. The employees at the Twin Cities Division office in Fridley, MN usually working from home also, with some coming in three days a week. Prior to moving of office personnel and disptchers to Fort Worth about 200 hundred people in that building during the course of 24 hours.
Ed Brns
Happily retired from the NP, BN, BNSF from Northtown.
1. It belongs on transit, not here.
2. Be patient.
NP EddieThe Trains Digiest and the Minneapolis STar Tribune paints a dire picture for North Star Rail. Presently there are two round trips between Big Lake MN to Minneapolis instead of the five round trips and Saturday/Sunday service.
Ed,
Assuming you are concerned about the demise of North Star Rail, what do you think should be done about it? If the pandemic crisis ends, do you think that North Star Rail would recover and remain in full service?
The Pandemic will end. When is the question. When it ends, the 'old normal' will substantially be the 'new normal'.
Companies saying the 'working from home' will be the new normal, are saying that to keep their stockholders quiet. Companies have nowhere near the control of their emplyees activites at home that they actually require to be efficient.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Charlie:
Patience is not my virtue! When I started on the Northern Pacific in April, 1966, I was told to get my yard checks into the Yardmaster as soon as possible.
The pandemic will end and people should be working in offices eventually. My son works from home for a medical company and he has been told that they will continue to work from home until the end of the year.
Ed Burns
Understandable. Personally I think the snow will long be melted before things start to return to normalcy.
Ed, I think that even if it is shut down completelty, it will be revived and eventually fully recover.
You can hardly fault them for cutting back, considering how much ridership has fallen. Reduced roundtrips my not fit in well with riders having odd-hour schedules,..but we all must make sacrifices.
I think that some organizations are using the pandemic as an excuse to cut back in areas that were not on their A list to begin with. Perhaps the agency felt that the original scheduling was too generous, and is scapegoating the pandemic to effect a reduction?
Yes, I do believe that North Star will return to a somewhat normal schedule after Covid. The American people lived through the Flu Pandemic of 1919 and we will recover from this.
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