Where would you want Amtrak to go?

[Simon Reed]

Europe, where passengers would appreciate it, utilise it without treating it like some sort sort of circus freakshow and accept it as a viable alternative.

Sorry, transatlantic cousins, but it's wasted on 99.5% of Americans. Ship the equipment, the marketing, even the Genesis (except the appalingly unreliable P32DC's) over to mainland Europe. They'd be properly funded and sensibly used.

[rbomier]

Cincinatti - Atlanta with feeds from Chicago, Detroit and Cleveland or Buffalo on the north end and Florida and the Carolinas on the souuth end. More frequency on the corridors. New corridors like Cincinatti - Columbus, Detroit- Grand Rapids, Chicago-Green Bay, Washington - Knoxville, St Louis-Atlanta, Cincinatti- New Orleans

[daveklepper]

Enjoy your Chicago - Omaha trip and be glad it is still possible!

[jeaton]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Old Timer

Am I the only one who voted for "away"?

Old Timer

OT.

On other Amtrak topics on the forum, I have noted consderable opposition to Amtrak. I am sure you realize that I favor having a national rail passenger service. Perhaps changes are needed, but I happen to think that tossing Amtrak and starting fresh is an approach that will either result in a virtual collapse of the service or will require a much greater expenditure to rebuild than anything being contemplated at this time.

To your point, perhaps you and I are among very few members that understand that voting has something to do with it.

Jay

[Anonymous]

I would love to take an Amtrak trip from Omaha to Chicago and return. I have never ridden Amtrak before. Allan.

[Anonymous]

Am I the only one who voted for "away"?

Old Timer

[krtraveler]

Part 4 has the Bay Area-Seattle Shasta Daylight complementing the Starlight by running 12-15 hours before the LA-Seattle train

[PNCROSE]

The Broadway Limited is a natural. In fact, with that train's storied 100 year history, AMTRAK missed a perfect opportunity to advertise their entire service in the context of America's growth and prosperity.

I would also like to see the route of the National Limited restored. It ran from New York to Kansas City I believe following mostly the PRR route through Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois to St. Louis, MO. Of course most of that is torn up, but I'm sure CSX has suitable alternatives since CONRAIL rerouted the freight. My parents reported a sold out train when they took it during its last summer.

[Anonymous]

Amtrak didn't end the service to Houston off the Texas Eagle because it wasn't full like their other trains. Amtrak ended it because the tracks were so bad, and the UP dispatchers so indifferent, Amtrak couldn't afford to wait for the train any longer in Dallas. On top of this the diner went to Fort Worth and San Antonio, which means there weren't any breakfast or lunch diner income northward, or dinner diner income southward. I suppose one would have to starve on the train between Dallas and Houston. And you call this service? One could bet better service on a canoe down the Trinity River.

However, track and dispatchers are besides the point of this thread. With Texas being the second largest state in population in this country, Amtrak should be serving Texas better than Illinios, and New York. Sadly, that ain't the case. Our service in Texas is no better than Nebraska.

And Amtrak did put into service the Heartland Flyer to Oklahoma City from Fort Worth, the wrong twin city going to the wrong city in the wrong direction...... Ah, yes, Southwest flies to OKC too..... Not running a direct route between two huge cities with a metropolitan areas of over 6 million each some 240 miles apart, is stupid and dumb.....

And if you ever been to Texas one might assume all the trains are headed in the wrong direction, there should be a link with the Mexican railroads at Laredo to go to Monterey and further south, to Mexico City! Possibly this is the second most important route Amtrak should put into service, there's 100 million Mexicans south of the border.....

At least the cruise lines have a hint......

[Anonymous]

Run it over the former Texas Chief route and originate it out of Chicago.

QUOTE: Originally posted by jhhtrainsplanes

QUOTE: Originally posted by Junctionfan



Also, the State of Texas; a train that goes Chicago-St.Louis-Little Rock-Dallas-Fort Worth-Austin-San Antonio-Houston.

The Texas Eagle already service most of those cities, Houston is the opposite direction and Amtrak ended service to Houston by the Texas Eagle.

[Anonymous]

New York to Buffalo via Scranton and Binghamton

Washington to Buffalo

Philadelphia to Syracuse

Boston to Montreal

Washington to Montreal - (the original Montrealer)

Kansas City to Minneapolis

Kansas City to Houston

Dallas to Denver

Kansas City to Miami

Chiago to Miami

New York to St. Louis

Denver to Porltand

[Junctionfan]

How about a Las Vegas to Atlantic City train called Sin Cities Limited?

[jeaton]

QUOTE: Originally posted by ndbprr

Well I guess I am the curmudgeon because if I told you where I thought Amtrak should go and how they should get there I would be banned for life from these boards!

You still get a "grrrrrr" from me.

[ndbprr]

Well I guess I am the curmudgeon because if I told you where I thought Amtrak should go and how they should get there I would be banned for life from these boards!

[vsmith]

Only one on my list, L.A. to Las Vegas, as it is now its a 5 hour drive that usually takes 7 hours or a 40 minute flight that takes up to 3 hours so they look up your [censored] with an X-ray machine.

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

QUOTE: Originally posted by futuremodal

......into the eternal abyss of a distant memory of a fleeting glimpse, a dream within a forgotton dream[zzz].....

BUT........

If one were to rephrase the question into one that references a return of private rail passenger services (heck, I'll take subsidized private passenger services over Amtrak anyday!)......

ditto on the Seattle-Salt Lake (prefer Vancouver - Portland - Salt Lake) and LA - Salt Lake ideas; also a Spokane - Denver service via Missoula, Billings, and Casper, with a separate section through Alliance to Omaha; Calgary - Salt Lake; Denver - Albuquerque - El Paso; and Calgary - Spokane (via the Crow) - Bend (via the Dechutes) - Sacramento (via Bieber).

Please enlighten me as to any real difference between Amtrak and a government subsidized "private"[%-)]operation.

[jeaton]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Old Timer

I think we'd all probably be better off if Amtrak would just go away.

Old Timer

Grrrrrrrr

[Anonymous]

OK, here goes:

1. Additional frequencies NY to Chicago via the Water Level Route

2. Additional frequencies from Boston to Rensselaer via the B&A

3. Extension of servixce into Maine farther than Portland (perhaps to Bangor)

4. Additional NY to Florida service including expanded Auto train service

5. Coast to Coast Auto train service

6. Increased service frequencies or expansions elsewhere as it make sense to bring back useful connections to all major metro areas and towns to truly bring rail service to the people.

7. Extra efforts to bring necessary competitive connections to other modes on line (or bring the lines to the other modes) and provide such services as car rental, taxi and local services to depots.

8. Others such as Chicago to Florida Auto train and midwestern and southern services as feasible to increase service to growing markets.

LC

[AlcoRS11Nut]

any of the old UP stream/domeliners.

[krtraveler]

Here is Part 2

Northeast-Midwest
Twilight Limited: Boston (South)-Chicago via Niagara Falls and Detroit

St. Louis-DC/NY via Cincy, Columbus, Pitt; Trains to split/join in Harrisburg

St. Louis-DC via Cincy, Athens (OH), Cumberland, Rockville

Manhattan Limited: NY-Pittsburgh-Cleveland-Chicago

Northeast-South
Texas Chief: Boston (South)-Chicago-KC-Oklahoma City-Fort Worth-Dallas-Houston; creation of this route and the Twilight Limited would eliminate the need for connecting trains on the Lake Shore Limited, making that route NY-Chicago only

Northeast-Florida
NY-DC-Charlottesville-Charlotte-Columbia-Jacksonville-Dade City-St. Petersburg/Miami; refer to South Wind for Florida routing information

Boston (South)-DC-Richmond (Staples Mill)-Raleigh-Charlotte-Columbia-Jacksonville-Daytona Beach-Miami; Petersburg-Raleigh route would use the old Seaboard line, which is being rebuilt for SEHSR service, Silver Star would also use this route

New NY-Tampa Route via Fayetteville

West-South
Caprock Express: Denver-Pueblo-Amarillo-Fort Worth

Texas Zephyr: Salt Lake City-Denver-Pueblo-Ft. Worth-Dallas-Houston-New Orleans

West-West Coast
Desert Zephyr: Vancouver (BC)-Portland-SLC-Las Vegas-LA; since the DZ would operate in the same time frame as the current Vancouver-Seattle route, Cascades service would be readjusted to provide evening SEA-VAC and morning VAC-SEA services

North Coast Hiawatha: Chicago-Twin Cities-Bismarck-Butte-Spokane-Portland/Seattle; Chi-MSP via Empire Builder route or old Lake Country Limited route; Minneapolis to have its own stop

Olympian: Minneapolis-Aberdeen-Butte-Spokane-Seattle-Portland; no local passengers Seattle-Portland, may also skip some stops along the Cascade Corridor

Pioneer: Seattle-Portland-Boise-Ogden-Denver-Chicago; no local passengers Seattle-Portland, some Cascade Corridor stops will be skipped

[Junctionfan]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jhhtrainsplanes

QUOTE: Originally posted by Junctionfan



Also, the State of Texas; a train that goes Chicago-St.Louis-Little Rock-Dallas-Fort Worth-Austin-San Antonio-Houston.

The Texas Eagle already service most of those cities, Houston is the opposite direction and Amtrak ended service to Houston by the Texas Eagle.

It's annoying that if I want to take the train to see a friend of mine in Houston, I have to get of at Longview and Greyhound the rest of the way. Why wouldn't a major city like Houston not get served by the Texas Eagle?

[andrechapelon]

Personally, I'd like to see the following:

A train that runs 12 hours behind the Coast Starlight so that a trip to LA could be done overnight from the SF Bay Area with a connection made to a morning San Diegan in LA.

San Joaquin service all the way to LA, with one train split at Bakersfield to connect to the Southwest Chief in Barstow.

Nor'easter service extended to Bangor, ME.

Andre

[Anonymous]

I would say. Chicago to Miami name the train the South Wind followed by Kansas City to New York name the train the National limited or Spirit of St. Loius Then Chicago-Pittsburgh-Philadelphia-New York call that train the Broadway Limited then somehow include service to Wyoming.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Junctionfan



Also, the State of Texas; a train that goes Chicago-St.Louis-Little Rock-Dallas-Fort Worth-Austin-San Antonio-Houston.

The Texas Eagle already service most of those cities, Houston is the opposite direction and Amtrak ended service to Houston by the Texas Eagle.

[Anonymous]

For strickly selfish reasons, I would like to see Amtrak service from Tulsa to St. Louis which would make the connection to Chicago for me. My family and I enjoy taking the train to visit my home town but we have to drive from Oklahoma to St Louis to pick up the train. I enjoy only needing to drive half the distance but none of the distance would be better

CW

[Junctionfan]

How about a super long train called the Trans Coastal Limited. New York to Los Angelas with stops only in Cleveland, Chicago, Kansas City and Las Vegas.

Also, the State of Texas; a train that goes Chicago-St.Louis-Little Rock-Dallas-Fort Worth-Austin-San Antonio-Houston.

[Anonymous]

I would like to see Amtrak go from Salt Lake City to Portland on the UP line and I would also like to see Amtrak go from Belen, NM to Galveston, TX on the BNSF (Santa Fe) line and finally I would like to see an Amtrak go from Oklahoma City, to Topeka on the BNSF (Santa Fe), finally I would like to see an Amtrak go from Oklahoma City to St. Louis on the BNSF (BN/Frisco) line.

QUOTE: Originally posted by SchemerBob

If money was no option, where would you want Amtrak to go, besides the current routes?

[Anonymous]

I think we'd all probably be better off if Amtrak would just go away.

Old Timer

[Train Guy 3]

Norfolk - Lynchburg - where ever. I just need an east-west line in my area.