Automobile as excess baggage on all passenger trains

[John WR]

Europeans railroads certainly show what can be done by railroads to move private vehicles. 

[narig01]

John WR

When Auto Train was a private company they tried a second Auto Train between Chicago and Florida.  It didn't pay.  Amtrak never tried it.  While carrying private vehicles would probably not work between every station there could be cities where it would not be impossible.  

Auto Train had been operating successfully(and profitably) between Lorton, Va and Sanford,Fl for quite a number of years when they went into the Midwest(Louisville, Ky to Sanford, Fl) route.  It was this operation on L&N that sank Auto Train.(several costly derailments, late running trains and unreliable schedules).

     The poor condition of L&N was what sank the operation. Amtrak has not ventured back into this because they have never had the money.  I would think today it might work today as the railroads are in much better condition. 

Rgds IGN

[carnej1]

John WR

Europeans railroads certainly show what can be done by railroads to move private vehicles. 

That's true for certain operations but I note that they tend to be exclusive to areas where there are poor or non-existant highway,bridge or road tunnel options i,e throught the Chunnel (the trains compete with ferries and not roads) and over/under the Alps...

I am not aware of a significant network of intercity "autotrain" type service in Europe..

[John WR]

carnej1

they {auto trains} tend to be exclusive to {European} areas where there are poor or non-existant highway,bridge or road tunnel options

I can't think of any place in the USA except, perhaps, Alaska where there are poor highway options.  

[Jim200]

Europe has an extensive network of intercity "auto train" type of service, but some has been curtailed in recent years. Seat61.com/Motorail website has a map and info for 12 auto trains that the British can use to go southward. France has 20 auto terminals, but I could only find info on about 13 on the SNCF website, which has a complicated seasonal schedule from daily to once a week. Germany has 16 auto terminals, but the Autozug website lists only seven active and six foreign destinations in Italy, Austria, France, and Switzerland. Berlin and Hamburg go daily to Munich, Hildesheim to Munich twice a week, and others weekly or biweekly, and seasonal. Italy has 18 auto terminals, but Trenitalia cancelled all service in 2012. The British had about 18 auto terminals, but the last auto train ran in 2005. The Netherlands Autoslaaptrein goes weekly from 's Hertogenbosch to Alessandria and Livorno, Italy and in the summer to Kopen, Slovenia. It used to go also to Avignon and Frejus until the French got protective and charged €350 per person. The Czech Republic has two daily trains from Prague to Kosice, Slovakia, and one from Prague to Poprad, Slovakia to enjoy mountain activities. It used to also go to Split, Croatia. Croatia has an auto train from Zagreb to Split. Austria has 6 auto terminals as explained in a previous posting, and also went from Vienna to Hamburg and to Livorno, Italy. From Villach, Austria an auto train goes to the Turkish border. Poland had 8 auto terminals, but stopped service in 2004. Finland has 7 auto terminals and two daily trains northward from Helsinki and from Turku. Belgium and Spain also had auto trains, but I have no further info. None of the above are car Shuttle trains to go over mountains or water.

[Jim200]

???350 in the previous post is 350 euro.