Edit post

Edit your reply below.

Post Body
Enter your post below.
I pull all the numbers from the primary source documents.  I never rely on information published in the press.  I use year end numbers, i.e. September 30 to September 30, which is the end of Amtrak's fiscal year, for all comparisons.  Anything less than a year is suspect. Differences probably are attributable to different reporting periods. In FY12 the Texas Eagle lost 18.8 cents per passenger mile before depreciation, interest, and miscellaneous charges.  It did better than the long distance train average of 20.5 cents although not by much. Of the 15 long distance trains, it was number six, i.e. five trains had lower losses per passenger mile than the Texas Eagle. If the two biggest losers, the Sunset Limited and Cardinal, were removed from the numbers, the Texas Eagle would be close to the middle of the long distance trains in terms of loses per passenger mile.  The numbers for the Texas Eagle, as well as the other trains, can be found on Pg. C-1 of the September 2012 Monthly Operating Report.  It is impossible to determine the impact of TEMPO's activities on the ridership increases for the Texas Eagle and the Heartland Flyer. The only way to do so would be through a control group study, which is not feasible in a commercial environment. TEMPO has lobbied for improved passenger rail service in Texas. So have others. The impact of its lobbying vs that of others would be very difficult to isolate. TEMPO has promoted some group rides from east Texas to sporting and other events in the Metroplex.  How successful they have been is difficult to say. With only one train a day, a group traveling by Amtrak to the Metroplex for an event would be required to stay overnight. If they chartered a bus, they could do it in a one day turn around. If anyone has verifiable numbers regarding TEMPO's activities, I would be keen to see them.
Tags (Optional)
Tags are keywords that get attached to your post. They are used to categorize your submission and make it easier to search for. To add tags to your post type a tag into the box below and click the "Add Tag" button.
Add Tag