ROBERT WILLISON I might be wrong but I thought a portion of the old prr main line west of Pittsburgh was either down graded or abandoned. This was part of the reason why the Broadway limited was discontinued. Amtrak original choice for serving Chicago to new York city was train 48-49, the Broadway limited. All service west of Buffalo on the PC was discontinued. The lake shore limited was revived as a state supported service by Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana, late in 1971.
I might be wrong but I thought a portion of the old prr main line west of Pittsburgh was either down graded or abandoned. This was part of the reason why the Broadway limited was discontinued.
Amtrak original choice for serving Chicago to new York city was train 48-49, the Broadway limited. All service west of Buffalo on the PC was discontinued. The lake shore limited was revived as a state supported service by Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana, late in 1971.
It seems to me that the only possibility in the near future for through New York City-Pittsburgh-Chicago service is coupling/uncoupling a New York car to the Capitol Limited in Pittsburgh (which has been discussed here in times past).
Johnny
First lets buy enough equipment for the LSL so that it can meet any demand. Then worry about reroutes of some parts of the train .
How about one New York City lake shore limited go from New York to Philly then west to Harrisburg, Pa to Chicago, IL on the Broadway limited route?? and the Boston train on the other route??
With the exception of turning the equipment a bit quicker, how is saving a potential few hours help Amtrak or its passenger? Amtrak would be losing millions of potential customers on the american side with out benefiting any on the Canadian side.
Very few long distance passengers factor in time as a major element in their planning.
Why would Amtrak switch from using their present line, which is provided by railroads at a favorable rate to ATK, to a Canadian line where they would have to negotiate a market rate.
With all due respect to Deggesty, I don't think that's at all what dakotafred meant. Not at all.
dakotafred The name of the railroad, for heaven's sake, is Amtrak ... the 'Am' standing for 'American.' This idea is wrong side of the border.
The name of the railroad, for heaven's sake, is Amtrak ... the 'Am' standing for 'American.' This idea is wrong side of the border.
By your reasoning, Amtrak should not serve Montreal, Vancouver, or Niagara Falls, Ontario?
As was so well put, it is not the time, it is the money which determines most everything. But, do not stop dreaming and proposing new ways of looking at situations because only with open minds comes change.
Railfans have to realize that everything railroads, even Amtrak, do is for their economic benefit. If it isn't going to add to the bottom line the idea is dead on conception.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Sound like the idea is dead on arrival. There would be a major loss of ridership. I doubt crossing two international borders would ever save any time.
OK. Time to take another deep breath.
Do you really think, zaleski, that Amtrak is going to run a train to Chicago from both Boston & NYC that bypasses Erie, all of Ohio, and a good part of Indiana, just to save time? Is it possible that you believe the Lake Shore Limited runs to get passengers from point A to point B in the least amount of time? Then why not simply "seal the train" as it leaves Penn Station and run it non-stop to Chicago? Can you think of a reason not to do that? So can I. For that matter, why not fly passengers to NYC/Boston to Chicago? Two hours versus 20? Why not?
By the way, how much support for Amtrak in Congress will Ontario's MP's be able to offer?
"Sealed trains" bring to my mind, anyway, images of Lenin & his Bolsheviks on their way to the Finland Station.
Bottom line: Ain't never gonna happen. Ever. Period.
There has been some discussion about extending the new faster Wolverine service to major Canadian points: Toronto and southern Ontario. Several problems have come up: delay in getting through customs; Amtrak Michigan trains end up in Pontiac and not close to the CPR Windsor tunnel.
The Lake Shore Limited would be sent over the hign speed line to Detroit, through the tunnel to Windsor, and non-stop to Buffalo. The train would cross Ontario sealed without any passengers/crew on or off the train. This ought to remove the need for custom inspection.
The new routing would cut running time Chicago to Buffalo to 8 or 9 hours or less. It would open up large centers of population in Michigan for train service. Finally it takes the train off conjested lines in Indiana and Ohio. The train could actually run on schedule! Some cities would have lesser service. They would, however, continue to have the Capitol Limited. Unknown to me is if the Canadian government and railroads would allow the train to operate and at speeds necessary for a 4 or 5 hour schedule across southern Ontario. The new routing would require a station close to the tunnel in Detroit.
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