Specials especially during fall football season may be a way to get some service. Unfortunately again it is a lack of equipment. Getting weekday equipment moved to late Friday originations is nearly impossible except in NEC and around Chicago, LAX, and Oakland. Fall loads are definetly less so some spare equipment there. However from before Thanksgiving - past New Years regular loads high so no spare equipment.
Although the present congress will not appropriate the money 100 single level and 100 bi-levels per year needed for many years. Then older equipment can go to reserve fleet for specials.
Someone said to this poster that the specials might get a wide variety of persons interested in expanding Amtrak. Thoughts ?.
I think Amtrak should expand on and enhance more of the weekend special service attempts like they started when they did the Ski Train out of Denver. Plenty more opportunities like that across the United States that I think would be just as successful as the Ski Train.
With a new route mostly funded by the Feds, perhaps Amtrak would be more amenable to at least try a trial service. The demonstration could prove to be a success, encouraging a state to support the service after the trial period. So based on the language in the Senate bill, would PRIIA Section 209 still apply for a new short distance route, or could Amtrak fill in the cost not covered by the Feds?
I think the question would be why would they. They are dependent on congress for funding for the national system as it is, and never get what they need to do it correctly. Why add a train now that would just be taken off in a few years for lack of funding?
Section 301 of the Senate Passenger Rail Bill authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to offer operating subsidy assistance grants to applicants such as states, local organizations, Amtrak, etc. for new routes and services. My question is would PRIIA Section 209 rules still apply for routes under 750 miles where states would still have to subsidize the costs not covered by the Federal grants, or could Amtrak fund the remainder? The bill says that the Feds would cover 80% of the operating costs for the first year, 60 for the 2nd, and 40 for the 3rd, with the rest covered by the applicant. I'm just wondering if Amtrak could start a short distance route without state support under this program. The following is a link to the bill (see page 72 for Section 301)-
http://www.wicker.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/851855a5-8aa3-4041-ab57-3acf595753ce/rail15.11.pdf
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