"...So We Rented a Car and Drove."

[cordon]

In an article about problems with airline cancellations in the Business section of the Dallas Morning News today titled 'Rule 240's Return,' there's an anecdote about four businessmen whose connecting flight from Dulles International Airport, Washington, DC, to Boston, MA, was grounded.  They convinced the airline to transfer them to another airline out of Washington Reagan National Airport.  They missed the flight due to "waiting for a customer service agent to handle their paperwork."

Now the punch line, from a man who had just gotten off a 20-hour flight from South Africa.  He said, "At that point, we just decided we were sick of dealing with airlines, so we rented a car and drove." 

I am amazed that seasoned business travelers, already probably very tired, chose to drive from Washington to Boston instead of taking what is probably the best train in the Western Hemisphere.  

If people like this won't take the train, what chance does passenger rail have? 

BTW, Rule 240, abolished in 1978, governed many things connected to stranded/delayed airline passengers. 

 

[Paul Milenkovic]

It is probably not a matter of the quality of the NEC Acela Service as one of making the connection to it from Dulles International Airport and even knowing about the train or a good way to get to the train.  I think that one of the strengths of Europe and Japan is not only do they have trains but also good intermodal connections.

As to the quality of airline service, part of that is unique to the air mode, part of it is that air travel has gotten worse, and part of it is part and parcel of all common-carrier modes.  I think that trains have a lot to offer on the all-weather aspect compared to flying or even driving, although there are weather conditions that can shut down train travel as well.  But Amtrak can have its share of stranded-traveller horror stories, so the train is not a cure-all for the drudgery and stress of travel -- a lot of it is having a passenger-service oriented culture.

[daveklepper]

As reported in the Jerusalem Post, the Senior Editor, David Horowitz, visited friends and relative in the USA last Winter.   He returned intending to fly from the West to New York, but the plane was delayed and then diverted do to weather to Cleveland.  He named the airline, a major one, but I will let that pass.   They abandoned all responsibility.   He could not get a flight from Cleveland to NY in time to connect with his flight to Ben Gurion, and he considered renting a car with some other passengers.   He called his relatives in NY, and they told him to hold on and they would call him back.  They called back and said he had a seat on the Capitol Limited to Pittsburgh and the connection to New York.   Three other passengers joined him, and they shared a taxi to the Lakefront Station.   There was a lot of grousing about the delay, with the Capitol being about three hours late, but none of the four airline refugees complained.   The Capitol missed its connection in Pittsburgh, but Amtrak had a bus to take passengers to Harrisburg (in the blizzard), where a train took them to New York, and he made his connection home in time.  He had nothing but good words to say about Amtrak's performance, particularly the Cleveland Station's attendant, who kept people informed.

[oltmannd]

In an article about problems with airline cancellations in the Business section of the Dallas Morning News today titled 'Rule 240's Return,' there's an anecdote about four businessmen whose connecting flight from Dulles International Airport, Washington, DC, to Boston, MA, was grounded.  They convinced the airline to transfer them to another airline out of Washington Reagan National Airport.  They missed the flight due to "waiting for a customer service agent to handle their paperwork."

Now the punch line, from a man who had just gotten off a 20-hour flight from South Africa.  He said, "At that point, we just decided we were sick of dealing with airlines, so we rented a car and drove." 

I am amazed that seasoned business travelers, already probably very tired, chose to drive from Washington to Boston instead of taking what is probably the best train in the Western Hemisphere.  

If people like this won't take the train, what chance does passenger rail have? 

BTW, Rule 240, abolished in 1978, governed many things connected to stranded/delayed airline passengers. 

How would they even know there was passenger service from DC to Boston?  It's not like Amtrak and the airlines are partners.  Is there even one sign or ad in Dulles or Reagan pointing the way to Amtrak's Union Station?

[paulsafety]

Its not surprising that they chose to drive -- they could very easily access a rental car, but could not easily access Amtrak without all sorts of transfers on a transit system that they were (likely) unfamiliar with or ready to navigate. 

Had their flight been on Continental, the train could have been an option as Continental has been trying to thru route passengers along the NEC to Newark Liberty Airport by way of the NEC.  How continental achieves connections at airports other than the NEC-EWR station, I have no clue.  There is a rail link to philly international which was briefly used by Amtrak trains to Atlantic City, and there is a shuttle bus connector to the NEC at BWI Airport.  However, I don't know of any other "direct" Amtrak service to other airports on the NEC (indirect = taking local transit service to connect between terminals).

Paul F.

[Limitedclear]

One night I got stranded in Cleveland by Continental Airlines while on a business trip. I rented a car and drove home. I suppose I could have waited the three and a half extra hours for the Lakeshore, but given that it is often 3 - 5 hours late I figured I might as well just drive as the wait would be at least as long as the drive.

LC

[Jack_S]

I've noticed that US cities that DO have public transit seem to have little interconnection between the different systems.  It seems that each new system was designed to be used in isolation from every other system.

I vacationed in Paris in 1997 and their transit mix will spoil you.  Regional Rail, TGV, shuttle buses, AND taxis at Charles De Gaulle Airport.  Except that CDG Airport is the worst designed airport I have ever experienced.  Airport administration is lacking too.  In the city itself, however, things are different.  The Metro and the buses are great.

LA used to be a prime example of US non-connection, with the Blue Line ending south of Downtown, and Metrolink and Amtrak going to Union Station, several miles north.  The Green Line goes from nowhere to nowhere   Until they made one right decision and put the terminus of the Subway at Union Station there was very little interconnection.  Once the Red Line made that connection and went to the Blue Line terminus, however, traffic boomed on all the systems that were hooked in.

SF seems to be the same.  A look at a general transit map shows few tranfer points between BART, Muni, the Cable Cars, and Caltrain.  Answer me SF people, is this perception correct?

Philly, by comparison, is a delight.  Trains to the airport from Center City with easy routes to all the suburbs, even Jersey.  Easy connections between Regional Rail, Amtrak, subways, buses, light rail, and restored trolleys.

NYC is great but the connection to Kennedy Airport is a disgrace.  A subway line went right past the place before the airport was built and they only got a connection a few years ago.  And it is expensive and inconvenient.  And La Guardia and Newark are still isolated.

Comments?

Jack

[Anonymous]

Jack wrote:
A look at a general transit map shows few tranfer points between BART, Muni, the Cable Cars, and Caltrain.  Answer me SF people, is this perception correct?

I'm not quite an SF person, but I'm not too far away.

Caltrain, BART and SFO airport shuttles connect at Millbrae. BART is within spitting distance of cable cars at the Powell Street station. So are MUNI streetcars. Caltrain is steps away from MUNI (and the AT&T baseball park) at the 4th & Townsend terminal. BART connects to the Capitol Corridor at Richmond. Caltrain, Altamont Commuter Express, and the Capitol Corridor connect at San Jose. Transit busses from Monterey and Santa Cruz also connect with the trains at San Jose.  

[oltmannd]

Jack wrote:
A look at a general transit map shows few tranfer points between BART, Muni, the Cable Cars, and Caltrain.  Answer me SF people, is this perception correct?

I'm not quite an SF person, but I'm not too far away.

Caltrain, BART and SFO airport shuttles connect at Millbrae. BART is within spitting distance of cable cars at the Powell Street station. So are MUNI streetcars. Caltrain is steps away from MUNI (and the AT&T baseball park) at the 4th & Townsend terminal. BART connects to the Capitol Corridor at Richmond. Caltrain, Altamont Commuter Express, and the Capitol Corridor connect at San Jose. Transit busses from Monterey and Santa Cruz also connect with the trains at San Jose.  

The only problem a tourist would have with transit in SF is that the line for the cable cars is too long and the F trolley is alway jam-packed.  Connecting to BART to the airport is great!  A map and a MUNI pass are all you need as a tourist in SF.

[JT22CW]

In an article about problems with airline cancellations in the Business section of the Dallas Morning News today titled 'Rule 240's Return,' there's an anecdote about four businessmen whose connecting flight from Dulles International Airport, Washington, DC, to Boston, MA, was grounded.  They convinced the airline to transfer them to another airline out of Washington Reagan National Airport.  They missed the flight due to "waiting for a customer service agent to handle their paperwork."

Now the punch line, from a man who had just gotten off a 20-hour flight from South Africa.  He said, "At that point, we just decided we were sick of dealing with airlines, so we rented a car and drove." 

I am amazed that seasoned business travelers, already probably very tired, chose to drive from Washington to Boston instead of taking what is probably the best train in the Western Hemisphere.  

If people like this won't take the train, what chance does passenger rail have? 

BTW, Rule 240, abolished in 1978, governed many things connected to stranded/delayed airline passengers.

The "best train in the Western Hemisphere", over the railroad between Boston and Washington DC, achieves an average speed of 72 miles per hour—at best.  Assuming the train to be on time, the journey would take 6 hours and 15 minutes.  

How much more time would it take to use the DC Metro between Washington National and Union Station, and then the MBTA from either Back Bay or South Station?

I myself prefer the train; but frankly, interstate highways do have "cutoff" routing around major cities. 

[AmtrakRider]

The "best train in the Western Hemisphere", over the railroad between Boston and Washington DC, achieves an average speed of 72 miles per hour—at best.  Assuming the train to be on time, the journey would take 6 hours and 15 minutes.  

Somewhere else I have been reading that Amtrak's AcelaExpress NYP-WAS is down to 2:15 on a regular basis (I think it's a limited stop train).  I've also been reading that Acela has been averaging closer to 100mph NYP-BOS, with top speeds near 125mph.  I've not ridden these trains myself, so this is obviously second-hand reporting.  Nevertheless, it seems to me that such a trip should be possible in less than 6 hours.

The weary business traveller should also be able to take into consideration the difference between having to drive oneself, which can be exhausting, and being driven, which can be cathartic.  However, such a traveller has to first be aware of the accurate facts concerning rail travel and have a relatively easy way of taking advantage of what Amtrak has to offer.

[AmtrakRider]

I transited between Ft. Lauderdale International Airport and the nearby Amtrak terminal while on a trip this summer.  The trip out, by taxi, cost me $25.00.  The trip back, by city bus, with one transfer at the downtown terminal, cost me 1.75. 

The difference? Experience.  On the outbound trip, there was little information obvious to an non-Ft. Lauderdale resident regarding any method of ground transportation beyond car rental and taxi.  The bus stop was hidden away between the concourse exits and signage was minimal.  On the inbound trip, I encountered the bus stop at the door of the train station, and simply asked the driver about the transfer.  However, I only thought about looking for a bus stop because I had successfully used mass transit in cities like WAS, ABQ, and DEN during the course of my trip.  In this case, a little knowledge saved me $20, which was much better invested in an enjoyable evening meal . . . .

My point is simply that transfers between plane and train have to be made more obvious to the traveller, especially one who is travelling light.  I don't think Amtrak can reasonably expect airports to "advertise" for them.  They need to make some effort in this regard for themselves.

[JT22CW]

The "best train in the Western Hemisphere", over the railroad between Boston and Washington DC, achieves an average speed of 72 miles per hour—at best.  Assuming the train to be on time, the journey would take 6 hours and 15 minutes.

Somewhere else I have been reading that Amtrak's AcelaExpress NYP-WAS is down to 2:15 on a regular basis (I think it's a limited stop train).  I've also been reading that Acela has been averaging closer to 100mph NYP-BOS, with top speeds near 125mph.  I've not ridden these trains myself, so this is obviously second-hand reporting.  Nevertheless, it seems to me that such a trip should be possible in less than 6 hours.

There is but one "super-express" AE trip between NYP and WAS in each direction (only intermediate stop PHL) that is timetabled for 2:35, or an 87 mph average speed.  (That's five minutes slower than the fastest Metroliner MU, FTR.)

2:15 between NYP and WAS (a 100-mph average speed) was never promised in the AE "pre-naming" brochures (i.e. when the trainsets were still unofficially called the "American Flyer"); the fastest time promised was 2:45 NYP-WAS (82-mph average speed) and 3:00 NYP-BOS (75 mph average speed). 

An average speed of 100 mph between NYP and BOS is currently impossible.  The segment of the NEC owned by Metro-North and Connecticut DOT has short stretches of 90 mph MAS railroad; but top speed on most of that part of railroad is 70 mph (a legacy of the McGinnis era IIRC).  And it's on the NYP-BOS segment that the AE actually travels at 150 mph, through RI into MA (on but 18 miles of railroad)—fastest average speed remains 64 mph, thanks to the archaic alignment of much of the Shore Line (worst offenders east of Old Saybrook CT into RI; and on Metro-North of course).  Metro-North will not undertake the expense of upgrading their own railroad's signals to Amtrak's NEC-level, especially if they have to fund it themselves; as for track classes, it is not worth it to maintain to Class 8 for the purpose of attempting to help the AE achieve bursts of high speed on the straighter segments of track thereupon.

The weary business traveller should also be able to take into consideration the difference between having to drive oneself, which can be exhausting, and being driven, which can be cathartic.  However, such a traveller has to first be aware of the accurate facts concerning rail travel and have a relatively easy way of taking advantage of what Amtrak has to offer.

That's going to take some pre-planning.

(Pity that Trains 66 and 67 are no longer Twilight Shoreliners but instead sleeper-less Regionals.  That would have helped influence travel decisions in favor of rail, i.e. until Congress as a whole wakes up to what the AE ought to be versus what it is right now.)

[daveklepper]

Which is one reason the old White Train New York and New England route should be revived as the real high speed line, through Wilamantic, Putnam, and Blackstone.

And Boston to Baltimore and Washington really requires bypassing Metro North and thus bypassing New York City.