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<P mce_keep="true">[quote user="HarveyK400"] <P>I've been thinking about your idea to reroute the Sunset through Shreveport. </P> <P>[/quote]</P> <P mce_keep="true">I did not propose running the Sunset Limited or any other train through Shreveport. My proposal to Amtrak included discontinuing the Sunset Limited. </P> <P>The first part of my recommendation was to extend the City of New Orleans from NO to San Antonio as a day train. If the train left Chicago at 11:15 a.m., it could arrive in NO at 6:15 a.m., depart for NO at 7:00 a.m., and arrive in the Alamo City at 9:30 p.m.</P> <P>The second part of my recommendation was to run the Texas Eagle from Fort Worth to LA via Midland, El Paso, etc. This would enable the train to serve a much larger market in Texas and would be an improvement in service. Also, passengers from the Eagle and the Heartland Flyer could make reasonable connections in Fort Worth if the arrivals and departures for both trains are coordinated in Cow Town, which is doable.</P> <P>The third part of my recommendation was to run the Heartland Flyer from Oklahoma City to San Antonio. Doing so would make for much more convenient departure and arrival times in Oklahoma City and San Antonio.</P> <P>Subsequent to sending my letter to Amtrak I learned that a similar proposal had been made by others, including TXARP. But they did not want to give up anything. They wanted to extend the Eagle as per above, but keep the Sunset. In other words, they wanted to run a second train on the Sunset route, which makes no sense since there is not enough traffic to support a daily Sunset.</P> <P>Not to worry! Amtrak is not likely to make any changes in the long distance trains until it is forced to replace the equipment. Hopefully, when that time arrives, the makers and shakers will realized that long distance trains don't make any sense, and they will redirect the monies wasted on them in implementing rapid rail corridors in places where they have a chance of being successful, like Dallas/Fort Worth to San Antonio, Dallas/Fort Worth to Houston, and San Antonio to Houston.</P> <P mce_keep="true">The market for long distance passenger trains in Texas is very small. On Wednesday I was in Dallas. I popped over to Union Station to have a look at Number 22. It had six cars, i.e. transition sleeper, regular sleeper, dinning car, lounge car, and two coaches. Fewer than 15 per cent of the spaces on the side of the train that I observed were occupied, which suggests that no more than 30 per cent of the spaces were occupied. Fewer than 20 people boarded the train in Dallas, which serves an area with a population of more than four million people. </P> <P>What struck me is only three of the six cars are revenue cars, except on the rare occasion when the roomettes in the transition sleeper are sold. The other three are support cars. Moreover, only half the dinning car is used. The significant increase in traffic during the summer of 2008 to the contrary not withstanding, this train makes no sense. No sane business person would run an operation that drags a support vehicle for each revenue vehicle. </P>
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