This is a highly "non-scientific" survey. How many state capitals lack passenger rail service? Off the top-of-my-head, I came up with MT, ND, SD, WI, WY, ID, NV, AZ, FL, KY, TN, OH, NH, ME, MD, and IA. I may have missed some, or gotten some wrong. I gave VT a "bye" with Montpelier Junction. I wonder how many lack freight rail service. They range all over the political spectrum. Where are the politicos, when we need them? Interesting, methinks.
Bill
-Don (Random stuff, mostly about trains - what else? http://blerfblog.blogspot.com/)
Does Carson City even have any rail service to speak of? And if so, is the line really a candidate for any kind of upgrade? Reno isn't that far away....maybe CC should get a bye also?
oltmannd I think you should give Annapolis MD a "bye", too. It's a suburb of DC and Baltimore these days.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
I wasn't really dispariging the state capitals that don't have passenger rail service. Some, like Montpelier, VT are really off the beaten-track, and farther from air service than the train. Maybe, if I was campaigning, I'd like to have my PV parked there (which could be done in Montpelier), where I could spout lies from a gilded platform. No. Annapolis doesn't get a "bye".
You missed several, like Baton Rouge, LA and Dover, DE (and then there were some others have mentioned), but the not mentioned are the most obvious: Honolulu and Juneau.
Mark Meyer
BNSFwatcherThis is a highly "non-scientific" survey. How many state capitals lack passenger rail service? Off the top-of-my-head, I came up with MT, ND, SD, WI, WY, ID, NV, AZ, FL, KY, TN, OH, NH, ME, MD, and IA. I may have missed some, or gotten some wrong. I gave VT a "bye" with Montpelier Junction. I wonder how many lack freight rail service. They range all over the political spectrum. Where are the politicos, when we need them? Interesting, methinks. Bill
The more interesting "sorts" are "which state capitals have passenger service that is usable": CA, IL, MA, MO, NJ, NM (commuter), NY, PA.
"Which state capitals have passenger service that isn't (for various reasons, usually one train a day that has bad times in the capital) usable": CO, GA, IN, MN, NE, TX.
"Which state capitals are marginal as far as passenger service is concerned": AK, DE, MD, NV, WI.
Madison, Wisconsin is an interesting case because a reasonable Chicago - Minneapolis route can't serve both Milwaukee and Madison. Chicago - Madison - Minneapolis (C&NW) was a weaker passenger route than Chicago - Milwaukee - Minneapolis (Milw/Amtrak) or Chicago - LaCrosse - Minneapolis (CB & Q).
Albany, New York doesn't have any Amtrak service. The trains stop at Rensselaer which is across the Hudson River. This may seem like a small point but does cut Albany off from direct train service .
cbq9911a BNSFwatcher This is a highly "non-scientific" survey. How many state capitals lack passenger rail service? Off the top-of-my-head, I came up with MT, ND, SD, WI, WY, ID, NV, AZ, FL, KY, TN, OH, NH, ME, MD, and IA. I may have missed some, or gotten some wrong. I gave VT a "bye" with Montpelier Junction. I wonder how many lack freight rail service. They range all over the political spectrum. Where are the politicos, when we need them? Interesting, methinks. Bill The more interesting "sorts" are "which state capitals have passenger service that is usable": CA, IL, MA, MO, NJ, NM (commuter), NY, PA. "Which state capitals have passenger service that isn't (for various reasons, usually one train a day that has bad times in the capital) usable": CO, GA, IN, MN, NE, TX. "Which state capitals are marginal as far as passenger service is concerned": AK, DE, MD, NV, WI. Madison, Wisconsin is an interesting case because a reasonable Chicago - Minneapolis route can't serve both Milwaukee and Madison. Chicago - Madison - Minneapolis (C&NW) was a weaker passenger route than Chicago - Milwaukee - Minneapolis (Milw/Amtrak) or Chicago - LaCrosse - Minneapolis (CB & Q).
BNSFwatcher This is a highly "non-scientific" survey. How many state capitals lack passenger rail service? Off the top-of-my-head, I came up with MT, ND, SD, WI, WY, ID, NV, AZ, FL, KY, TN, OH, NH, ME, MD, and IA. I may have missed some, or gotten some wrong. I gave VT a "bye" with Montpelier Junction. I wonder how many lack freight rail service. They range all over the political spectrum. Where are the politicos, when we need them? Interesting, methinks. Bill
Do not forget Hartford CT. Four round trips a day, 3 Shuttles plus the Vermonter, between Springfield MA to a junction with the Northeast Corridor at New Haven. The "Vermonter" is a through train, the Shuttles have across platform transfer at New Haven. Amtrak owns the former New Haven tracks and runs the trains, a Genises Locomotive and Amfleet cars. The station stop in Hartford is across the street from the state capitol building. Connecticut has filed for federal funds to "double track" the line and start CT DOT Commuter Service.
Don U. TCA 73-5735
Sorry. if my comments about Albany seemed rather nit-picking. I was remembering my college days in Albany in the early 1960s. We could take a city bus to the Albany Union Sation for a quarter and get a train on either the NYC or the D&H. I know it's not that far across the river to the new station. It just seems like Albany has lost something important. I'm glad that the Capital District still has good train service.
I believe that Tennessee has it worst. Out of the whole state only 2 stations, both near Memphis. Nashville, Knoxville, and especially Chattanooga all used to be rail hubs. I personally do not have an Amtrak station within a 3 hours drive.
:(
Dover, Delaware is the smallest state capital in the United States with a population of approximately 38,000 souls. It once saw sixteen passenger trains a day pass through on the Pennsylvania's Delmarva Division. State highway construction cut into this traffic until by 1964 there was just one train each way consisting of a Budd RDC and even that didn't have enough riders to pay its way. The rail line is now Norfolk Southern's Delmarva Sub, freight only and no prospect of any revival of passenger service. Once a year interested parties charter an AMTRAK train to run from Philadelphia to the state fair in Harrington, twenty miles south of town which appeals to the rare milage crowd.
Sorry, Jim, but Pierre, SD, takes honors with just under 14,000 souls (assuming you don't count pheasants or prairie dogs). But they never saw anything llike 16 trains (freight OR passenger) a day ever! Maybe someday if the CP gets the DM&E pushed thru to Wyoming coal, there will be a lot of coal trains thru town.
It couldn't be more hilarious here in Hawaii, but we are supposed to get one in the next 8 years. I've been out here for 35 years and they have ALWAYS been talking about our transit system. They've been collecting the taxes for 3 years, maybe its coming soon.
Paul
Sorry, Wayne. Don't hold your breath! The DM&E/CP will have to dig a very expensive tunnel under NIMBY-land (Rochester, MN) before that happens! By that time, the 'Enviro-Freaks' will have outlawed coal-fired power plants. Yo! You forgot to mention your ducks! Yummy!!!
Hays
Yar, but with no "direct" passenger rail service. That's why I gave it a 'bye'. Of course, that will never happen, unless you buy, and rebuild, the Barre & Chelsea! Sorry I missed DE and LA in my count.
I remember the NYC Albany station as a grungy, dirty old pile-of-bricks, built on a sharp curve. I passed-thruough, a lot, but never detrained there. The current Albany/Rensselaer station - ALB (a.k.a. "The Taj Mahal") is a nice ($$$!!!) place, now that the inter-nicine/intra-mural warfare between the trainmasters, engineers, conductors, yardmasters, station personnel, and dispatchers seems to have abated! Did B&M trains ever depart from there (old ALB), or did one have to go to Mechanicsville, or some such, to catch one? Dunno, me. Never did the Berkshires on the B&M or the NYC (B&A). Next time around!
Hays -- SLU 6, RPI 1, 1958. Had a great time!
I noticed that your gasoline prices are $4.00+ / gallon! Wow! As far as your transit system goes, is tunneling/cut-and-cover an option? The elevated system will be an eyesore, as it is elsewhere. How 'bout surface running? Much cheaper, methinks. I have never been to Hawaii, nor will I ever go (until Amtrak builds the bridge). Same with Alaska, but I commiserate with your problems. Enjoy paying your taxes! Your government loves you, all the way to the General Fund!
Sorry. As long as your state's "Most Notable Resident" consumes more power, in his mansion, than the TVA produces, forget it! Do something! Forget electric-powered rail service, for the time being.
Within the next few years, Carson City (NV) will be getting passenger service, of a sort. The Virginia and Truckee will be building into town from the east, having been restored (not all on original right-of-way) to south of US 50.
Of course, there are the steam 'excursions' on the loop of track around the Nevada Railroad Museum...
As far as freight service there, Carson City lost that when the original V&T was abandoned on the early '50s.
Chuck
BNSFwatcher Did B&M trains ever depart from there (old ALB), or did one have to go to Mechanicsville, or some such, to catch one?
In 1916, the B&M trains did use the Albany Union Station; in 1930, it seems that the NYC forwarded the trains between Troy and Albany; in 1950, the trains are shown as running east of Troy only. This information comes from Guides that I have handy.
Johnny
We're lucky here in MO that our capital of Jeff City does have passenger service. Some of the legislators used to ride the old MP route that Amtrak took over. It's a very scenic trip right along the Missouri River. The on-time performance has improved greatly since UP built longer passing tracks in a couple of places, so Amtrak doesn't have to "go into the hole" so often.
And those large cities, that surprisingly, have none - Columbus OH, Nashville, TN, Montgomery, AL.
There are studies being done, and also a rumor, that Montgomery will be getting Amtrak service back sometime in the future.
The largest state,Alaska,has not been mentionede yet. Juneau,as it is on an island, has no rail service of any kind and never will. Alaska Railroad runs its own pasenger trains,and even hauls private cars owned by the cruise lines.
You guys got so hung up on east coast capitals you forgot to look at Olympia, WA.
Though technically it is Lacey, WA that the station is located at, it is listed as Lacey-Olympia.
Olympia is 8 miles to the east from the station. Due to geography there is no way the train could get closer to the capital.
Salem, OR is much better situated. It is 1.6 miles from the station to the Capitol Building.
Sacramento is in the middle at 3.6 miles from the station to the Capitol Building.
At least Nashville does have busy rail freight business. Just ask CSX.
The Music City Star may be the least used commuter trains.
crewshuttleSacramento is in the middle at 3.6 miles from the station to the Capitol Building.
Are you sure about this distance? The Streets and Trips map of Sacramento shows that it is 1.3 miles from the station to the SE corner of Capitol Park. Has the Capitol been relocated since 1984 (back then, I walked over to the Capitol and back, and I don't think it was much over a mile)?
I don't think the capitol of Kansas,Topeka or the states largest city Wichita have had Amtrak service since the late seventies
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