More on Amtrak Connects US

The original map

The modified map with additions in California

 

Corridors of Interest Map

Shortly after writing this piece, I had the following thought:

Could Amtrak Connects US be a bane on any non-Amtrak, non-Brightline passenger service? What if there's some entity planning intercity service on the low and their plans are co-opted by the national operator's plan to the point that it adversely affects the other entity's plans? 

Based on the fourth overall slide, it seems that Jim Coston of Corridor Capital may have answered that question during a presentation in Ohio. 

Namely, the answer seems to confirm my suspicions because why does anyone need a three-decade long contract unless they're scared of someone else providing better service? 

It's also worth noting that Coston pointed out that Herzog's Transit America Services is currently only the third intercity operator in the nation with its CTrail Hartford Line service. Combine those two with the San Joaquin JPA threatening to transfer the San Joaquin trains to Herzog and it becomes clear that Amtrak management is actually playing defense rather than taking the initiative. 

The Hartford Line runs on Amtrak tracks--don't forget that loss really wore Amtrak management down during the '10s (then-Amtrak boss Joe Boardman was perplexed that Connecticut didn't automatically hand the Hartford Line contract to Amtrak). Meanwhile, losing one of California's three state-sponsored corridors would start a ripple effect that would not only see AIPRO operators providing expanded service but would also undermine Connects US mainly due to the fact that these five operators would have skin in the game at the highest level.

Weighing in on Amtrak Airo cars

Replacing the Amfleets is long overdue because for one thing the Amfleet I equipment is over a half century old. Another thing is that Amtrak cannot grow if it holds onto aging fleet. The Carolinian would get a much-needed replacement. 

However, there are a number of issues with Airo:

1. No baggage cars. People aren't going to stop carrying bags. Under this scenario, only the long distance trains would continue to allow checked bags.
2. The one size fits all approach. The Airo cars are semi-permanently attached, and Amtrak decided to purchase trainsets instead of individualized cars which means that if one set is defective, the entire fleet goes out of service (see Talgo and Acela).
3. Amtrak is doing a full-scale replacement rather than adding to its fleet. Other than keeping Amfleet I and Horizon equipment as backup in case Airos are taken out of service for repairs, it'd be wise for Amtrak to shift the older equipment to areas like the Deep South where the Horizons could be used (as a matter fact, Amtrak recently used Horizon equipment as part of its test runs between New Orleans and Mobile in preparation of Gulf Coast service) and the desert where Amfleet Is could be deployed for conventional Los Angeles-Las Vegas service.

Should those ConnectsUS routes prove to be popular, those states could start the process to order new equipment--whether they're from Siemens or someone else. This would be much better than junking the old equipment just to prevent potential AIPRO competitors from replicating the same success NCDOT has with Piedmont service by using mostly Heritage equipment.

MSG-Penn Station Redux

Penn Station redevelopment has reappeared over the past several months to a year. What it boils down to is that Madison Square Garden's lease expires at the end of July. 

There are three proposals that would separate MSG from the station while New York Governor Kathy Hochul is backing a fourth proposal that would keep the Garden on top of Penn Station in perpetuity. The big sticking point is once again James Dolan as he was a decade ago. 

Like I said in 2013, Dolan and MSG need to leave Penn Station even as NYC Mayor Eric Adams also supports keeping The Garden put. The truth is that the Moynihan Train Hall has actually made things less convenient for Amtrak passengers because they have a longer way to go if they want to catch the subway.

The end result will be reflective of train service in the nation's top region. If Hochul/Dolan/Adams prevail, then on one hand, it will be a sign that even the most important city in the U.S. will be forced to make due with at best a mediocre train station. On the other hand, it may prove what Corridor Capital's Bruce Richardson said a couple years ago: 

Passenger train stations will once again become centers of both transportation and commerce. The temples and palaces of the past will not be rebuilt, but a more sensible combination of stations and services as found today on Brightline in South Florida will become the standard template.

2022 Midterms and Rail

Given that transit agencies are still in various phases of recovery from the pandemic, there's very little to offer in the way of the future direction of commuter/regional rail outside of Florida.

Here's a link to all of the transit-related referenda that were on the ballot last month. Based on the results, we don't have to worry about this particular nightmare scenario any time soon. However, it could still be in play over the next few years as the Senate and presidency could flip in '24.

Random thoughts #15

1. This is what happens when you have the largest city in the nation without passenger train service for the last 26 years and a state DOT that has been passive at best towards intercity rail. Leaders in Arizona are letting a golden opportunity slip by their fingers.
2. Connects US is proof that Amtrak President Stephen Gardner is the anti-matrix theory guy.

3. As I said almost a decade ago, Amtrak doesn’t have a funding problem, it has a management problem, and nothing emphasizes this more than the various equipment and mechanical issues that passengers have experience over the past year and a half.

4. Also, the way management handled the long-distance trains throughout this entire pandemic is way beyond appalling.

5. The gist of Disney's about face last month is that the organization is acting like a petulant child because how dare Brightline serve Mickey Mouse's competitors when the Disney organization only wanted the operator to cater to them

More links

Fast Forward Cascadia | Ultra-High-Speed Ground Transportation

Front Range Passenger Rail

Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Authority 

Solutionary Rail

North Atlantic Rail

Lakeshore Rail Alliance

Southeast Corridor Commission

All Aboard Northwest

Virginia Passenger Rail Authority

Recent Rail Map Pages

The Rail Map from Eliot H

The STB's new heritage map