The final verdict on NYC's Penn Station

Madison Square Garden staying on top of Penn Station is the perfect reflection of where this nation's headed. The U.S. used to be bold. Now, it's risk averse. As I alluded to back in 2013, it was the arena that needed to go, not Amtrak spending a lot of money on an old post office building that nearly bankrupted it earlier this century.

The fact that James Dolan (aka the real villain in this saga) has a friend in the White House makes this entire deal rotten. Contrary to conventional wisdom, the monstrosity hovering over the current Penn Station is actually the fourth iteration of MSG--in no way, historic--so, Dolan could have found another area in Manhattan but he chooses not to.

Going back to Amtrak's relocation, the fact that it felt the need to move a block or two west is telling. The phrase "a temple to modern mediocrity" shouldn't just apply to both the Moynihan Train Hall nor the remodeled Penn Station but to America as a whole. The State of New York isn't getting off scot-free either. Just because it refuses to participate in the overhaul doesn't mean its hands are clean. Truthfully, its previous proposals were no better as they too would have kept the arena on top of the station. Grassroots efforts to separate MSG from Penn were ignored. Whatever goodwill "Train Daddy" has after being unceremoniously kicked to the curb by then-Governor Andrew Cuomo will be tarnished by this project. 

Diaspora's Greatest Hits 4

How anyone could oppose this is way beyond me but the people on the Railroad.net board have exposed themselves yet again

https://www.railwayage.com/passenger/intercity/a-two-amtrak-concept/?RAchannel=passenger
http://www.railroad.net/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=170434
https://discuss.amtraktrains.com/threads/railway-age-column-on-splitting-amtrak-to-two-operations.76294/
https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?4,4882035

Diaspora's Greatest Hits 2

Siemens Cars: Brightline vs Amtrak & Via equipment vs State-Supported Venture Cars

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?4,5396069,nodelay=1

When discussing Siemens equipment, please keep in mind, it is all not created equal! Sure, it may look the same on the surfaces that most people can see, but open up the equipment boxes or even look at some of the material used, and you can spot differences.

Brightline basically told Siemens “we want RailJet equipment” with customized interiors. Siemens built and maintains the Brightline equipment. If a train does not make pull out or fails in service, Siemens pay penalties.

Amtrak and VIA have Technical Support, Spare Supply Agreements with Siemens, which basically ensure there is a Siemens technician available to help Amtrak or VIA diagnose and repair the equipment. The agreement also gaurantees parts avalability and delivery to the failed equipment within a specified time. If for some reason, parts or technicians are not available, or can not resolve the issues in a predetermined amount of time, Siemens pays a penalty. For ACS64, Siemens has paid more penalties than cost of TSSSA contract in the first 5 years!

The State owned equipment was not able to leverage a TSSSA agreement from the start. This is because of the some of services the States already pay Amtrak for would be duplicated in the TSSSA costs. The States each have their own unique and kwirky accounting requirements, which has been a major nightmare to try and execute any sort of TSSSA.

 Explains a lot with the Venture Cars vs Brightline as in why the former in the Midwest keep having issues

Train Stations: Good news, bad news?

Scoop: Amtrak, MDOT eye Michigan Central for new Detroit train, bus station - Axios Detroit

A pleasant surprise is in the making because it looked as though the Motor City was going to have two non-connecting train stations. If MDOT or the city wants another station in Detroit, it could build it somewhere other than the New Center location. In the meantime, with Ford having restored MCS to its former glory, curve out a space for the station to actually serve trains.

Site selected for future Palmer train station along West-East Rail line

MassDOT Chooses “Site B” As Its Plan A to Locate Palmer’s Rail Stop…

Meanwhile in the Bay State, I just don't get this decision. The Steaming Tender Restaurant was there for the taking--not to mention, a perfect symmetry with New England Central's planned Central Corridor and potential connections galore. The platform for Amtrak could have been raised. Instead, the best-case scenario is now that the town will end up with two tiny stations and passengers would have to use rideshares or local buses if they want to change trains. So much for connectivity.

This also brings me to another point: The New England coordination has been all out of whack over the last decade and a half. Massachusetts has been receptive to restoring passenger service to the Berkshires- Pittsfield route via Housatonic Railroad but cool to the Central Corridor (it even dismissed the notion of the New London-Palmer-Brattleboro route in 2017). Meanwhile, Connecticut has welcomed the idea of Housatonic operating service while having very mixed opinions on the Central Corridor. The leaders in both states need to overcome their aversion to track-owning railroads operating intercity service. If Herzog can operate the Hartford Line, then, there's no reason that Housatonic and New England Central can't.

Amtrak's final verdict on the Miami Airport Station

It's official: Amtrak is staying put at the Hialeah location. It took eight years, but I told ya so! Amtrak management has had a history of standing up communities that built new stations so this isn't anything new. Previously, Salt Lake City was the largest city to receive the cold shoulder. Now, Miami has gotten the same treatment.

When Two Train Routes Become One

The transistion of the Capitol Limited and the Silver Star into a Temporary Floridian.

• The final full-length northbound Silver Star left Miami on Friday (which had to skip some stops in SC due to flooding)
• The final eastbound Capitol Limited on Saturday
• The Silver Star that turned into to the first northbound Floridian
• The final northbound Silver Star was annauled north of D.C. as it was combined with the final westbound Capitol Limited (I sure hop NEC-bound passengers were told about it in advance)
• The Capitol Limited that became the first southbound Floridian

I plan on doing the reverse when the tunnel work is done in NYC.

Random thoughts #18

1. Regarding the "new" Floridian train, it may be nearly as productive to run a stub train to and from Indy, bus the passengers to Atlanta, put them on a train that runs nonstop between Atlana and Jacksonville before resuming stops in Florida.

2. The epitome of it can always be worse somewhere else

3. That clockface scheduling would work wonders

4. A really tough break for Western North Carolina passenger service

5. Renationalization in Britain, y'all

6. Uh, just get the station renovation done

7. Amtrak's tunnel and equipment problems are affecting multiple routes

The Floridian is coming back...sort of

For the first time in 45 years, Amtrak is providing direct Chicago-Florida service, but if you read the fine print--from the horse's mouth itself--it becomes evident very quickly that it's just a combination of the Silver Star and Capitol Limited and that it's only happening because the East River Tunnels in NYC are being rehabilitated.

This temporary route will use the Broadway Limited/Three Rivers old numbers of 40 and 41, which may be more of a preview of the Long Distance Service Study version of the Floridian, which will serve Atlanta instead of Birmingham (side note: since the Midwest Connect route is a corridor route, it's very likely that the Chicago-Fort Wayne-Columbus-Pittsburgh route will get triple-digit numbers).

What this means for the long-heralded New York-Florida service is that it will once again be reduced to one frequency. For most of 2022, it was the Silver Star that was picking up the slack while the Silver Meteor was suspended due to Covid-19 related issues. Now, it'll be the Meteor having to ferry all the people north of D.C. This is where an extended Palmetto would have been helpful. 

The FRA Identifies New Long-Distance Routes

Last week, the FRA released its list of preferred routes for the Long Distance Service Study. This would double the Long-Distance Network to 30 routes, the list "spreads the wealth" as all regions are covered, and there a number of nonlinear routes.

The longest is the North Coast Hiawatha at 2,096 miles while the shortest is the Atlanta-Fort Worth service at 870 miles (50 hours vs 22 hours).

My only gripe is that neither one of these two routes should have been forced to use the Corridor ID Program just to secure funding. That's a large failing on Amtrak and the feds.

Direct Chicago-Florida service is long overdue as it hasn't had as much as connecting service in 32 years. This is a missing need since the late 1970s and the reroute via Atlanta would serve more people along better tracks.

Another need regarding Florida service is east-west service via the "suspended" Sunset East route. Reimplementing the Gulf Wind and extending it to Dallas/Fort Worth would provide riders with a brand new train running on a much more reliable schedule. Also, the Gulf Coast route would have more roundtrips with three long-distance routes between New Orleans and Mobile as opposed to the beleaguered corridor service.

The plan shows that Phoenix can be a hub with two overnight routes and planned corridor service without rerouting the Sunset Limited as the former depot and the airport would both draw a lot of passengers.

Going back to Chicago, it's nice to see the FRA paying attention to the city's congestion issues enough to move northern termini of three routes to Detroit (one) and the Twin Cities (two) and to use Indianapolis, St. Louis and Kansas City as hub cities for northeast-southwest routes instead funneling everything to a crowded Union Station.

Other interesting tidbits:

• The Northeast Region has the fewest routes at two
• The Central Region has the most routes at 11
• The Gulf Wind would be Amtrak's way of utilizing the FEC route
• The FRA flipping the script on the Desert Wind and Pioneer in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming
• The Atlanta & West Point route via Montgomery being used is a long overdue alternative between Atlanta and New Orleans
• South Dakota would finally get Amtrak service with two routes

Left out:

• Additional Silver Service routes
• Service via the S-Line in Florida
• Direct service from the Carolinas to Texas
• Other Midwest-Florida service
• Broadway Limited revival

For the excluded routes, I think that it's a case of having to make due with what's already in place with Silver Service. For some of these routes, the Nightjet and Dreamstar models would be useful in filling gaps (*cough* direct NC-FL service). Other Midwest cities that could use Florida service could have connecting cars to either an existing route or one these new routes. As far as the S-Line in Florida, it may be a lost case outside of a future Gainesville-Miami route as part of an expanded Southeast Corridor. Parts of the western half of the Broadway Limited are expected to be covered by the proposed Chicago-Fort Wayne-Columbus-Pittsburgh route and the eastern half will be covered by the second Pennsylvanian.

In conclusion, I think that the "spread the wealth" approach is tbe FRA quitely nudging Amtrak management to actually behave as a national operator instead of an NEC-first entity that also shakes down non-NEC states for money to operate routes under Section 403(b). Perhaps, once the next reauthorization rolls around, we could eventually see other operators handling state routes while Amtrak fulfills its obligations under the 1970 law that created it.

Random thoughts #17

1. As an appendix to my last post: The open access model would also apply to any operator who wants to take on Amtrak in its most favorable region, the NEC.
2. What was notable in Wisconsin was which funded route Senator Baldwin omitted--namely, the West Central Wisconsin route. It's almost like these elected officials only recognize Amtrak as a legitmate operator even though they themselves signed off on legislation that makes it easier for other operators to get federal funding for routes.
3. Improving the existing Cascades vs investing in the ultra HSR Cascadia Rail service is a good problem to have on the other side of the country.
4. Competition for Channel Tunnel service is coming.
5. AMLO is trying to reverse a gigantic mistake that was made by the Mexican government almost three decades ago when NdeM was privatized and then curtailed passenger service.
6. It would be so ironic if the Fort Worth-Dallas section of high speed rail turned a wheel before the Dallas-Houston one given all of the focus on the latter until last month.
7. Operators like SEPTA and METRA are sending the wrong message in closing their ticket windows and incovniencing their passengers who may walk up at the last minute.

Decentralizing Amtrak?

The FRA Long Distance Service Study could lead to the separation of Amtrak's three business units, but the question for me is whether it will be a voluntary or involuntary one.

Involuntary Splitting

In the case of the latter, it could happen during the next passenger rail reauthorization bill once the current bill expires in 2026. The fiasco around the Biden Administration nominating way too many Northeastern representatives onto the Amtrak Board to the point where a Western senator from his own party had to block said nominees could only be the beginning. Assuming that there is no change in the House and the Senate flips next year, I could see a Republican Congress being all too happy to strip powers from Stephen Gardner.

Under this formal separation, the NEC and other adjacent parts of the Northeastern states would continue to be run by Gardner but the rest of Amtrak would be in the hands of someone who will make every destination west of Harrisburg, PA and south of Washington, D.C. matter.

Voluntary Splitting

The other option would require an incredible amount of self-awareness from the current Amtrak management and/or Board that is seriously lacking at this moment. In other words, an informal separation would happen due to either Amtrak leadership or the Board realizing that the company is stretched thin due to a number of factors: an overemphasis on the NEC at the expense of the rest of the country, the expansion of long-distance routes as recommended by the FRA, equipment breakdowns/shortages, etc.

As a result, someone would be tasked to run the overnight routes on a laissez-fare basis while Gardner and others would then focus on Amtrak's other units and equipment orders.

Conclusion

Given the pending competition that will be coming after Brightline, Amtrak risks falling behind if it doesn't revamp, so either option would be in its best interest.

How the Dutch Model Could Work Here

The Background

Applying the Dutch Model to Each Amtrak Business Unit

The Northeast Corridor

The NEC is the U.S. equivalent of the Main Line Network. The logistics and politics would at very best require major compromises. Under the Dutch Model, Amtrak would keep the service via a no-bid contract but in exchange for that exclusivity, track and infrastructure would be transferred to a new USDOT entity--nullifying any false claims of the NEC being "privatized" once and for all.

That infrastructure company would be responsible for restoring the 457-mile route back to acceptable shape, leaving Amtrak to exclusively focus on running trains (let's face it, the 1976 decision to burden Amtrak with NEC ownership has been a bane on passenger rail). 

State-Supported Routes

For routes under 750 miles, the tender system will be used and applied to individual states, multistate compacts and California's Joint Powers Authorities. These routes would be put up for bid for contracts ranging anywhere from five to 10 years, and the commuter rail model could also be worth a look.

This would allow these entities more freedom to explore other companies who could expand and vastly improve service in ways that are currently unimaginable. The West Central Wisconsin Rail Coalition is currently doing a version of competitive bidding with its proposed Eau Claire-Twin Cities service which last saw passenger service six decades ago.

If enough states use the tender system, innovations from the most ambitious of these companies could largely render the Amtrak Connects US plan obsolete outside of Virginia (has a 30-year contract), Illinois (home to the Chicago Hub), Michigan (only place outside of the NEC where Amtrak has track rights) and parts of Southern California (Pacific Surfliners and future Coachella Valley and Las Vegas routes).

Long-Distance Routes

The overnight trains should be handled via the open access model. In addition to the FRA's Long Distance Service Study being utilized, other companies would run overnight service on the track via intense negotiations and assuming full responsibility. 

Two potential examples are Dreamstar Lines and the Southeast Passenger Rail Initiative. The former plans to launch an overnight route between Los Angeles and San Francisco (in the mold of the SP's Lark route) while the latter is a rail advocacy group pushing for the Nightjet model, which would provide express or semi-express services throughout the Southeast.

Random thoughts #16

1. The FRA Long-Distance Study is definitely a nice start, but the whole thing of Amtrak being the only operator of the revived routes rubs me the wrong way (entities like AIPRO operators partnering with other companies as part of my rail consortium should also be a part of new long distance routes). That issue aside, I am willing to give this a shot because adding back some long distance routes is something that should have been done more than a decade ago. Existing areas should be amplified and other regions without service should be represented so people aren't forced to make lengthy transfers to New York, D.C. or Chicago.
2. The feds could be forcing Amtrak to focus more on overnight routes than state-supported routes, which would reorient the company into focusing on serving the entire nation rather than just the Northeast. 
3. Another thing about this possible decentralization of Amtrak is that a future Congress could split Amtrak into two or three units and that Stephen Gardner or his successor could subsequently be the leader of only the Northeast Corridor once competition for intercity services is underway while the long distance person ends up being more tuned into the overnight trains.
4. There's no excuse for North America not being more electrified.
5. Ever since the threat of a rail strike loomed back in the fall, there have been calls to nationalize the railroads with one YouTuber even wanting the feds to recreate Conrail at the Class I level. I've been mixed on the idea. I've long understood that railroads are businesses first, but on the other hand, the major railroads have shot themselves in the foot way too many times--lobbying to keep a late 1860s braking system in place rather than adjusting to the 21st century, Precision Scheduled Railroading, the sick day fiasco that almost led to the railworkers striking in the first place.
6. Regarding the station situation in Jacksonville, the Regional Transit Center opened in May 2020 to buses and the elevated Skyway trains. The JTA and FDOT have discussed moving Amtrak closer to downtown since the late '00s. The city's proposed commuter services list the JRTC as the downtown location rather than the Prime Osborn Center. 
7. Speaking of the Osborn Center, the city has deemed the site of the historic Union Terminal as too small given that Jacksonville has lost out on events to cities the size of Daytona Beach. The city is pondering a new, larger convention center.
8. Once the City of Jacksonville has a new convention center in place, it will be possible for both Union Terminal and the JRTC to host passenger rail. Union Terminal: Amtrak, FDOT intra-Florida corridor service, Rail Consortium East, Rail Consortium Central. JRTC: Brightline, future HSR, Nightjet, JTA commuter rail.

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.

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

Photos

Rail Transit Pictures

Trainweb Amtrak Photos

Subway Nut

Rail Pictures.Net

RR Picture Archives

New Dave's Railpix

A reckoning

Is Amtrak Misleading America?

The real outrage is why this story hasn't gotten more coverage.

A Response to Amtrak Connects US

Northeast

In the long overdue department are restoring St. Albans to Montreal service, new frequencies between New York and Toronto and some version of the Inland Route. Long Island service, on the other hand, is a head scratcher.

Southeast

The missing link between Petersburg and Raleigh, Western NC, Wilmington service and the Christansburg extension are due to state efforts by North Carolina and Virginia. The Raleigh-Jacksonville portion of what used to be SEHSR does not make the cut even though NCDOT’s Southeast Corridor site has it listed. Another demerit is the lack of an east-west service in Virginia. Charlotte-Atlanta-also a part of future SEC service--is likely to be a competitor to Brightline, which is more than can be said in Florida (more on that later).

The Atlanta Hub is quite interesting. There has been talk about service to Chattanooga for years but extending it to Nashville would be the first time since the pre-Amtrak era is as much of a home run as reviving the Nancy Hanks route (to Savannah via Macon). The latter route was first brought up by Armstrong State University a decade ago so it’s a welcome surprise for Amtrak management to inadvertently follow a suggestion from the outside.

Producing a natural corridor in Florida is long overdue but even that comes with major baggage. Is this really a noble effort or is it a huge reaction to Brightline? When Brightline was first launched in 2012, the conventional Jacksonville-Miami FEC route was still in play despite being passed over for stimulus money by the Obama Administration. However, it is conspicuously missing from this map. Also missing are any kind of service via the S-Line, restoration to St. Petersburg and extensions to Naples and Venice. I would imagine that with corridor service along the A-Line, that a) the Silver Star will become a New York-Tampa train with Miami bound passengers transferring in Jacksonville; b) the Cross-Florida service will be a replacement so #91 and #92 don’t have to do the crisscross in Tampa; and c) both the Silver Star and Silver Meteor will have their restrictions on local travel extended up to Jacksonville.

South

Mobile-Jacksonville still being listed as “suspended” is extremely weak. We all know that Amtrak management and BOD have no interest in restoring service along that segment of what used to be Sunset East, so all involved need to drop the charade and officially list it as discontinued upon the Gulf Coast service turning a wheel.

Going to Central Alabama, while the service to Montgomery is nice (after all, it was the original route of the Crescent), the lack of connections is inexcusable. Birmingham-Montgomery-Mobile should be a thing at a minimum. Connecting it to the Gulf Coast as an alternative path between Atlanta and New Orleans should be the long-term goal.

Baton Rouge service resembles a commuter route more than an intercity one. Additional Fort Worth-Oklahoma City frequencies after 22 years are long needed while extending service to Newton, KS has been discussed for a long time. A conventional Texas Triangle corridor is a no-brainer.

Midwest

The Ohio Hub has been in the news over the past couple of months that I don’t need to say anything else. The Chicago-Indianapolis route, which should have never been eliminated, is back and extended to Louisville and Cincinnati. The Toronto restoration via Detroit instead of Port Huron is a natural and is a preview of future Chicago-Montreal HSR service (Michigan Central is a must).

It’s surprising to see Quad Cities service extended to Iowa City but completely unsurprising to see nothing between Iowa City and Omaha given Iowa’s sharp turn against passenger rail.

We’ll see with Madison and Green Bay. Eau Claire is a clear reaction to the West Central Wisconsin-Corridor Capital venture (i.e., it’s as scared with this one as it was with foreign companies showing interest in HSR 11 years ago and Brightline’s plans a few years ago).

Missouri is MIA, which may not be shocking since it has come out that the legislature may discontinue one of its two River Runner frequencies.

West

What is composed of the Front Range Rail is shown. Now, we will find out if Colorado jumps in. I will say though that a lack of extension to the Southwest Chief between Pueblo and La Junta and a Front Range frequency between Pueblo and Albuquerque are glaring omissions.

Montana’s efforts are not reflected while Tucson-Los Angeles is long overdue.

West Coast

The Vegas route is yet another service that is reactive because Brightline West is eating everybody’s lunch in this area as other private operators wanting to run service between the City of Angels and the City of Lights have largely vanished or languished. Another reason to not be impressed with Amtrak’s effort here is because “America’s Railroad” could have already had something on this route. That May 12 will mark 24 years since the Desert Wind left Las Vegas for the last time is preposterous.

The Coast Daylight is the only new route in Northern California probably because the San Joaquin JPA has given Amtrak management a major headache over the past 1 ½ years. The lack of improvements on the map may indicate that Amtrak has considered the possibility that the SJJPA will replace it with Herzog. Per a previous CAHSR business plan, the Fresno-Bakersfield portion is moot since it is scheduled to become operated by Germany’s DB by the end of the decade.

National

There are no efforts to add or restore long distance routes with the possible exception of the Heartland Flyer to Newton. The biggest problem is that there is no matrix nationally or regionally. The Southwest Chief should have split segments at Newton (to San Antonio) and La Junta (to Denver).

The North Coast Hiawatha, Desert Wind, Pioneer and Floridian should be restored without question, and the Texas Eagle should once again have a Houston section.

Other Thoughts

Newton-San Antonio is 683 miles and subject to PRIIA but extending a train to Laredo would make it 836 miles, putting it outside of the ’08 law. Amtrak Connects US is more reactive than proactive or at best it lists items that are already a part of states’ wish lists. Bruce Richardson and Jim Mathews both have excellent retorts to Politico’s clear NEC bias while Richardson also makes some good points about the plan.