Random thoughts #19

1. This says a lot about the nation's transit policy that a successful rail agency is in this position
2. When it comes to possible replacements at the Miami Airport Station in the wake of Amtrak's snub, the city and state couldn't go wrong by urging upstart Lunatrain to occupy the space
3. Ms. Christensen is spot on when it comes to the costly feasibility studies--sometimes, it seems as though they're done as a way of discouraging new passenger train service. In the recent past, it was Amtrak that conducted this practice in order to wave away states that wanted new or restored train service
4. The Northstar was set up to fail in Minnesota
5. After thinking it over the last couple of months, I now understand why the historic location in Palmer, MA was rejected, but it would have provided the perfect connectivity. Imagine traveling from Springfield on Compass Rail and transferring to the Central Corridor to continue onto Storrs, CT to watch a UConn basketball game. A direct Amtrak-New England Central transfer would have done wonders
6. Potential good news for a troubled commuter rail system
7. Some places get it and some don't
8. The current POTUS spent two out of the last three elections complaining about China having faster trains than America but has done next to nothing to catch up, and the Texas fiasco tells me all I need to know about what he really thinks about trains

2018 Midterms and Rail

Here are my rapid fire responses to the midterms and their impact on passenger rail.

West Coast
CA: The incoming governor may shift which segments of CAHSR get built next. When it comes to the main opponents of the project, two out of the three are gone—Valadao and Denham lost their House races but McCarthy will become the new House Minority Leader.

Southwest
NM: Here’s to hoping that Michelle Lujan Grisham is vastly more pro-rail than her predecessor.

Midwest
MN: Maybe the second Chicago-Twin Cities frequency will accelerate now.
WI: Governor No Train is finally ousted and he lost based on a rule that he created that prevented a recount by a certain margin. Serves him right.
IA: Kim Reynolds holding onto the governor’s mansion and soon to be serving a full term means that a Quad Cities-Omaha extension will be off the table for at least another four years.
IL: Once the Quad Cities route gets up and running, the question is which route will be next on the agenda. The Black Hawk revival? Rockford service? Something else?
OH: Oh dear, Mike DeWine had the most ambiguous position out of the four gubernatorial candidates in regards to transit needs, which may mean the status quo in Columbus.

Southeast
AL: Earlier this year, Kay Ivey passed on providing money to reviving the Mobile-New Orleans Gulf Coast Limited route. That seemed to conclude a spat between the governor and the Southern Rail Commission but a couple of weeks later, advocates pressed forward with building a new station in Mobile. Ivey got elected to a full term but is less inclined to even support any type of passenger rail than her predecessor, who at least explored the possibility of a PPP before an impeachment threat forced him to step down.
GA: As to what the new governor will do in advancing passenger rail, your guess is as good as mine. If anything, Georgians may be better off hoping that Sir Richard’s venture serves the Atlanta-Charlotte market in the interim.
FL: It will be up to the public to push Ron DeSantis to implement a statewide rail system to connect Floridians. Over the past six or so years, region after region has expressed its interest in reviving rail service in some capacity. Now is the time to not only provide a system but to also prove that a state can develop on without Amtrak. Don’t just leave everything to Brightline/Virgin.
NC: Roy Cooper can now veto rail-unfriendly legislation, which would be a sigh of relief for mass transit.

Northeast
CT: We shall see if the new governor is more open to funding the Housatonic and New England Central routes now that the Hartford Line is finally up and running. 
MA: Conversely, we’ll also see if Charlie Baker and the legislature are able to produce any new routes in the Bay State.
ME: Hopefully, the Pine Tree State will move out of its neutral position and develop more routes.

Tackling the Headlines 94

CAHSR will select DB to operate its line
Take #1 (Edited on 11/17/17): This becomes official tomorrow. CAHSR waited more than a month and made the announcement on 11/15/17.

Take #2: What a difference several years make! In early 2009, Virgin was the first operator to toss its hat into the sweepstakes. JR East expressed interest later on in the year. After playing catchup due to the Europeans and Asians garnering all of the attention for the Express HSR routes in CA and FL, Amtrak made a halfhearted effort to join the fray in the spring of 2010.

Take #3: Needless to say, Virgin eventually switched its West Coast route to Los Angeles-Las Vegas before disappearing from the U.S. radar completely, largely thanks to Rick Scott. Amtrak decided to solely focus its HSR aspirations on the NEC after the Tea Party Trio returned stimulus money to then-President Obama and the CA project became shaky. The Japanese operator may have been scared off by China Railway International.

Christie says he is confident new Hudson River tunnels will be built
Take: It's a matter of just who will be paying for it. I heard of a proposal that could make it easy on everybody.

Plans To Increase Amtrak Service Between Twin Cities, Chicago Move Forward
Take #1: Look at my previous takes on Google+ regarding the snail pace of what should already be in place.

Take #2: Also, go to the Trains Magazine forum.

Take #3: I agree with Andrew Selden about the states stifling themselves by not putting out their proposals out to private operators when the law has been in place for them to do so for nine years now. By continuing to solely rely on Amtrak, the costs go up, and long promised routes either get delayed or canceled.

Take #4: CMStPnP 's followup comment to Mr. Selden is pretty telling about the inner workings of Amtrak management and is yet another reason why companies like Virgin, Bombardier, and the AIPRO members must be given a chance to provide the public with an alternative ASAP.

Chattanooga-Atlanta bullet train could lure millions of air travelers to Chattanooga airport
Take #1: This is a plan that I could rally behind because of the backstory. A decade ago, Atlanta leaders considered building a second airport to relieve overcrowding at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (aka the busiest airport in the world) but opted to go with the HSR line instead.

Take #2: Obviously, it never stood a chance during the stimulus era but it kept on going.

Take #3: If they're going to make this project come to fruition, maglev is not the answer, a Texas or California like project is.

Take #4: Anything that gets the long-stalled downtown station back on track gets the okay from me.

New station opens in Rochester, NY
Take: It might be pricey, but at least passengers actually have a real station than the old Amshack.

Port Huron, MI could be next
Take:The city not only needs a new station but more frequencies as well--and how about extending one or two of them to Toronto? Just saying.

A possible San Joaquin reroute in Sacramento
Take #1: It's doable but connections for Capitol Corridor, California Zephyr, and Coast Starlight passengers would have to be worked out.

Take #2: Multiple stations in the capital city means fewer people driving from afar and the light rail connections would make it easier for everyone.

Spanish airline getting into the rail business
Take: Amazing how things turn around in a matter of decades!

Here’s What Amtrak’s Fancy New Trains Will Look Like
Take: So after that, the company is sticking to the Acela name.

Tackling the Headlines 80

Be prepared to pack your own lunch on the Silver Star
To the surprise of absolutely no one, the dining car on the Silver Star is gone for good.
Take: Once Amtrak announced that the dining car would be taken off of #91 & #92, the only two responses I had were 1) how long it would take for Amtrak to make the so-called "experiment" permanent and 2) it was yet another instance of Joe Boardman being all too willing to throw the long distance trains under the bus while being all too unwilling to stand up to John Mica.

Some sad news from Mississippi
Former FRA chairman Gil Carmichael passed away Sunday.
Take: Carmichael was the person who advocated Interstate 2.0, which makes a lot more sense than what we were subjected to 6-7 years ago with everybody from Portland, OR to Portland, ME jumping on the high speed rail bandwagon.

Eau Claire update
A coalition is pondering the likes of Iowa Pacific operating service to the Twin Cities if and when that route gets up and running.
Take: There we go with that entrepreneurial spirit! I like the way they are thinking!

Tackling the Headlines 78

XpressWest teams up with China

Take #1: Congratulations, I guess. No one on this side of the Pacific was willing to step up--Buy America rules, no funding for any type of HSR--so XpressWest had to do what it did.

Take #2: I'm pretty sure that once the line gets built that it'll only be an inevitability that CAHSR grants XpressWest trackage rights to Los Angeles.

NC pols hate light rail

Take: So much for letting local governments decide. If anybody is taking a step backwards, it's the General Assembly. Now that he's no longer Governor Pat McCrory's budget adviser, I seriously wonder if Art Pope is actually writing transportation policy for NC's legislative branch. After all, his John Locke Foundation has never had a kind word to say about any rail-related transit.

SEHSR: Slow and steady

Take: At this point, a scaled-back approach is the only way to go because the money for 110 mph service isn't coming anytime soon. Just getting two or four trains at 79 mph to use the S-Line would do wonders for anyone who's had to use the Carolinian or the Silver Star along the congested A-Line.

Eau Claire angling for its own Twin Cities route

Take #1: It's good to see that advocates in the area haven't given up on reviving service.

Take #2: Once again, it looks as though Minnesota will be doing the heavy lifting--until Scott Walker and his cronies leave office.

Take #3: Hopefully, implementation of this route will lead to a true rail system for the Badger State.

Take #4: Speaking of possible private operation: Somebody get Ed Ellis on Line 2...

Tackling the Headlines 74

It's a tale of two proposed Miami passenger stations

The downtown location is about to begin construction while the airport hub continues to be delayed.

Take: All Aboard Florida will take much less time to complete its hub than the state of Florida will with its version. The miscommunication between "America's Railroad" and the Sunshine State and various money issues plays right into the hands of libertarians who want full-on privatization of passenger services.

New Cleveland intermodal center is on the way

This has been in the works for years but has been delayed due to cost.

Take: I'd like to wish city officials good luck since Union Terminal has only accepted electric trains throughout its history and hasn't had commuter service since 1977.

SNCF expresses interest in operating HSR in Texas

This bit of news is actually a reiteration of its plans over five years ago.

Take: If the French operator can actually launch this plan and keep the slimy lawyers at bay, then, this will provide Lone Star State passengers with alternative travel options and SNCF and Texas Central will provide their own type of matrix effect for high speed systems.

Minnesota getting serious about Zip Rail

There are some links in this story to get you going.

Take: I'll definitely be keeping an eye on this project as Gopher State officials are planning for the future--unlike some of their Midwestern neighbors.

Chinese proposing HSR in Canada?

The route would be between Toronto and Windsor.

Take: This is a long ways away--no matter who operates it--but another player has entered the game. Also, this route should be taken north along the Detroit River to link a potential Detroit-Chicago Express HSR route at a revamped Michigan Central Station so passenger can travel between T.O. and the Windy City either nonstop or with only one transfer in Motown.

Rail and the 2014 Midterms

Florida

Part 1

Only in the Sunshine State can up be down. Over the summer, Rachel Dovey and Fred Frailey talked about how backwards the rail picture was in the state--the Tea Party-backed incumbent governor Rick Scott backing the private All Aboard Florida against ex-governor Charlie Crist who clearly prefers the high speed project Scott scuttled.

Other actors in the AAF saga are Treasure Coast residents and politicians who have exhibited a nasty form of NIMBYism. It's like these people have never seen a train before. They chose to live near an area where a major railroad frequently runs trains so it's ridiculous for them to make all of those demands. I can't help but wonder if these residents are actually upset that after 14 years of unfulfilled promises Amtrak is still nowhere close to implementing East Coast service between Jacksonville and Miami. If Treasure Coast residents want someone to blame, they should be pointing the finger at the feds for not funding the route during stimulus mania. These alleged problems would have never come up if Amtrak were already running trains through the area.

Part 2

Now that Scott has been elected to a second term, All Aboard Florida should all but be in the clear to proceed so Treasure Coast residents need to get over themselves. It really is strange that the same governor who relied on a highly biased study to finish off an HSR project that operators like Virgin were ready to run could go down in history as the guy who restored Florida's status as a major passenger rail hub--albeit accidentally. 

As for Crist, it would have been next to impossible for him to have revived the Florida High Speed Rail route just due to the fact that he would've at best dealt with a House of Representatives who has zeroed out federal HSR funding ever since it flipped to the GOP four years ago. His adversarial stance towards AAF demonstrates the overall problem I have with most Democrats. The TC residents' resistance to private sector operators hurts passenger rail (a Metro Jacksonville moderator hit the nail on the head).

The biggest thing missing over the "which train project is better" debate is the fact that neither Crist nor Scott showed any interest in corridor service along existing routes. The way to have a robust system is to work with what you have. The infrastructure is in place so foresight and selecting operators committed to producing world class service are the only things needed.

Midwest

The only way passenger rail is going to advance in the Buckeye State is for communities and advocacy groups to continue taking the lead since John Kasich is guaranteed to leave Columbus in 2019. Given the recent fiasco in Indiana over the operation of the Hoosier State, I hope that All Aboard Ohio and other groups have enough foresight to talk to other operators about the Hoosier Extension and the Columbus-Chicago routes especially if Amtrak's a no-go.

Mark Dayton and Scott Walker won their reelection campaigns as well but by single digits. Dayton's DOT will continue picking up the whole price tab for not only the feasibility studies of a second Chicago-St. Paul frequency but when the trains actually operate. 

When it comes to the new equipment for the Midwestern trains, IL and MI will get their share and give WI leftovers. If anything, the Hiawathas will consist mostly of leftover Horizon Cars. Any Badger State resident hoping for rail service off of the Chicago-Milwaukee-La Crosse-St. Paul route had better pray that Ed Ellis not only turns the Varsity into a regular route but expands his shortline empire.

North Carolina

In Wake County, Democrats turned a 3-4 disadvantage on the Board of Commissioners into a 7-0 board. These results will make having a referendum on light rail easier. The trick will be convincing the voters to join its northwestern neighbors.

National Outlook

Barring a 2006-like backlash against right wing rule in D.C., HSR won't be getting a dime until 2023 at the earliest. Even though anti-HSR Californians will hold some powerful positions in the House and continue making life miserable for the CAHSR project, the nation's only Express HSR project to be funded with stimulus funds will rely on state and private sector financing until it begins service.

Amtrak will likely see its funding slashed--maybe even significantly--but the real question is whether the new Congress will allow real competition, which would be the national operator's primary threat. With both houses soon to be in the opposition's hands, the Grand Bargain should be front and center as the alternative to the now-myopic national HSR vision President Obama laid out 5 1/2 years ago. 

Noel Braymer's editorial on how Republicans are the only ones who can save the long distance trains may very well be tested now. In order to prove Amtrak's advocates wrong, the GOP should implement any one of the three suggestions Braymer laid out. Second, congressmen and women should talk to their constituents who are starving for more train service as well as advocacy groups who want more trains in their states but aren't relying on "America's Railroad."

TIGER grants will be phased out in all likelihood. The currently negotiated TIGER VII grants will be the last funds the Obama Administration gives out to rail operators of all stripes.

Tackling the Headlines 64

Union Depot opens to trains...at last

Take: After numerous false starts, St. Paul Union Depot finally reopened for its primary function--trains--Wednesday night. The Empire Builder is the first Amtrak train to serve the historic depot. From its birth to 1978, the long-defunct Great Northern Depot next door in Minneapolis was served by the national carrier.

Denver Union Station grand opening

Take #1: The Mile High City's grand jewel "officially" reopened today even though Amtrak trains resumed using the facility two months ago. Other than the issues I raised a couple of years ago, the only bad thing about the reopening is the fact that the commuter trains won't be up and running for another two years.

Take #2: Speaking about the lack of train service, Colorado leaders should be taking this opportunity to provide genuine regional passenger service. I'm not talking about the various pie-in-the-sky high speed rail proposals I have seen in the news over the past four years that will cost billions. 

I am talking about the following:

1. Salt Lake City service along the Rio Grande route that will complement the California Zephyr
2. Front Range service to Cheyenne and Ogden 
3. Core north-south service to Albuquerque with stops in Colorado Springs and Pueblo 

Such services would cost less than HSR and would have frequent ridership that would also feed into Amtrak services. These regional services would also be stopgap measures that would lead to more overnight routes once the people in D.C. get serious about train travel.

North Dakota news

Getting back to all things Empire Builder, Amtrak will detour the westbound Empire Builder #7 between Fargo and Minot for five months with passengers being bused between the affected areas.

Take: The state's oil boom has really taken a toll on passenger service. Schedules have already been lengthened west of St. Paul, so this is yet another whammy.

SPUD and Unconventional Passenger Service

A couple of summers ago, Mike "Mulad" Hicks brought up the possibility of specialty passenger rail at the historic St. Paul Union Depot. Quite frankly, I agree with him because even with a second Empire Builder frequency between Chicago and St. Cloud, the planned Regional HSR route between Chicago and St. Paul, and Zip Rail, the facility could still use more passenger trains in the future. 

This picture shows that multiple platforms could be built to support other types of rail. I will now look at the various ways unconventional passenger rail could serve SPUD and the Midwest:

• Auto Train: This could be a terminus for passengers who want to take their cars to places like Wisconsin Dells and other tourist destinations, or it could be a stop where passengers can load and unload their cars and board without being required to have a car. An example would be South Dakota with Badlands National Forest and Black Hills National Park. The route would start at O'Hare and then serve a limited number of stops along the way before reaching SPUD. Afterwards, the train would head southwest towards Mankato, then head west to SD, where it would end in Rapid City near those aforementioned tourist destinations.

• International Service: Winnipeg service would actually start at the Oglivie Transportation Center and serve Eau Clare along the C&NW route. Meanwhile, future service to Alberta would actually start at SPUD as another way of connecting passengers of the U.S. and Canada.

• Special Themes: These trains would primarily traverse parts of the Midwest that have not seen passenger rail service since the '60s or '70s. 

• Cruise & Cruise Fun Trains: Due to proximity issues, neither one met the standard for service at SPUD.

Tackling the Headlines 50

Iowa lawmakers leave Amtrak at Moline station

Take: Regarding the last paragraph by the Quad City Times's editoral board, it's called selective ignorance. The Iowa legislature and Governor Terry Branstad know exactly what they are doing--they either hate trains or they don't want Amtrak running the route (pretty much the former).

High-speed rail plan advances for route between Milwaukee and Twin Cities

Take: From a state that doesn't get it to one that does. Bravo to the Gopher State for stepping up.

Talks begin on high-speed rail linking Twin Cities, Rochester

Take #1: Advice to Zip Rail: the more frequencies the better! 

Take #2: By the time this thing turns a wheel, hopefully, other routes will be in service.

Trains are about to serve the Gateway City's old station once again

Take #1: Oh, it's getting serious now! In its own way, Lodging Hospitality Management has decided to get the ball rolling on specialty rail travel. The nationwide push could serve as a template that combines unconventional rail travel with historic stations.

Take#2: Today, charter and excursion services. Tomorrow, Express HSR service and private intercity routes.

Passenger trains essential to plans for downtown multimodal terminal station

Take: This is on the GADOT more than it is on Norfolk Southern because the Peach State talked about commuter rail from the late '90s until the middle of the last decade without any trains operating. Given recent news of Amtrak wanting to remain in north Atlanta once it moves out of its cramped station, a central location is essential for any SEHSR service that will serve Macon and Jacksonville and for a revived Nancy Hanks route that just might be privately operated. In essence, this is a bluffing tactic by the Class I carrier, and it is up to the state of Georgia to get serious about passenger rail before it gets left behind.

Penn Station-MSG update

Take: The hard part is for the city is actually sticking to that 2028 deadline. There should be no excuses from either the city or Madison Square Garden once the extension runs out. Period.

Possible Via Rail strike looming

Take: I feel your pain, Canadian travelers. Via Rail brought this upon itself when its management decided to cut and slash routes in the name of "modernization."

Rail and the 2012 Election Part 1

Rail-related referenda

The good

This was a mixed bag. Here in NC, Orange County passed a transit sales tax. Among the things approved will be a new Amtrak station in Hillsborough and the county's commitment to light commuter rail projects. This means that two-thirds of the Triangle are committed to developing a mass transit system of buses and trains. Wake County is a holdout due to conservative, anti-transit commissioners maintaining a 4-3 majority.

Residents in Virginia Beach want the Tide to be extended from Norfolk to their city. It's now up to the Virginia Beach City Council to approve an extension of the light rail route.

Heavy rail survives after a candidate favoring the Honolulu project wins.

The not-so-good

Anything from California requiring a sales tax increase took a beating. Both items fell short of the two-thirds majority needed to become law.

High speed rail

The divergent results in Congress--Republicans adding seats in the House and Democrats adding seats in the Senate--means HSR will be in a holding pattern until 2015 or '17 which means absolutely no funding whatsoever. Outside of California and the Northeast Corridor, advocates will have to hope that more private companies like JR Central and XpressWest step up to the plate to provide European-style rail service.

The overall impact on rail

At the state level

Minnesota's legislature flips to the Democratic-Farmer Labor Party while the GOP adds seats in Wisconsin. The overall verdict? The Gopher State will be picking up the entire bill for the planned daytime Chicago-St. Paul route while the rest of the Midwest prays like crazy that Scott Walker is pink slipped in two years.

In New Hampshire, the GOP lost the House and nearly lost the Senate. This could lead to the state to  participate in funding an MBTA extension to Concord and the planned Boston-Montreal route. 

Funding for the rest of the SEHSR system could be in a tough spot after the GOP won a veto-proof majority in the state House (the NC Senate was already veto-proof after the '10 election). Last year, the legislature was able to prevent the NCDOT from receiving federal funds without its approval.

Nationally...

At the federal level, bargaining will be the name of the game. Either the status quo will be maintained and we get no meaningful passenger rail reform or Congress and the president are able to give a bit to end 41+ years of mediocre rail service that has led to America being a laggard. Personally, I want to see the Democrats drop their competition-averse stance and realize that maintaining a monopoly is a detriment to passenger rail. Competitors are chomping to operate routes  and they should not be riddled with ridiculous burdens nor should they be ridiculed for wanting to take on Amtrak (I will address regulations in my next post). On the other hand, I want the Republicans to realize that government has to play some role in regulating passenger rail and that some funding for rail service will have to come from D.C.

Tackling the Headlines 26

Federal regulations stifle would-be private operator

A luxury rail operator has been derailed by the FRA--no pun intended--due to onerous regulations. The Greenbrier Express was supposed to have begun operations next July from Washington, D.C. to the Greenbrier Resort in WV.

Take: The FRA’s slogan should be "We are the #1 Barrier to Innovation" since it continues to require passenger operators to use bulky cars that don't stand up to snuff in crashes. Not only do liability guidelines need to be overhauled but the entire Federal Railroad Administration has to be as well.


Minnesota news
The existing Empire Builder route via La Crosse, WI has been selected as the choice for the Twin Cities-Chicago Regional HSR route. Also, the MNDOT will begin developing the Zip Line Corridor between the Twin Cities and Rochester.


Take: For the Regional route, it sounds like it was a case of playing it safe after neighboring Wisconsin pulled the plug on the Milwaukee to Madison Hiawatha extension. The move upset northern Wisconsin residents who had hoped that the route would stop via Eau Claire. These fine folks should enter into a PPP with SNCF or anyone else interested in running trains to their part of the state. The fact that the route will skip WI's capital city is nonsensical, but again that's due to Governor No Train.


As for southeastern Minnesota, the Express route should serve as the beginning rather than a be all-end all. MN officials would be wise to extend Zip Rail eastward to Winona--or even to Madison--as part of a route matrix connecting Zip Rail with the Amtrak and MWHSR systems.


No HSR funding for FY 2012
It's official: The heralded HSIPR Program will get no money from now until next fall.


Take #1: High speed rail is now 0-for-3 this year in regards to funding. As a result, it is time to pull the plug on any region that is planning to operate trains below 110 mph being a part of a national HSR network. In other words, only the Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, California and the Northwest can support anything that remotely meets the Obama Administration's definition of Regional HSR. Other states should leave the fast train planning to the professionals and focus on building a good conventional network that will gradually lead to 110 mph service.


Also, I am disappointed that neither the Administration nor the Senate had enough courage to tell the oil-aligned Tea Party where to go. If a high speed rail network was supposed to be a part of 44's legacy, then, he should have put up much more of a fight at some point earlier. In addition to this week's final outcome, HSR funding was sacrificed during the government shutdown showdown in March and the debt ceiling deal in the summer.


Take #2: The headline is quite misleading because when it comes to funding, we are really talking about not funding HSR until FY 2014--two years from now...if that early. Given the electorate's dysfunctional mood, absolutely nothing is a slam dunk regarding next year's elections. Also, no one in his or her right mind should expect Congress to do anything next fall because they will all be focused on the elections.

Tackling the Headlines 19

The feds greenlight the Northern Lights Express

On Thursday, the FRA gave the approval for the NLX route between Minneapolis and Duluth. The train is expected to traverse the 155-mile line at 110 mph--Regional HSR status--on existing BNSF ROW. If things go as planned, the first train will leave Minneapolis's planned transit center near Target Field  in 2015. Once the train gets to Duluth, passengers will be able to transfer to the North Shore Scenic excursion train.

Take: I don't expect much of a problem with BNSF going along with the NLX since it is the friendliest of the Class I railroads, but you never know until everything has been settled given the close call here in NC with NS, another host considered to be friendly to passenger trains.

While the lack of a St. Paul Union Depot stop leaves a bit to be desired, the new station at Target Field could help Minneapolis to stand out on its own. While it would handle conventional rail travel, the Gopher State's largest city could find a way to tap into its rail past with the new facility and the new train. 

The Northern Lights Express would be the first train to serve eastern MN since Amtrak discontinued the North Star a quarter century ago. The real interesting thing about this intercity route is that as of right now, nobody knows exactly who will be running this train because Amtrak is not a slam dunk to operate it. If anything, the state may actually get BNSF to operate it, or it could set up some type of PPP via PRIIA Section 502.

A future pact may be in the works

Secret talks recently took place between Florida's DOT and Class II Florida East Coast Railway on handing over Tri-Rail operations over to the latter group. The move would allow Tri-Rail to use the FEC route for system expansion. Next year, private companies could be allowed to bid on the entire Tri-Rail system. While this article referred to the AIPRO members who could run the system in place of the state, Virgin Trains (not a member) was also part of the secret talks.

Take: Since Tri-Rail has been unable to obtain a consistent steam of funding, it may be wise for the state's DOT to hand over full operations to the private entity because by doing so, the new funding source could easily set up a extended rail system to complement the Mangonia Park-Miami system. 

The other thing about the deal is that if the Sunshine State is all about the private sector, then Rick Scott or a pro-rail successor in Tallahassee should do all he can to shift as much of the financial burden from the state to the operator. With the recent resistance from some politicians along the FEC route in the news, it would be in FL's best interest to shift future passenger operations to either an AIPRO member or Virgin because there are two inevitable truths shaping up: 1) the public is clamoring for passenger service to be restored in east Florida and 2) Amtrak has had (at times unfairly, at other times, fairly) a negative connotation as the railroad that "can't get it done." This guarantee would mean that people would have their trains and the politicos would have a private carrier running the train.

Given these two stories, efforts by states to revamp their Amtrak service, and various small railroads planning or operating intercity service, NARP may want to reinstate the green lines for non-Amtrak routes when it updates its map in a couple of years.