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. 

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.

A new train hall for Amtrak in the Big Apple

After nearly three decades of stop and go, the James Farley Post Office was rechristened as Moynihan Train Hall to start out the year. It's basically a relocation for Amtrak outside of Trains #65-67, which will continue using Penn Station. Even though the pictures and stories talk about recovering some lost glory post-1963, I tend to agree with Vice, which said that it's "a temple to modern mediocrity." It is very much a reflection of passenger train policy that has dominated America since the 1950s. Nothing really great, just trying to keep up or doing the bare minimum. I stand by everything that I said in 2013 when I said that Madison Square Garden needed to move, and it looks like that plans are finally in place for that to happen.

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I'm doing something a bit different--rapid fire responses to recent topics:

• Amtrak announces Amfleet I replacement
• Southwest Chief could be replaced with buses
• Portion of Catskills Mountain RR to be turned into a trail
• New stations open in Marks, MS and Raleigh

One Big Take: It's nice and all that Amtrak is finally talking about replacing equipment that's nearly a half century old but, the company should have made it is main focus a couple of summers ago instead of replacing Acelas that are less than two decades old. The Southwest Chief situation is yet another reason for the private sector to jump in because Amtrak no longer cares about overnight travelers even though the demand is there. The CMRR is an ominous sign for the Adirondack Scenic Railroad and railroad advocates must be vigilant since the governor of New York is on the side of elitists. It's about time that both cities opened their new stations.

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Ford may buy Michigan Central Station
Take: While having a dedicated tenant is better than having the absentee family, I am worried if the automaker gets MCS that passenger access will be permanently cut off.

Saratoga & North Creek is going out of business
Take #1: I'll start off with this quote: "So Ellis way be right about his new outfit, but he may also be wrong, and it's worth waiting a while before hailing his new effort as a success." I have to give this person a prize because I was way too optimistic about S&NC.

Take #2: This all stems from the railroad not being able to operate freight service, which is a real shame.

SNCF opposes Texas Central's plan
1. The French operator says that the spinoff of JR Central would "doom" passenger rail in Texas
2. Texas Central hits back at SNCF

Take: On one end, SNCF has a point about TX Central's routing but on the other end, it was the feds who imposed the restrictions on where TX Central could place its Houston station. It brings up some good points, but, ultimately, it may come off as sour grapes by others.

SNCF has to worry about its own backyard
Take: Just like everywhere else in EU countries, the French operator has to prepare for competitors.

Another year of profits
Finland and Germany

Take: This is the second year in a row now. At this point, anyone in the rail community who utters "no country in the world makes money on passenger rail" will be trivialized and then ignored.

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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.

Empire State happenings 2

NYC Regional Rail/A new station in Queens?

The first real crime is the fact that no one thought of connecting Hoboken to Lower Manhattan early last century when it didn't cost an arm and a leg. The second one is that no one in charge has even considered third primary NYC commuter station (sorry, 125th Street). The Sunnyside station could go a long way in relieving some congestion, and it won't cost as much money as the proposals to reroute selected LIRR trains to Grand Central.

The Second Avenue Subway's costs

This definitely goes in the "this is why America can't have nice things" department.

Reduced service for upstate residents

Bad news that matches everything else Iowa Pacific has gone through since the calendar changed. 

Empire State happenings

In selecting a downtown location over Central Terminal, a Buffalo panel decided to go with cronyism over logic. 

When the Canalside location was withering on the vine, the well connected came up with a last minute location to save their flailing vision and the elites once again prevail over the will of the people. Ergo, the fix was in, especially due to how secretive officials were in the end.

"This is really a transportation decision first and foremost, and from that standpoint downtown is a clear winner."

Yeah, right Zemsky. This was an absolutely political decision.

But the mayor also said everyone on the committee shared the view that something needs to happen with the Central Terminal, too.
"I think we will work as a community to make sure that is accomplished," Brown said.

First, the mayor wasn't as neutral as the paper portrayed him to be.

Second, a historic station will never be used for its original intent ever again. Thanks for absolutely nothing, Buffalo Train Station Selection Committee.

Third, we all know that Central Terminal will once again be ignored by the city once the new station is up and running. 

Finally, Thursday's decision once again shows that Amtrak should have never left BCT in the first place. Just ask St. Louis Union Station. I mean, the national carrier left that location a year before it left BCT and it ended up at Gateway Station, which is derided by a number of transportation activists. STLUS has only recently been partially restored to its original use but only if you're willing to shell out thousands of bucks.

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Feds approve future light rail station at NCCU

Take: This project is going places

Blaze Engulfs Historic Train Station In Berlin

Take: Really sad news

California high-speed rail agency seeks train operator

Take: It's getting serious. The critics can't say much of anything once an operator is selected

New hope for passenger rail between SA and Austin

Take: Time for TX DOT to talk to AIPRO members

Second Avenue Subway inaugural ride will be on New Year’s Eve

Take: Not quite 2016 but it will be a major relief for passengers in 2017

Commuter rail between Baton Rouge, New Orleans gets federal funds for planning; here are next steps

Take: The next few years will be crucial

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Niagara Falls, NY opens new station, but no trains stop there
Take: It's likely that this scenario could play out in other places in the future, quite possibly in Jacksonville. After all, it has already played out this way in Atlanta where Amtrak refused to even consider relocating downtown.

Forgotten subway
Take: It's an insight to how far Cincinnati has been left in the dust.

No quick fixes for aging transit systems
Take: It's all about the public will. It's well past time that everybody pays attention to infrastructure issues and demands elected officials to properly fund infrastructure.

Talgos: From Wisconsin to Michigan to California
Take: This is a smart move given everything that has happened over the last year. Michigan was unable to close the deal for the trainsets Scott Walker walked away from the Madison extension and a desperate need for extra cars given that Nippon-Sharyo has jeopardized the stimulus-funded double decker car order.

A brighter future for an Upstate New York shortline

Recently, the Saratoga & North Creek's contract was extended for another five years, and local leaders are exploring the possibility of extending rail service 37 miles south to Albany-Rensselaer. An extension would not only allow passengers to have guaranteed connections between the S&NC and Amtrak--more likely to be Empire Service trains--but also a one seat ride from the capital to the North Country (this summer will mark the second year in a row that northbound connections will be impossible without an overnight stay in Saratoga).

If the extension is proven to be feasible, then, there could come a time where passengers traveling to or from destinations north of Saratoga Springs won't have to rely on an Upstate transfer between Amtrak and the S&NC at all because a fantasy could turn into a reality.

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Denver opens its first commuter rail line
Just four hours ago, the University of Colorado A Line, which runs from Union Station to the airport, marks the first time since the last Rio Grande Zephyr pulled in on April 23, 1983 that Union Station will have more than one rail tenant in accordance to the FRA's 49 CFR 238/239 portion covering intercity and commuter trains.

Take: Once all of the RTD commuter lines are up and running, the next steps taken should be as follows:
1. Provide a regional (read, intercity) rail system that serves Cheyenne, Ogden, Colorado Springs, Salt Lake City, Pueblo, and Albuquerque
2. Congress has to force Title XI Subtitle C Section 205 of the FAST Act to allow overnight competition which may be better for the Mile High City than the regional system in the long term

Amtrak discontinuing its timetables
Take #1: If the company were actually serious about expansion, it wouldn't be doing this. If those in Washington were serious about providing competition to Amtrak, the company wouldn't be doing this.

Take #2: Now, if other states follow Indiana's lead or break away from Amtrak altogether combined with even limited long distance competition, these entities (likely AIPRO members, regional/shortline railroads, and some foreign operators) could develop their own timetable. Thanks to the Saratoga & North Creek, such a timetable independent of Amtrak could already be developed since that railroad connects to Amtrak in upstate New York.

NYC MTA leaves the APTA
Take: This is big. If more of the major systems follow, then, the APTA could be reduced to representing small and midsized transit agencies.

Northeast shortline news

Housy
Last week, the Massachusetts DOT actually bought the Houstatonic line. The move demonstrates that the state is serious about wanting passenger service restored. Now, it's up to Connecticut to do its part--although, it may be busy with its own ideas for restoring passenger service to a long-neglected route.

S&NC
The folks in upstate New York want the popular Saratoga & North Creek service extended south to the capital region. I say, good luck with the plans since there are two Class I railroads that the Class III would have to go through before a southward extension can take place. 

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Colorado proposal to extend train route could add $31M to price
Take: Instead of rerouting the Southwest Chief to serve just this one city, Colorado should be trying to form a pact with New Mexico and Kansas to provide a regional rail system that connects to Amtrak as I have laid out here and here.

Rail abandonment disastrous for passenger service in New Brunswick, says rail union
Take: And the news just gets worse north of the border.

A bleak future for New York high-speed rail? 
Take: This is more or less is a failure of leadership in Albany, and it goes all the way to the top with Governor Cuomo.

Alternative history #5

Scenario
A Lower Manhattan train station is built

Point of Departure
Early 20th century

Storyline A (assumes that Amtrak was formed)
No Amtrak trains have ever stopped at Fulton Street Station. Instead, passengers rely on seamless transfers between New Jersey Transit and Long Island Railroad trains, some of which also provide through service. It is due to this synergy that Penn Station is not overcrowded. In 2008, FSS got a grand steal when it lured Knicks/Rangers/Liberty owner James Dolan to relocate to the Lower Manhattan station after its overhaul.

Storyline B (assumes that a Ripley-like consolidation plan was implemented)
None of Manhattan’s stations were ever at risk of being demolished because Fulton Street isn’t as fancy as its Midtown rivals while the Ripley Plan allowed Penn and Grand Central to both find some serious non-rail uses that made their facilities useful between the 1960s and ‘90s. 

Both Storylines
The Fulton Street Station is the main station for the LIRR, DL&W and the Erie Railroad. Pennsylvania Railroad and New York Central send commuter trains down Manhattan to FSS. A Manhattan-Staten Island tunnel makes Staten Island more transit oriented. The Lackawanna and Erie jointly build the tunnel. 

The Baltimore & Ohio builds its own tunnel to FSS in 1925 to compete against the Pennsylvania Railroad (unlike the other railroads serving the station, the B&O’s tracks are stub-ended and are a level below because the B&O stops in Jersey City while the DL&W and Erie serve Hoboken). The B&O-PRR competition along the Northeast Corridor means that the Atlantic Coast Line is able to sever connections with PRR in D.C. once the B&O is acquired in 1958 by the ACL. 


Today’s Likely Outcome
The Second Avenue Subway would be up and running because either Metro North or New York Central and PRR trains would have provided enough north-south service for western and central Manhattan, and city officials would have then had to worry about the eastern portion. The Staten Island tunnel would have eventually led to light rail being built on SI.

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Mexico to tender $7.4 billion in passenger train projects in 2014
Take: They're getting serious. Hopefully, the political situation will improve enough to provide connecting train service to the U.S.

The Adirondack Scenic Railroad saga takes an ugly turn
Take: When it comes to the fight to just preserve the tracks on the right of way, it is way beyond preposterous that a loud group of people who are having a hard time masking their hatred of trains. The sabotaging of the railroad's property and locomotive show how low some northern New Yorkers are willing to go just to turn perfect rail pathway into a trail very few people will use.

Bad news for anyone who hates passenger rail competition
Take: While the Labour Party could very well return to the topic of re-nationalizing passenger rail in the future, they aren't going to touch it when Brits have other more important topics on their minds. Mr. Lodge points out how the arguments True Believers use are very misleading. America would be wise to learn from Britain's mistakes once Congress finally gets around to addressing passenger competition as part of a new rail bill.

Passenger excursions along a part of the old Seaboard route
Take: If these excursions prove to be a hit, then, it could lead to something much bigger.

More All Aboard Florida news
Take #1: Now, it's time for the construction to get started, and hopefully, I will be one of AAF's first passengers in two years' time.

Take #2: Tampa officials need to understand that Jacksonville is naturally on the FEC route and that it only makes sense for AAF to look northward not westward once the trains are up and running. However, that doesn't mean that Tampa shouldn't get a look from the fledgling passenger entity. Perhaps, there will be some commuter option that eventually stretches into St. Petersburg as part of a future deal to provide that area with intercity service. Of course, there is always the possibility that state of Florida gets off its high horse and provides California-style corridor service that may not require AAF at all.

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Washington State goes to work
This fall, work will begin to build bypass tracks along congested stretches of the Cascades route between Seattle and Portland. The move would allow Amtrak to avoid a single-track bottleneck between Tacoma and Olympia-Lacey. 


Take: Kudos to Washington State's DOT and BNSF.


It may be baby steps, but it's something
After a few delays, the Saratoga & North Creek Railway is finally up and running. Revenue service began on July 21. The 56-mile route has five flag stops between the endpoints. The Saratoga Springs station now houses two intercity rail operators as it's also home to Amtrak (the predecessor was an excursion operator that only ran trains between Corinth and North Creek).


Take: Even though SNCR owner Iowa Pacific recently took Amtrak to court over the Ski Train controversy, the connections between SNCR trains and the New York-Rutland, VT Ethan Allen Express are definitely a positive gesture.


SNCR is already looking ahead
I caught this blurb from Iowa Pacific president Ed Ellis:

We will run additional trains for ridership demand, or if one or more units of government will pay for additional trains. As you may know, New York State DOT is paying for a second track on the CP at Ballston Spa (about two miles, connects two long sidings yielding maybe five miles of double track) and between Albany and Schenectady. It’s no secret they would like to have two more pairs of trains between Albany and Saratoga. We would be willing to consider operating trains such as those under contract, and would be willing to add whatever qualifications and insurance that would be necessary to do so. That could also yield a year-round operation to North Creek.

Take: Let the speculation begin. Assuming that Mr. Ellis deems such an extension financially feasible, things could get really interesting in the Empire State. Suppose the state actually hands a contract to SNCR for one or both roundtrips, what kind of impact would that have on Amtrak? It would technically be in Amtrak president Joe Boardman's backyard but it wouldn't be that damaging unless the company has long-term plans to either add Adirondack or Ethan Allen Express roundtrips.


Now, if SNCR wins the Saratoga Springs-Albany contract, there could be some difficulties with the extension. But if it happens, what's to prevent the shortline railroad to extend it even further southward to NYC? The only thing is that Iowa Pacific would have to buy electric engines and switch in the capital city so the train could comply with NYC regulations. 


When it comes to the stations, the train could stop in Albany instead of the current Rensselaer station served by Amtrak, but where? Union Station was moved from its original location and tracks and its old site removed to make way for an I-787 ramp. As a result, no tracks are at its current location. Central Warehouse was badly damaged by fire last year and might be costly to rebuild and replace. The ultimate solution may be a proposed transit center in downtown Albany. If SNCR wants to call the Big Apple home, Grand Central Terminal would be a better fit than Penn Station because of overcrowding.