"Random" is sort of the only way to describe the list of proposals I ran into at an event a month or two back in Richmond. Some of this is down to state coordination issues, but...well, I'll just transcribe from my notes from a presentation by Joe McHugh:
Ethan Allen to Burlington: FY21
Springfield Line: MA extension expected FY19/20
Downeaster: Rockland extension being looked at seasonally, date TBD
Hiawathas:
-Current state subsidy is sitting <$500k/yr, and Amtrak has added Horizons
-Milwaukee-Chicago: 3x/daily trains to be added, may tip line into the black (Note: I don't have a timetable indicated on this)
-MSP Train #2: $45m in WI Gov's budget, $45m from MN. Total cost in the ballpark of $100m.
Quad Cities: 2x/day, timetable TBD
Northern Lights Express (MSP-Duluth):
-To operate from Target Field station (Ed. note: Don't ask me why not from SPUD, makes no sense to me if the CHI-MSP train is terminating at SPUD)
-Good support, timeline TBD
Rockford Service: Expensive, possibly troubled (Ed. note: You don't say?), lower priority than Quad Cities
Chicago-Columbus project: Issues in Indiana (Ed. note: No ****, Sherlock)
Illini/Saluki extension to Memphis:
-Being spearheaded by Todd Stennis
-A tentative timetable was given for the trains; all I got is that the Saluki would arrive in Memphis at 1845 and the Illini at 0250. (Note: Translating these to the NB trains, that suggests a Saluki departure at around 0230 and an Illini departure at 1115 give or take half an hour. That's one good day train and one horrid timetable but it would make for an interesting corridor. Per my recollection, they're apparently having some luck selling Tennessee on this.)
Detroit-Toronto: Preliminary work on this, $1.8bn cost estimate. (Note: Per discussion elsewhere, this makes more sense to me now than it did then...apparently there are issues between Ontario and VIA, so it sounds like some truly odd politics are at play here.)
Heartland Flyer to Newton:
-Amtrak offered to run at timetable speed without preference
-BNSF has been blowing hot and cold
-There's talk of a possible traffic study
-Cost frankly unknown
Piedmonts: 4th train estimated FY2020, with three more later (Note: I think these were in addition to SEHSR but I'm not sure)
SEHSR: S-line would cut time by 90 minutes Richmond-Raleigh
Mobile:
-CRISSI Grant
-2x/day planned, hope to start service within 18 months
-Talk of using the Wisconsin Talgos here (Note: But we've all heard that before, haven't we?)
Front Range (Colorado):
-Work just getting started
-Estimated $1bn price tag
Surfliners:
-1x train to be added in 2019, 1x to be added 2020, 3x to be added later
-Estimate of 125k riders/yr to be added with each train
-Coachella service is on CA's list, but...
-UP "doesn't want hippies on their tracks"
-Odd note that I think I have here: Amtrak had internal debate about the state/not-state status of the Surfliners (I think) and there have been issues handling upkeep charges with the legislature. The note is slightly unclear, however.
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So, I don't know what to make of a bunch of this. It does sound like there's a decent amount of stuff in the offering in the next 2-3 years. LD stuff wasn't "on deck" (it is no longer Joe's bag now).
Ethan Allen to Burlington: FY21
Springfield Line: MA extension expected FY19/20
Downeaster: Rockland extension being looked at seasonally, date TBD
Hiawathas:
-Current state subsidy is sitting <$500k/yr, and Amtrak has added Horizons
-Milwaukee-Chicago: 3x/daily trains to be added, may tip line into the black (Note: I don't have a timetable indicated on this)
-MSP Train #2: $45m in WI Gov's budget, $45m from MN. Total cost in the ballpark of $100m.
Quad Cities: 2x/day, timetable TBD
Northern Lights Express (MSP-Duluth):
-To operate from Target Field station (Ed. note: Don't ask me why not from SPUD, makes no sense to me if the CHI-MSP train is terminating at SPUD)
-Good support, timeline TBD
Rockford Service: Expensive, possibly troubled (Ed. note: You don't say?), lower priority than Quad Cities
Chicago-Columbus project: Issues in Indiana (Ed. note: No ****, Sherlock)
Illini/Saluki extension to Memphis:
-Being spearheaded by Todd Stennis
-A tentative timetable was given for the trains; all I got is that the Saluki would arrive in Memphis at 1845 and the Illini at 0250. (Note: Translating these to the NB trains, that suggests a Saluki departure at around 0230 and an Illini departure at 1115 give or take half an hour. That's one good day train and one horrid timetable but it would make for an interesting corridor. Per my recollection, they're apparently having some luck selling Tennessee on this.)
Detroit-Toronto: Preliminary work on this, $1.8bn cost estimate. (Note: Per discussion elsewhere, this makes more sense to me now than it did then...apparently there are issues between Ontario and VIA, so it sounds like some truly odd politics are at play here.)
Heartland Flyer to Newton:
-Amtrak offered to run at timetable speed without preference
-BNSF has been blowing hot and cold
-There's talk of a possible traffic study
-Cost frankly unknown
Piedmonts: 4th train estimated FY2020, with three more later (Note: I think these were in addition to SEHSR but I'm not sure)
SEHSR: S-line would cut time by 90 minutes Richmond-Raleigh
Mobile:
-CRISSI Grant
-2x/day planned, hope to start service within 18 months
-Talk of using the Wisconsin Talgos here (Note: But we've all heard that before, haven't we?)
Front Range (Colorado):
-Work just getting started
-Estimated $1bn price tag
Surfliners:
-1x train to be added in 2019, 1x to be added 2020, 3x to be added later
-Estimate of 125k riders/yr to be added with each train
-Coachella service is on CA's list, but...
-UP "doesn't want hippies on their tracks"
-Odd note that I think I have here: Amtrak had internal debate about the state/not-state status of the Surfliners (I think) and there have been issues handling upkeep charges with the legislature. The note is slightly unclear, however.
===== ===== ===== ===== =====
So, I don't know what to make of a bunch of this. It does sound like there's a decent amount of stuff in the offering in the next 2-3 years. LD stuff wasn't "on deck" (it is no longer Joe's bag now).