Recent content by John from RI

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  1. J

    Positive comments about Amtrak?

    I was in the Army traveling between Washington, DC and Providence. Returning the train was almost always late; this was a train that started in Boston and was late getting into Providence. Occasionally I could find a seat but usually I rode standing in the aisle as far as New Haven where...
  2. J

    SEPTA pulls PCC trolleys out of service for at least a year

    Today with battery opearated buses and street cars the facts should be changing. With battery operation street cars do not need the traditional overhead wire for power; that greatly reduces the cost of a street car line. And the intrinsic efficience of a steel wheel on a steel rail really...
  3. J

    I-95 collapse effect on SEPTA and Amtrak

    Larry Higgs, who writes about transit issues in New Jersey, has an excellent article about the I-95 bridge collapse and the closing of the highway. NJT, SEPTA and PATCO (Port Authority Transit Corporation) all have extra trains but there doesn't seem to be many people riding them. At the...
  4. J

    I-95 collapse effect on SEPTA and Amtrak

    SEPTA will be adding extra cars to its trains because of an I-95 disaster. A truck carrying gasoline caught fire underneath an I-95 overpass. The heat from the blaze caused the steel supports holding the north bound lanes to loose strenght. The north bound lanes collapsed into the lower...
  5. J

    I-95 collapse effect on SEPTA and Amtrak

    I would not drive anywhere near I-95 in the Philadelphia area if I could possibly avoide it. A northbound overpass has fallen in on the street beneath it. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro says the southbound lanes are "structurally unsound." This is ordinarily a very heavily traveled...
  6. J

    Changes/Additions to mid-sized stations.

    I'm getting jealous of Greensboro for having a train host at its station. Providence statopm could could this. It has an empty space, a small room which used to house public phones but is no longer used. The train host could even have schedules of the Amtrak trains which stop inBut...
  7. J

    Big Day for Rapid Transit

    I lived in Toronto many years ago. Even then the transit system was a shining beacon with the subway (although there was a bus connection to the airport), the street cars, the GO train and the excellent service between Toronto and Montreal.
  8. J

    MBTA Providence Line

    You're right about the lack of service south of Providence on the weekends. I think you're correct that the service is for commuters. But why should people who want to get to the airport from the Wickford Junction area be excluded? And for that matter why should people who fly in our out...
  9. J

    MBTA Providence Line

    At present South Attleboro isn't even on the schedule. It seems to have been abandoned because of the Pawtucket / Central Falls station.
  10. J

    Midwest Venture introduction

    You can't deliberatly expose people to dangers that you know about. You sure got that right, Mike. I don't like these new cars being dragged out for such a long time. But safety is safety. Lead in drinking water is not safe.
  11. J

    Big Day for Rapid Transit

    Thanks for the history of the Edmonton LRT. I'm sure you know that in public transit Canada is far ahead of the US.
  12. J

    MBTA Providence Line

    About 10 days ago I needed to travel from New York Penn Station to Mansfield, MA. MBTA's Providence line made it easy. The line actually runs between Wickford Junction, RI to South Station Boston with a branch to Stoughton. In Rhode Island the train also stops at Theodore Francis Greene...
  13. J

    Ideas for Amtrak to raise revenue

    One idea is for each train on routes up to about 500 miles would carry an extra designated fixed fare coach for late ticket buyers. This could get more riders who now use other modes of transport and who cannot accomodate the long times Amtrak requires to make a reservation. The one problem...
  14. J

    Future Amtrak Sleeper and ADA ideas

    You're exactly right to call for a car between a coach and a roomette. I have often thought an old fashioned open sleeper did this job well and I still like that idea. However, this couchette car also does it and would be a real improvement over what Amtrak now offers. The car would also...
  15. J

    What should Amtrak change?

    Amtrak needs to reform its rider hostile ticket system. Amtrak claims to be an intercity railroad but it sells tickets as if everyone is a long distance passenger. And once you buy a ticket you are locked in. If something happens so you have to take the next train be prepared to pay a...
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