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This makes great sense. All Aboard Arizona recommended this its submission to the FRA’s long distance train study in conjunction with a new section of the Texas Eagle running west through Midland and Odessa joining the Sunset Route at El Paso and then on to Arizona and Los Angeles.

That’s a great idea. A day train from Atlanta north is an outstanding idea, especially routed through Raleigh.

I don’t think Amtrak should be in the business of running cruise trains. Regular trains can serve that purpose and provide transportation like the California Zephyr did back in the day. The Canadian might be a success from a bottom line perspective, but it’s an epic fail from a transportation...

I’m afraid bilevel trains just aren’t going to cut it from an accessibility point of view. We’re an aging population and putting elevators in cars is a rather expensive solution and a mechanical point of failure. But we can fix this in a better way. Have a single level train every 12 hours...

I hope Amtrak conducts a solid, internal investigation. Kicking someone off a train is an extreme remedy. I agree we don’t have all the facts. It’s highly unlikely they were drunk and belligerent, but who knows. I’ve ridden enough trains to know full well there are some high handed conductors...

I prefer riding facing forward, but on a shorter run it’s not a big deal. In Europe, it’s par for the course and nobody thinks anything of it.

You hit the nail on the head. These corridors will raise awareness and feed a lot of traffic to the national system.

Isn’t that what the market is all about? It’s supply and demand. It won’t change until Amtrak gets new cars. Fortunately, I enjoy coach.

The first thing Amtrak must do is take the money available and put the system in a state of good repair. That means shopping all current equipment and tackling the huge deadlines. It means making the stations ADA compliant. It means making the current tri-weekly services daily. It means a...

I’ve been riding trains all my life, and without dating myself, I have a few pre-Amtrak runs under my belt as a child. I’ve seen some rude employees, but I’ve seen far more rude and completely out of line passengers. I’ve never seen a situation where thoughtfulness, respect, and simply refusing...

The Lake Shore sounds like a fun trip. I did that when it connected to the Adirondack at Schenectady. I’ve done the transfer to VIA at Windsor with a night in Detroit. I rather like that route, and VIA Business Class is excellent.

There are plenty of people out there who would take management jobs at Amtrak, and there are plenty of people who would do it largely for the sake of doing it. It's not like the positions pay nothing, and as you say, most likely candidates will come out of the public transportation sector where...

I take it your comment is tongue and cheek. Maybe I spent too many years in the Army, where you can rarely expect perfect conditions, but you still have to accomplish the mission. Of course you can organize your equipment, maintenance and inspection under any personnel issue. You set your...

It’s one of the best railroad museums in the country. Every piece of equipment is well preserved and restored.

The Amtrak law exempted commuter service so railroads continued to have responsibility for it, but nothing prevents Amtrak from operating commuter service, and they have. The Chicago to Valparaiso trains were an example, and I’m sure there are others. Amtrak has been the contracted operator on...

IDs aren’t required for children.

Most credit cards that are associated with a transportation company and come with benefits and accrue points have fees. Airline credit cards have varying fees depending on the level of benefits; free checked bag, number of points earned per mile traveled or dollar spent, access to clubs, etc.

I don’t remember Amtrak never not having Coke. Good question about Coke Zero. I’ve definitely had Diet Coke.

The Hammond station has huge potential, but like everything else at Amtrak, it requires marketing. People have to know the train exists. Hammond should be a major stop. On a different note, with Amtrak adopting a new routing, maybe it’s time to think about the best location for a new, south side...

While I miss the Sightseer Lounge, there isn’t anything particularly wrong with the Eagle except it’s short. The attendants worked very hard when I rode. The flex dining isn’t ideal, but isn’t bad. It’s never been the trip of a thousand wonders, but it’s enjoyable.