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So, if VIA is going to do this, they really need some sort of bus/taxi connection into town. Admittedly there are only about 20 pax/train per those numbers (2x/week in each direction equals 208 departures per year), but that just tells me that they could cover demand for that with a large van...

It's a good question whether that's an Amtrak-induced thing or if MNRR insists on it.

At the time, DCA-LGA on AA (IIRC) still ran close to hourly. I recall it being a big deal when they cut one midday frequency. [I'm also not sure if that 75% included onward connections on either side, but connecting traffic only needs 3-5x/day, not hourly service. It's where the market is...

From what I recall from plans 10-15 years ago, there *are* some cheaper time savings to be had (don't forget that the Acelas were running like 10 minutes faster back in '18 or '19, and I legitimately speculated that a nonstop time of 2:30 WAS-NYP was in sight w/improvements and new trains, and...

Yeah. It seems to have been a random idea Tampa came up with. It isn't even clear what the money is /for/, either. Edit: It sorta calls into question FL getting picked for Corridor ID...but as you said, DeSantis is about to term out.

So, I'm sticking by my phrasing, but only because I don't think it is unreasonable to wag a finger at them about impossible-to-meet-due-to-lack-of-equipment ridership projections. The issue is that, particularly once they get to some point, either they're not buying their projections or they're...

I'd say half an hour of wait time per call.

Mine are different insofar as they got "stuck" building a commuter market down there for a few years, building up a non-trivial passholder base. To be fair, I think they mismanaged the equipment order timing (as I've said repeatedly, even the close-in portions of their ridership projections...

So, about 9 sets are needed. You absolutely need 8 for the current schedule (3:25-3:30 for travel plus an apparent 30-ish minute allowance for turning), but this promptly effectively goes to 9 if there are any slow orders whatsoever (I think they effectively needed 9 to run the full schedule...

They're fine at four cars (now). I think the trolley might get a bit overwhelmed once you're around 7 cars (that might require a second attendant, and the cart only has but so much space). This feels like a case where a reasonable call could be made either way.

Or, in the case of Auto-Train, they pushed into an unwise expansion and then had those derailments. [I strongly suspect that if Auto-Train had stuck to LOR-SFA alone, they might still be operating.]

Eh, helping a friend/family member to the train strikes me as a valid reason to be on the platform. Not on the train, but at least the platform, especially if the red caps aren't being particularly useful.

I didn't realize it got there in 2017 (I recall it going into the black during a few summers, but not it getting all the way there). Having said that, IIRC the Alaska RR is in a similar boat (though winter demand there was also rising pre-pandemic - for a few years they were running winter...

VA Regionals, at least, have often had 7-9 revenue cars over the years (8-10 car trains being reasonably common, aside from the reverse-peak ones, especially pre-pandemic). The cafe on the Carolinian gets more crowded, but that's probably a function of the train carrying more longer-distance...

Yeah, that's a lot more workable. I don't see the cafes on the Regionals slam full that often (I don't know about the Acela, since I haven't been up there in like...10-15 years), so a half-cafe/half-coach would probably suffice.

I'd read something similar at some point (10 cars by the middle of 2024, 10 cars by the end of 2024, and 10 cars by mid-2025 is my recollection). An additional set or two would make sense so they can supplement peak-hour capacity (esp. in South Florida) and/or to help with a probable expansion...

This. Amtrak could probably double sleeper capacity (at least) and not have to move the current buckets to sell most space outside of the slower season(s).

At the very least, it might have complicated charging them with anything beyond simple trespass. [I'm wondering if this was an ill-considered attempt to try to gain the apartments by adverse possession. Are the stations owned by the government or by somebody else (e.g. UP)?]

You beat me to it. I've had surprising luck with pulling old docs from Amtrak that way. Having said that, I remember most of the main recommendations from the PIPs: -Daily Cardinal (would likely reduce losses). -Daily Through Sunset-Eagle, with a stub train San Antonio-New Orleans (this got...

Don't forget that at least some folks taking the train in would be skipping having to deal with airport parking. For a week-long trip, that can be a non-trivial savings.