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Right, and I'd particularly hope Amtrak could negotiate this on the commuter routes that are operated by them (MARC, SLE, etc.) or are operated on their tracks. Here's a case where Amtrak already has at least a solid relationship with the commuter agency with, I'd hope, some degree of trust.

Well, this is a forum on trains and not on the ethics of the global economy so I hesitate before I respond. But doesn't this seem a little facile? Isn't it a bit too easy to think of things in this way? It turns out that outsourcing is always wrong, that in protecting American jobs, we are just...

Be sure to try 'myaso po-frantsuzski' or most any 'salat s meijonezom' on a Russian train if you want a cultural shock. On the the other hand, drinks in the restaurant car are relatively affordable and they don't use disposable cutlery and glasses.

You could mention the possibility for romance is much greater on a train with sleepers than on a bus.

Yes, I agree. Economics are callous, which is why they should have never have the last word. EDIT: But one almost remember that outsourcing also helps the poor and the downtrodden in India. But I still think my solidarity with Americans trumps this (to an extent).

AmtrakWPK, I never said that I favor outsourcing of US workers, so though I realize this is a touchy issue, please calm down. Your first paragraph doesn't address my post at all: you speak of the human cost of layoffs, which neither my post nor your original post discussed. Both of these were...

Excellent picture, all the more so since there are no trains from Framingham to Hartford any more (unless you change at Springfield). It's true that at some stations time tables are not very easy to find. I'm not if they are available anywhere at my local station (Stamford, CT) or if one would...

This depends on the city-pairs you're travelling between. Between Seattle and Vancouver, BC, for example, you book a route that is entirely by bus.

AmtrakWPK, I think the orthodox economic thought would have it that you need to outsource low-value added activities so that workers in your country/state/region/whatever can be freed up to create and, potentially, export high-value added services. This is why the US doesn't make textiles any...

AlanB, you're probably right about much of what you say. I hope you don't find it combative of me to go point-by-point and comment on your post, though. (If you do, sorry in advance). If you look at the way Europe works - where most railways are able to sell tickets on any other (and we're...

If Amtrak's reservation system can handle one NJT line, I don't see why all it couldn't handle all NJT lines. THe ability to be ticketed through to a local stop should help both Amtrak and the commuter agency to attract customers and simplify the lives of customers. Logistically, it doesn't too...

I recently noticed that Amtrak will sell you a through ticket to certain NJT stops on an NJT Train (a "Thruway Train"). This is an excellent idea and I hope they manage to come to similar agreements with other commuter railways. Does anyone know how long this agreement with NJT has been around...

http://www.nationalcorridors.org/df/df1218...html#Locomotive Is the number anywhere near that in the US? I've never even heard of this being a major issue since Anna Karenina.

This is probably obvious - but these are fake codes, right? It's not some employee who has a list of the real codes and is selling the knowledge?

You're absolutely right that was what is being considered. What I said a little unclearly is that it might be more cost-effective to add the extra capacity for freight on the new Tappan Zee than it would be to build the Cross-Harbor Tunnel. It all depends on rail capacity back and forth to the...

Are things getting better in Boston? I wonder if this contract has some kind of termination clause, whose exercise seems justifiable if things are as bad as they seem.

But if the Cross-Harbor tunnel continues not to go anywhere, it will be interesting to see if interest is renewed in the Poughkeepsie Bridge. I'd imagine that CSX might also want to wait and see what happens to the Tappan Zee Bridge; there may be a rail line on its replacement and it just may...

In any case, this seems like a rare case where the European saw of 'passengers vote, freight doesn't' applies to the US. The states involved aren't interested in this project, even when the federal government gave the Port Authority $100 million for it last year because everyone has a different...

I suppose you're right. I had thought the tunnel was in large part designed for traffic heading past NYC, but it turns out that, judging from the project's website, they are pitching for rail traffic heading to the five boroughs. Interestingly, they do seem to think they'll be able to route...

Right, but you aren't surprised that people were considering a multi-billion dollar tunnel under New York harbor rather than restoring an already extant structure? Would it be that hard to route traffic through Poughkeepsie?