Amtrak + Olympics

[Donctor]

With President Obama attending the Olympic Announcement Ceremony (or whatever the hell it's called), it looks like Chicago may get the 2016 Olympics. (I am not pleased about this. Instead of investing long-term in improving CTA services and infrastructure, it seems as though whatever money CTA gets will be invested in two weeks of renting buses and extra train service. CTA can't handle the Olympics. Plus, us getting the Olympics means draining money into a two-week stint—money that could be used more appropriately elsewhere, such as in social programs or funding for public schools.)

Anyway, to my questions:

What extra services will Amtrak provide for the Olympic crowds? Will there be extra Hiawatha, Illinois and Michigan Service trains? What, if anything, has Amtrak done to transport Olympic crowds in the past? I recognize that 2016 is a long way off, but I'm already curious as to what will happen.

 

[Long Train Runnin']

Well I don't think Amtrak would spend the money adding extra trains that are state sponsored. Someone might correct me on this I am just speculating, but unless the state pays or an extra michigan train or 2 I don't amtrak would do it on its own.

 

[Philzy]

With President Obama attending the Olympic Announcement Ceremony (or whatever the hell it's called), it looks like Chicago may get the 2016 Olympics. (I am not pleased about this. Instead of investing long-term in improving CTA services and infrastructure, it seems as though whatever money CTA gets will be invested in two weeks of renting buses and extra train service. CTA can't handle the Olympics. Plus, us getting the Olympics means draining money into a two-week stint—money that could be used more appropriately elsewhere, such as in social programs or funding for public schools.)
Anyway, to my questions:

What extra services will Amtrak provide for the Olympic crowds? Will there be extra Hiawatha, Illinois and Michigan Service trains? What, if anything, has Amtrak done to transport Olympic crowds in the past? I recognize that 2016 is a long way off, but I'm already curious as to what will happen.

These are good questions and points.

I guess my first question (since I'm not well versed in Chicago facilities) would be how much more capacity can Chicago's Union Station handle versus what it currently handles? Is there space for additional trains that will be needed or will they have to rely on adding extra cars to currently operated trains?

 

[AlanB]

During rush hours there probably isn't much excess capacity at Union Station, or even any of the other METRA stations for that matter. Get outside rush hour, and assuming that one can get the freights to cooperate and that one can find the extra crews to run trains, both Amtrak and METRA probably could run some extra trains.

 

[MikefromCrete]

With President Obama attending the Olympic Announcement Ceremony (or whatever the hell it's called), it looks like Chicago may get the 2016 Olympics. (I am not pleased about this. Instead of investing long-term in improving CTA services and infrastructure, it seems as though whatever money CTA gets will be invested in two weeks of renting buses and extra train service. CTA can't handle the Olympics. Plus, us getting the Olympics means draining money into a two-week stint—money that could be used more appropriately elsewhere, such as in social programs or funding for public schools.)
Anyway, to my questions:

What extra services will Amtrak provide for the Olympic crowds? Will there be extra Hiawatha, Illinois and Michigan Service trains? What, if anything, has Amtrak done to transport Olympic crowds in the past? I recognize that 2016 is a long way off, but I'm already curious as to what will happen.

There probably will be some improvements to CTA facilities if the Olympics do come to town, Metra is reportedly looking into borrowing cars from other transit agencies to increase services. Metra Electric will do the heavy lifting since the main Olympic stadium will be near the Electric's Hyde Park stations (there's some talk about establishing a CTA route alongside the ME to better handle the crowds). Hopefully Metra will have acquired new Highliner cars by that time, and could use the old cars as part of any extra services.

As far as Amtrak is concerned, some Hiawatha and Illinois and Michigan extras may be operated, but probably on a limited basis.

I don't recall Amtrak running any extra service for the Atlanta Olympics, but I may be wrong about that.

 

[espeefoamer]

When L.A. had the Olympics in 1984,Amtrak had no extra service. RTD rented a lot of extra busses, though.

 

[haolerider]

With President Obama attending the Olympic Announcement Ceremony (or whatever the hell it's called), it looks like Chicago may get the 2016 Olympics. (I am not pleased about this. Instead of investing long-term in improving CTA services and infrastructure, it seems as though whatever money CTA gets will be invested in two weeks of renting buses and extra train service. CTA can't handle the Olympics. Plus, us getting the Olympics means draining money into a two-week stint—money that could be used more appropriately elsewhere, such as in social programs or funding for public schools.)
Anyway, to my questions:

What extra services will Amtrak provide for the Olympic crowds? Will there be extra Hiawatha, Illinois and Michigan Service trains? What, if anything, has Amtrak done to transport Olympic crowds in the past? I recognize that 2016 is a long way off, but I'm already curious as to what will happen.

There probably will be some improvements to CTA facilities if the Olympics do come to town, Metra is reportedly looking into borrowing cars from other transit agencies to increase services. Metra Electric will do the heavy lifting since the main Olympic stadium will be near the Electric's Hyde Park stations (there's some talk about establishing a CTA route alongside the ME to better handle the crowds). Hopefully Metra will have acquired new Highliner cars by that time, and could use the old cars as part of any extra services.

As far as Amtrak is concerned, some Hiawatha and Illinois and Michigan extras may be operated, but probably on a limited basis.

I don't recall Amtrak running any extra service for the Atlanta Olympics, but I may be wrong about that.

Amtrak did not do anything special for the Atlanta Olympics, since it is generally all about moving people within the specific region and not bringing them into the city. Chicago may be different however, since some people may choose to stay in Milwaukee or other cities outside the Chicago metro area and this could be a source of revenue for Amtrak. As has been mentioned, this will be determined by the various state partners involved.

 

[Steve4031]

IMHO, Chicago's infrastructure is woefully under-prepared to handle crowds for the Olympics. Mayor Daley is a skillful politician who has remained in office for over 20 years. He wants to use the Olympics to bolster his approval, and appease big business. He can careless about the other citizens of Chicago. He has done virtually nothing for the African American community, or the hispanic communities.

During these 20 years he has shrugged his shoulders and said there is no money when it came to improving the CTA infrastructure. The Metra system has also been mired in politics, but had added the north central line and the line to Manhattan. It has played some with the schedules on the other routes, but nothing has really changed. You still have hourly service during the middle of the day and on Saturday, and service every two hours on Sundays. Additionally, the CTA does not even connect easily to Metra at Oglivie or Union Station or Millennium Park. One must go outside or through poorly marked pedestrian tunnels.

I simply cannot imagine the Olympic committee considering Chicago because most people would not want to use public transportation to get to the venues. Most of the venues are not by CTA rapid transit lines, and thus people would be taking buses. The city's streets are too narrow to handle current traffic in the Lincoln Park area, and buses do not operate with any reliability. With the additional traffic caused by the Olympics, the city's already awful traffic flow would grind to a halt.

The only hope would be that if Chicago got the Olympics, that there would be a massive commitment of funds to the Midwest region for high speed rail and for massive improvements to the CTA. There are plans out there for a west loop transportation center, and for an east west underground tunnel for buses under Monroe, plus an additional subway line. I don't know that Chicago politicians have the competence to get anything meaningful done.

 

[Rumpled]

In 1996 in Atlanta MARTA seemed to have expanded service to me.

Haven't been there before or since, but it worked well for me.

IIRC Olympic Tickets were valid for fare that day.

 

[Tim_Metra]

With President Obama attending the Olympic Announcement Ceremony (or whatever the hell it's called), it looks like Chicago may get the 2016 Olympics. (I am not pleased about this. Instead of investing long-term in improving CTA services and infrastructure, it seems as though whatever money CTA gets will be invested in two weeks of renting buses and extra train service. CTA can't handle the Olympics. Plus, us getting the Olympics means draining money into a two-week stint—money that could be used more appropriately elsewhere, such as in social programs or funding for public schools.)
Anyway, to my questions:

What extra services will Amtrak provide for the Olympic crowds? Will there be extra Hiawatha, Illinois and Michigan Service trains? What, if anything, has Amtrak done to transport Olympic crowds in the past? I recognize that 2016 is a long way off, but I'm already curious as to what will happen.

I do not think that Amtrak is the issue. The issue is if Metra can have extra trains and more passenger cars added to all trains. The Northwest, Union, and Lasalle Stations have very long platforms that are not fully utilized. I believe that Caltrain and Metra use the same type of passenger cars. Maybe Caltrain could loan Metra some passenger cars during the Olympics. (possible additional passenger cars from MARC) I believe Metra can make it happen.

 

[battalion51]

You don't even necessarily need the same type of car in all the consists. You very easily can bring in Bombardier Bi-Levels from Sounder, Tri-Rail, Northstar, CalTrain, Metrolink, or RailRunner (you could ask GO, but they're Canadian and their trains use 600V for HEP, so you'd have to have dedicated consists, but it could be done). You also have Kawasaki Bi-Levels at MARC and MBTA that would work. There are also Gallery Cars in a few places that you could lease, Music City Star, MARC, VRE, and CalTrain. The easy solution is to lengthen consists, not add trains.

Now it's also entirely possible that the freight roads will be asked to divert as much traffic possible to other gateways like St. Louis, Memphis, and New Orleans for interchange with their partners to alleviate security and traffic concerns. I doubt you'd see an embargo on freight traffic, but there's obviously some concern to be had.

I haven't looked over the Chicago Olympic Committee Plan, but you also have to consider outlying venues may be used. IIRC the Orange Bowl in Miami was used for a few Olympic Soccer matches during the Atlanta games. It's entirely possible you'll see activities happening in south Wisconsin, downstate Illinois, and western Indiana. If this happens then it would behoove Amtrak to take the opportunity to offer special Shuttle trains for the athletes and/or fans to get to these events.

 

[Kramerica]

I haven't looked over the Chicago Olympic Committee Plan, but you also have to consider outlying venues may be used. IIRC the Orange Bowl in Miami was used for a few Olympic Soccer matches during the Atlanta games. It's entirely possible you'll see activities happening in south Wisconsin, downstate Illinois, and western Indiana. If this happens then it would behoove Amtrak to take the opportunity to offer special Shuttle trains for the athletes and/or fans to get to these events.

The Chicago 2016 bid is centered around its compactness. Most of the venues will be very close. The Olympic village is adjacent to McCormick Place, which will hold some events. The United Center, Soldier Field, and temporary Olympic Stadium in Washington Park are all close. The aquatic center will be within the City of Chicago. There aren't too many events to be held outside of the City. The road and mountain biking are supposed to be held near Madison WI, and I presume the white water course will be in downstate IL. But the vast majority of events will be within the CTA rail system.

As for the OP who stated that the Olympics wouldn't help out transit in Chicago, I disagree strongly. There will be an infusion of cash from the Federal government, especially if Obama (a Chicagoan) is elected to a second term. Many stations will be rehabbed. Maybe the Circle Line would get money. Probably there will be new rolling stock for the CTA and/or Metra.

As for Amtrak, I don't think there would be much on offer. I'd count on temporarily increased frequencies for the Hiawatha. Milwaukee's hotels will be in high demand during the Games. My biggest hope would be for the fast-tracking (pun intended) of "high-speed" projects around Chicago. The MKE-CHI speed increase is in Wisconsin's Phase III, (Phase I is Madison, Phase II is to St Paul, Phase III is Green Bay to Chicago) but I would think that there would be a push to get the MKE-CHI portion improved to speed up the travel time for people staying in Wisconsin.

 

[mercedeslove]

You don't even necessarily need the same type of car in all the consists. You very easily can bring in Bombardier Bi-Levels from Sounder, Tri-Rail, Northstar, CalTrain, Metrolink, or RailRunner (you could ask GO, but they're Canadian and their trains use 600V for HEP, so you'd have to have dedicated consists, but it could be done). You also have Kawasaki Bi-Levels at MARC and MBTA that would work. There are also Gallery Cars in a few places that you could lease, Music City Star, MARC, VRE, and CalTrain. The easy solution is to lengthen consists, not add trains.
Now it's also entirely possible that the freight roads will be asked to divert as much traffic possible to other gateways like St. Louis, Memphis, and New Orleans for interchange with their partners to alleviate security and traffic concerns. I doubt you'd see an embargo on freight traffic, but there's obviously some concern to be had.

I haven't looked over the Chicago Olympic Committee Plan, but you also have to consider outlying venues may be used. IIRC the Orange Bowl in Miami was used for a few Olympic Soccer matches during the Atlanta games. It's entirely possible you'll see activities happening in south Wisconsin, downstate Illinois, and western Indiana. If this happens then it would behoove Amtrak to take the opportunity to offer special Shuttle trains for the athletes and/or fans to get to these events.

I think some of the mnt type biking is going to be held in WS. I can't remember

I am actually excited to be in Chicago right now, and hoping for a yes announcement tomorrow. It would be a highlight to my trip up here. I have wanted this since I fell in love with the game as a kid.

 

[jphjaxfl]

In 1996 in Atlanta MARTA seemed to have expanded service to me.Haven't been there before or since, but it worked well for me.

IIRC Olympic Tickets were valid for fare that day.

I lived in Atlanta during the 1996 Olympics. Most businesses adjusted their work hours to alieviate crowding. Unfortunately, Amtrak did nothing extra, but the passenger rail infrastructure in Atlanta doesn't exist. Georgia discussed having state supported train service from Athens, GA where some of the venues were to Atlanta, but that never happened.Fortunately Chicago has the infrastructure to handle some expanded train service if Oglivie, LaSalle and Randolph Street can be used.

 

[Everydaymatters]

I live 60 northwest of CUS, out here in the boonies where there are more dairy farms than there are towns. This area is getting excited about the possibility of revenue from hotels and restaurants as we're on a Metra line. These athletes will be training when they're not competing and our area has all the facilities they will need in order to train.

Possibly the games will all be in Chicago, but even this far out we're expecting revenue if Chicago is chosen.

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

In 1996 in Atlanta MARTA seemed to have expanded service to me.Haven't been there before or since, but it worked well for me.

IIRC Olympic Tickets were valid for fare that day.

I do and did live in Atlanta.

As I remember, train service was run to capacity but I do not remember about buses. So far as tickets being valid for fare, I do not remember if that way but I could be wrong.

It was great fun having the Olympics in town and in a sentimental way I will always be glad. But in a cold hard economic way there was huge disappointment as to local and nearby businesses. Cities as far away as Chattanooga, Birmingham,Macon expected every business of every kind to be full. Restaurants added tons of servers. And guess what, that did not happen. People were primarily occupied with getting to and from the venues but side businesses had a tough time of it.

I worked down town two blocks from the Five Points Station whch is MARTA'S major point,all trains run there.My home is north of downtown but that was where the train was the most crowded. I quickly learned to board a southbound train and ride several stops then get on a northbound to get a seat to go back home.

Yes, as noted already, businesses adjusted their hours. At my job the Olympis meant much extra work for us but it is amazing how smoothy it went internally. We were on such a tight and expanded schedule we could not accept work as much as five minutes late. Miraculously, our customers worked with us fully.

It was great fun and I watched what I could even though I am by no means a sports fan. Something special about the Olympics.

I recall the excitement in the street when the announcment was made. I was at Underground Atlanta. Strangers were high 5-ing and hugging each other, shaking hands with people in stopped cars, ec. Nothing like it. Of course the economic times were not as hard as they are today.

I do not remember Amtrak providing any extra service. We did spruce up the train station. I do not recall exactly what the improvements were--but so much for my memory,some were made and they seemed nice at the time.

 

[sunchaser]

When they announced that SLC would get the Olympics, I was not impressed. Within days of the announcement, our landlord raised the rent $200.00 more a month. So we moved. The rental prices never did go back down. We did have Trax (light rail), but I'm sure Amtrak did not add more trains since only the California Zephyr comes thru here.

They did not add any more buses, IIRC, but they did increase security downtown. I remember my department head at work saying that being late & using the Olympic's traffic would not be an excuse.. I would expect if Chicago does host the Olympics, that it will be one of the 'reasons' to beef up security permanently for the trains-more like TSA on the planes. I still do not think it was a good idea. Of course local taxes went up, too.

 

[Donctor]

As for the OP who stated that the Olympics wouldn't help out transit in Chicago, I disagree strongly. There will be an infusion of cash from the Federal government, especially if Obama (a Chicagoan) is elected to a second term. Many stations will be rehabbed. Maybe the Circle Line would get money. Probably there will be new rolling stock for the CTA and/or Metra.

Found out this morning that if Chicago doesn't get the Olympics today, CTA is cutting 20-30% of its service in January. (This of course assumes that the Governor doesn't come to save us again.)

 

[Murjax]

I wonder what Amtrak's going to do next year when the Olympics hit Vancouver. Probably not much, but Seattle might see more tourism during the Olympics than usual due to its close proximity to Vancouver. I wouldn't use Atlanta as a gauge to determine if Amtrak will add service to Chicago in 2016. Every state is different. Georgia still only has 4 Amtrak trains running through it daily. I doubt any more would've made much of a difference. Besides, it's not long distance trains that are needed for such an event, it's commuter service. I doubt Georgia was in the mood to fund such a venture. I think Vancouver could show us something because there already is commuter and intercity service up and down Washington State and Vancouver. At the least, maybe the 6 Cascade trains that currently terminate/originate in Seattle could terminate and originate in Vancouver instead.

 

[MrFSS]

Chicago didn't get them!

 

[AlanB]

I wonder what Amtrak's going to do next year when the Olympics hit Vancouver. Probably not much, but Seattle might see more tourism during the Olympics than usual due to its close proximity to Vancouver. I wouldn't use Atlanta as a gauge to determine if Amtrak will add service to Chicago in 2016. Every state is different. Georgia still only has 4 Amtrak trains running through it daily. I doubt any more would've made much of a difference. Besides, it's not long distance trains that are needed for such an event, it's commuter service. I doubt Georgia was in the mood to fund such a venture. I think Vancouver could show us something because there already is commuter and intercity service up and down Washington State and Vancouver. At the least, maybe the 6 Cascade trains that currently terminate/originate in Seattle could terminate and originate in Vancouver instead.

We already know what Amtrak is going to do for Vancouver. They just did it, starting a second train from Seattle to VAC. And considering all the flak that they got from Canada's Customs & Immigration service over adding that train, I'm certain that they won't bother to try to add a third.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Well of course CHI is out, guess Brazil will have to figure out how to get millions to the Olympics in a Resort City ringed by mountains and with millions of poor not to mention the highest crime rate in the world!! :blink:

 

[Long Train Runnin']

Well of course CHI is out, guess Brazil will have to figure out how to get millions to the Olympics in a Resort City ringed by mountains and with millions of poor not to mention the highest crime rate in the world!! :blink:

Yeah, I feel pretty bad for Chicago they had all kinds of stuff pushing for Chicago when I was there even flags hanging in the great hall at CUS.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

Well of course CHI is out, guess Brazil will have to figure out how to get millions to the Olympics in a Resort City ringed by mountains and with millions of poor not to mention the highest crime rate in the world!! :blink:

And that should remove them because... ?

Its as much about what the Olympics can bring to the community as it is what the community can bring to the Olympics.

 

[Bob Dylan]

My point was that poor countries dont need to spend billions of dollars on glitter, Rio already gets all the tourists they can handle, the money would better be spent on the poor and social needs, in this world economy fun and games are what politicians want to use to distract us from what they have messed up and or not fixing!! Think of the money that could go into transportation, both commuter and Amtrak if Chicago hadnt spent millions (it woulda been billions if they got them!) for something they didnt really need! :blink: