Get Amtrak and CAF to bring demo train in middle of NYC

[NE933]

I propose to persuade Amtrak and CAF to bring a train consisting of an Amfleet II coach, new Viewliner II diner, sleeper, and baggage, powered by a Genesis, onto 6th Avenue Manhattan using barges to ferry in the equipment from New Jersey, and two or three miles of snap-track that would link an unloading area to be constructed in Greenwich Village, namely Houston Street, all the way up to the twenties or so. Where Houston meets 6th Ave. is an easy curve with lots of room for equipment to negotiate it without grinding. Bringing a mostly brand new Viewliner train of tomorrow smack in the middle of the Manhattan's shopping district, on the street, would unleash unmeasurable interest to topple anti-rail groups and attract enough dollars and attention that Amtrak would get CAF a contract to get more sleepers and diners, plus coaches and the elusive Viewlounge (elusive because it only exists on paper and in the minds of the beloved).

Good idea? Ok? Terrible? Don't know?

 

[jis]

Silly

(null)

 

[MikefromCrete]

Awfully expensive and there would be tons of complaints about streets being blocked by the slow progress of the train through the streets of New York bring the train back and forth from the docks. It would probably bring more negative comments than positive. I once watched as a big Santa Fe steam locomotive was moved through the streets of Chicago from the Museum of Science and Industry to the Illinois Central tracks. It was a very slow process using the snap tracks and that was just a locomotive, not an entire train (although I suppose the cars could be move on giant trucks, which would also muck up traffic.

 

[Joeker]

So your vision, though noble, fails to address the other states elected officials that reside west of the Hudson and have a far greater impact on what money is allocated to Amtrak than what your idea purports to do. Its like preaching to choir.

Better idea is to do this as a road show and send that equipment to those states that have "R" congress critters and let those interested parties in their states pick up the support needed.

 

[FriskyFL]

Phoenix, perhaps? In NYC you'd be preaching to the choir.

 

[railiner]

It would be a lot easier if they would just hold a 'road show' at NYP, or perhaps NYG during a weekend and highly publicize it. Perhaps even hold it in LI's West Side Yard over some weekend--would make a nice locale for a weekend 'rail fair' similar to what they held at the Hoboken Terminal several years ago.....

 

[jerichowhiskey]

Why didn't Amtrak attend GCT's Centennial? That weekend, they had a ton more people than they expected to show up.

 

[afigg]

Amtrak does not need to spend a lot of money for a showy public event to publicize the LD trains. The LD trains are already often running at near capacity in the peak months. Routine marketing, sales, ads, and increasing awareness of train travel & the LD trains from ridership growth in the corridor services will help to fill the seats and rooms during the slower months. Improve the existing LD train service, trim costs, get a modest boost in revenue from the new Viewliners, improve cost recovery, and continue to work on making the case for funding to buy new rolling stock are what Amtrak has to focus on for the LD trains. Not expensive stunts.

 

[NE933]

Phoenix, perhaps? In NYC you'd be preaching to the choir.

But so would be Phoenix, they have been pleading for a return of the Sunset Limited since the 90's when the reroute occurred. Two reasons I picked NYC:

1. I live here, so yes, there is a bias on that, but I believe it's neutralized by the merits of number:

2. Most New Yorkers think of trains as commuter or intercity corridor. Some aren't aware that sleeping and dining car equiped long distance trains exist anymore, and what better way to give CAF a boost of awareness than something like this.

The annual Hoboken Festivals of yore started to die off in the around 1995 ish, then NJT brought it back in 2000, and again on September 8th, 2001, three days before the 11th. In that final festival, the evidence of bold intelligence was abound when Amtrak and NJT arranged to have an Acela, the trainset with locomotives 2006 and 2037, ferried in. Wonderful ain't the word, if these festivals were resurrected, but it's a changed world and a changed NJT, which has an almost non-existant good public relations program that really put heart and work into these. No festivals, no special trains, it's as if everyone has gone home by themselves to sit in a dark corner looking at the wall.

I just thought this would be a nice, and unusual, attention getter that would also have an uplifting "wow" factor to counteract all the negativity that's around us nowadays. Something to cause jaws to drop, then smiles, and then the payoff: people saying to their friends: "I'd love to ride in that on my next trip to New Orleans/Miami/Orlando/Chicago".

 

[ne52]

The amount of backlash over Citibike was through the roof and that only away a couple of parking spaces per block. I can't even begin to think of the reaction of just announcing a 3 mile track through the village and up 6th Avenue.

Even if this was remotely feasible, you'd be dealing with a first term mayor that's not going out on a limb.