Major Headline in Today's Chicago Tribune

[frj1983]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/c...ll=chi-news-hed

An interesting story, most especially the comments by CN Vice President Gordon Traftan

 

[MrFSS]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/c...ll=chi-news-hed
An interesting story, most especially the comments by CN Vice President Gordon Traftan

That is one of the better articles on this subject I have read recently. Thanks for sharing.

 

[CA Amtrak]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/c...ll=chi-news-hed
An interesting story, most especially the comments by CN Vice President Gordon Traftan

That has happened before. I was on 391 Illini (before the Saluki took that number) a couple years ago, and we were sidetracked for a while. However, when I was on the 390 Saluki and the 393 Illini (new number ever since Saluki was in service) I was never sidetracked. I guess it was a little random and such. Thanks for sharing the story.

 

[PennCentralFan]

The key to solving this problem is getting people and politicians to put pressure on the freights. As long as the freights can keep on screwing over Amtrak they will do it. There is no good will for many of these capitalist corporations to people. CN has no reason to cooperate with Amtrak unless the government or people force them to. Until there are more political changes in Washington the freights will keep on doing this. Not all freights are bad, in fact some like BNSF and CP are decent toward Amtrak. But you have to remember that the vast majority of capitalist corporations don't care about people they only care about profits and squeezing every little bit from us.

So please tell your reps and senators about this problem.

 

[AmtrakFan]

The State of IL, needs to upgrade the UP line thru IL, with new Track, Signals and Elminate the Slow Orders. I agree CN doens't have to coporate and if they don't feel the need to, they don't have to. The service OTP was such a joke for a while, I called for the service to be significantly changed or even annuled until everyone could clean up there acts.

 

[sechs]

In the case of Illinois, it seems to me that the freight railroads simply need to upgrade their infrastructure in a serious way -- and both the federal and state governments should be willing to help. If the railroads are unwilling or unable to do this, then the state needs to exercise its eminent domain powers to take control of these corridors.

Freight is important... but people are more important.

 

[AmtrakFan]

Chicago-Quincy and Chicago-Carbondale, are the two lines in the best shape and have willing host RR's in BNSF and CN.

Chicago-St. Louis that's another story.

The likley imporvments that will be needed before this will end

1. New Signaling Systems preferablly ITCS

2. Elminate ALL Slow Orders when ever possible

3. Fix up the Sidings and get UP to Clear the Cars out of them that they have stored

4. This one WILL NOT happen in my lifetime but fix the Chicago Freight Train Interfearance, which CREATE WAS SUPPOSE to do, which haesn't even happened

5. Put in CWR, and undercut the ballest to allow 79 MPH Running where possible until the ITCS comes along

John

 

[AlanB]

Chicago-Quincy and Chicago-Carbondale, are the two lines in the best shape and have willing host RR's in BNSF and CN.

CN wasn't that willing of a host when they tried at the last minute to back out of the deal with Amtrak to host the new runs that were added last fall in Illinios.

It wasn't until the local Congressmen from Illi started stiring things up on Capitol Hill, that CN suddenly backed down and kept their bargin with Amtrak.

 

[AmtrakFan]

Alan,

I should have made myself clearer but what I meant to type (Sorry I was under a lot of stress last night due to school stuff), that they will run the trains ontime.