Philly Amtrak Fan
Engineer
It's great having a new forum to bounce off ideas for new or expanded service.
Since the old thread is buried several months ago, I would like to revisit it. Those of you who can find the old post(s) feel free to link.
I know that a huge majority of train travel is short distance but I think there is a market for LD service. I have certainly used Amtrak LD service to see other parts of the country. I imagine quite a few of you have as well. When I have proposed LD expansion, I for the most part have said expanding routes or connecting routes that Amtrak already uses or has previously. Once in a while I mention a route I am not sure of but those usually are long shots to me. Usually when I say why not expand route X to city Y, I am usually met with "it will add delays to a route". Of course you look at it from both sides but I still think more connections is a positive. I still would love to one day see a transcontinental route although the CHI transfer point seems to work fine for the most part (although gridlock is clearly an issue that hopefully the project in CHI will lessen).
One of my expansion ideas way back when I first started at Amtrak Unlimited was an extension of a Florida train north from NYP to BOS. Boston is currently served by one LD train but I believe they currently have to transfer at Albany to go to CHI. New Haven is the 10th largest Amtrak market and currently has no LD train service at all. Providence is also high on the list and they have no LD train service. They do have several trains to NYP which has many LD trains but could we see a market for an LD train to Connecticut?
Top Amtrak markets: http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?c=Page&pagename=am%2FLayout&cid=1246041980246
I remember hearing that slots from NYP to BOS are limited and if expanded Amtrak will surely want to add more profitable Acela service. So the only way a BOS to Florida service will happen is to combine either the Silver Meteor or Silver Star with a route that currently serves NYP to BOS.
Right now we have:
Star: Depart NYP 11:00am, Arrive NYP 6:50pm
Meteor: Depart NYP 3:15pm, Arrive NYP 11:00am
The Meteor certainly is the better choice to expand north as a Star would have to leave BOS really early in the morning and not get back until late at night.
So we'd have to find a BOS-NYP train that arrives in NYP before 2pm and leaves NYP around noon. I am going to rule out any Acelas (no way I am going to mess with them) so only NER's are considered.
Proposal: Merge 93/83/161 to the Meteor going south. Merge 86/164 to the Meteor going north.
South: 161 terminates in WAS. 93 terminates in Richmond (Staples Mill Road) which is served by the Meteor. 83 terminates in Newport News so you would lose that service on Fridays.
North: 86/164 terminate in Richmond.
Unless you add the Va stops between WAS and RVR onto the Meteor, those markets would lose a train. The 95 would serve those passengers as well as the BOS to Newport News on Fridays. A compromise could also be made to run 93/83 and 86/164 as Virginia to NYP trains. Is there a large market for BOS to Virginia travel that cannot be satisfied by the 95/99? Maybe 95 could be moved back an hour or two if it's too early (leaves BOS at 6:10am). I'm sure there's a reason for the 83 to Newport News on Friday at that time, could that be moved to another train (expand 133 which is only a Friday train between NYP and WAS to Newport News to at least give NYP-Newport News)?
Certainly there will be some creative juggling necessary but I feel the New England to Florida direct service is something to strive for.
Since the old thread is buried several months ago, I would like to revisit it. Those of you who can find the old post(s) feel free to link.
I know that a huge majority of train travel is short distance but I think there is a market for LD service. I have certainly used Amtrak LD service to see other parts of the country. I imagine quite a few of you have as well. When I have proposed LD expansion, I for the most part have said expanding routes or connecting routes that Amtrak already uses or has previously. Once in a while I mention a route I am not sure of but those usually are long shots to me. Usually when I say why not expand route X to city Y, I am usually met with "it will add delays to a route". Of course you look at it from both sides but I still think more connections is a positive. I still would love to one day see a transcontinental route although the CHI transfer point seems to work fine for the most part (although gridlock is clearly an issue that hopefully the project in CHI will lessen).
One of my expansion ideas way back when I first started at Amtrak Unlimited was an extension of a Florida train north from NYP to BOS. Boston is currently served by one LD train but I believe they currently have to transfer at Albany to go to CHI. New Haven is the 10th largest Amtrak market and currently has no LD train service at all. Providence is also high on the list and they have no LD train service. They do have several trains to NYP which has many LD trains but could we see a market for an LD train to Connecticut?
Top Amtrak markets: http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?c=Page&pagename=am%2FLayout&cid=1246041980246
I remember hearing that slots from NYP to BOS are limited and if expanded Amtrak will surely want to add more profitable Acela service. So the only way a BOS to Florida service will happen is to combine either the Silver Meteor or Silver Star with a route that currently serves NYP to BOS.
Right now we have:
Star: Depart NYP 11:00am, Arrive NYP 6:50pm
Meteor: Depart NYP 3:15pm, Arrive NYP 11:00am
The Meteor certainly is the better choice to expand north as a Star would have to leave BOS really early in the morning and not get back until late at night.
So we'd have to find a BOS-NYP train that arrives in NYP before 2pm and leaves NYP around noon. I am going to rule out any Acelas (no way I am going to mess with them) so only NER's are considered.
Proposal: Merge 93/83/161 to the Meteor going south. Merge 86/164 to the Meteor going north.
South: 161 terminates in WAS. 93 terminates in Richmond (Staples Mill Road) which is served by the Meteor. 83 terminates in Newport News so you would lose that service on Fridays.
North: 86/164 terminate in Richmond.
Unless you add the Va stops between WAS and RVR onto the Meteor, those markets would lose a train. The 95 would serve those passengers as well as the BOS to Newport News on Fridays. A compromise could also be made to run 93/83 and 86/164 as Virginia to NYP trains. Is there a large market for BOS to Virginia travel that cannot be satisfied by the 95/99? Maybe 95 could be moved back an hour or two if it's too early (leaves BOS at 6:10am). I'm sure there's a reason for the 83 to Newport News on Friday at that time, could that be moved to another train (expand 133 which is only a Friday train between NYP and WAS to Newport News to at least give NYP-Newport News)?
Certainly there will be some creative juggling necessary but I feel the New England to Florida direct service is something to strive for.