zepherdude
OBS Chief
This is an e-mail I received from a yahoo group I subscribe to.................................
Passenger Rail Oklahoma
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 31, 2012
Due to deteriorating track conditions between Newton, KS – La Junta, CO – Lamy, NM the daily Amtrak Chicago – Los Angeles Southwest Chief passenger train will likely move to a new route in 2015 or 2016. There is an outside chance it will be discontinued all together if the political situation in Washington D.C. and Amtrak’s Midwest HQ, Chicago does not improve. The Amtrak Southwest Chief contract with the BNSF Railway expires in 2015.
Funding, changes in the freight rail industry, and 60 years of deterioration have introduced this possibility. The BNSF Railway provides host railroad services for Amtrak on this route. New Mexico, Colorado, and Kansas Secretaries of Transportation balked at the idea of states paying $100 million initially to rebuild the route and $2 million per-state thereafter to keep the Southwest Chief on its historical route. Amtrak and the BNSF Railway have both gone on record stating this is the long term financial plan. The secretaries provided a written statement to Amtrak in Chicago this month.
If rerouted the Southwest Chief would follow a former passenger rail route, that of the San Francisco Chief in Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico. This train last operated in 1971 between Chicago – San Francisco. However; the train would be a hybrid so to speak, likely still terminating in Los Angeles.
Ten present Southwest Chief stops could be eliminated. Kansas stops would be Hutchinson, Dodge City, and Garden City. Colorado stops eliminated would be Lamar, La Junta, and Trinidad. New Mexico stops eliminated would be Raton, Las Vegas, Lamy (the stop for Santa Fe), and Albuquerque. Albuquerque and Santa Fe would still be served by the New Mexico Rail Runner commuter train with Amtrak connections made in Belen, 35 miles south of Albuquerque.
A rerouted Southwest Chief would likely turn south at Newton, KS after making its stop. Historically, the San Francisco Chief made Kansas stops in Newton, Wichita, and Wellington. Oklahoma stops were made in Alva and Woodward. Three Texas stops were made in Pampa, Amarillo, and Herford. New Mexico stops included Clovis and Belen before rejoining the Santa Fe mainline (now owned by the BNSF Railway).
It is likely Amtrak would require reroute communities to provide at least some station improvement funding. Per stop, this would range about $950,000 to $1.5 million. Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) improvements would be the main cost; however, some communities would need to build depots as historic structures have either been sold to private interests or have been torn down in the past 41 years since the San Francisco Chief was discontinued. Amtrak, perpetually cash strapped, is likely to request this funding rather than paying for station facilities.
The BNSF Railway is justifying this reroute based upon a desire to downgrade the Newton – Albuquerque line to much slower speed standards than required by its freight trains. No freight trains have operated between Trinidad, CO and Albuquerque since the mid-2000s. The BNSF Railway mainline is well maintained between Newton – Amarillo – Clovis – Belen for fast freight between Chicago and California. It is ideal for Amtrak service.
Evan Stair
President
Passenger Rail Oklahoma
www.PassengerRailOK.org
www.PassengerRailKS.org
www.PassengerRailTX.org
Passenger Rail Oklahoma
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 31, 2012
Due to deteriorating track conditions between Newton, KS – La Junta, CO – Lamy, NM the daily Amtrak Chicago – Los Angeles Southwest Chief passenger train will likely move to a new route in 2015 or 2016. There is an outside chance it will be discontinued all together if the political situation in Washington D.C. and Amtrak’s Midwest HQ, Chicago does not improve. The Amtrak Southwest Chief contract with the BNSF Railway expires in 2015.
Funding, changes in the freight rail industry, and 60 years of deterioration have introduced this possibility. The BNSF Railway provides host railroad services for Amtrak on this route. New Mexico, Colorado, and Kansas Secretaries of Transportation balked at the idea of states paying $100 million initially to rebuild the route and $2 million per-state thereafter to keep the Southwest Chief on its historical route. Amtrak and the BNSF Railway have both gone on record stating this is the long term financial plan. The secretaries provided a written statement to Amtrak in Chicago this month.
If rerouted the Southwest Chief would follow a former passenger rail route, that of the San Francisco Chief in Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico. This train last operated in 1971 between Chicago – San Francisco. However; the train would be a hybrid so to speak, likely still terminating in Los Angeles.
Ten present Southwest Chief stops could be eliminated. Kansas stops would be Hutchinson, Dodge City, and Garden City. Colorado stops eliminated would be Lamar, La Junta, and Trinidad. New Mexico stops eliminated would be Raton, Las Vegas, Lamy (the stop for Santa Fe), and Albuquerque. Albuquerque and Santa Fe would still be served by the New Mexico Rail Runner commuter train with Amtrak connections made in Belen, 35 miles south of Albuquerque.
A rerouted Southwest Chief would likely turn south at Newton, KS after making its stop. Historically, the San Francisco Chief made Kansas stops in Newton, Wichita, and Wellington. Oklahoma stops were made in Alva and Woodward. Three Texas stops were made in Pampa, Amarillo, and Herford. New Mexico stops included Clovis and Belen before rejoining the Santa Fe mainline (now owned by the BNSF Railway).
It is likely Amtrak would require reroute communities to provide at least some station improvement funding. Per stop, this would range about $950,000 to $1.5 million. Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) improvements would be the main cost; however, some communities would need to build depots as historic structures have either been sold to private interests or have been torn down in the past 41 years since the San Francisco Chief was discontinued. Amtrak, perpetually cash strapped, is likely to request this funding rather than paying for station facilities.
The BNSF Railway is justifying this reroute based upon a desire to downgrade the Newton – Albuquerque line to much slower speed standards than required by its freight trains. No freight trains have operated between Trinidad, CO and Albuquerque since the mid-2000s. The BNSF Railway mainline is well maintained between Newton – Amarillo – Clovis – Belen for fast freight between Chicago and California. It is ideal for Amtrak service.
Evan Stair
President
Passenger Rail Oklahoma
www.PassengerRailOK.org
www.PassengerRailKS.org
www.PassengerRailTX.org
