Viewliner said:
Yes, at least in cities where Amtrak doesn't own the tracks. I think its better for Amtrak as well.
Like in the case of VRE, even if they replace Amtrak for operations they could only reach L'Enfant Plaza before needing to turn around. Since Amtrak owns Union Station, they'd be locked out.
Also locked out would be MARC, which also uses Union Station. Then further north, you'd loose part of Septa operations in Philly, but not all. In NJ you'd completely loose the corridor line, plus Raritan and the Coastline would not be able to reach either Newark's Penn Station nor NY's Penn Station. The M & E and Boonton lines would be unaffected, except for Midtown direct service, which would have to divert to Hoboken. The Bergen, Pascack Valley, and Main lines would be unaffected.
The LIRR would be locked out of Penn and would have to terminate in Queens. This is perhaps the biggest problem of any of the commuter systems, as the LIRR moves 600,000 people each day in and out of Penn Station. The subway can't handle that load, they are already packed during rush hour.
Metro North would have no problems. Boston's T would be unaffected. Moving west, Chicago would have problems since Union Station would be shutdown. However there are two or three other terminals in Chicago, so there would still be some commuter trains running. Oregon and Washington would loose Cascade service, which is a semi-commuter service.
California would of course be an unmitigated disaster, as they would loose Los Angels Union Station. Plus all the Surfliners, the Capitols, and the San Joaquins all of which cater to commuters. Then there are commuter services that Amtrak operates for the state of California.