announced today AMTRAK is leasing 10 coaches and 2 dome cars from VIA for use on the Adirondack from Montreal - ALBANY. am assuming they will use VIA locos as well so no compatibility problems. all you dome lovers here is your chance.
http://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/110/378/Amtrak-VIA-Rail-Partnership-Thanksgiving-ATK-12-117.pdf
Thats great and I for one would like to see them expand their lease program. Perhaps even lease the Milwaukee Road Super Dome for some trips from the Friends of the 261 group. It’s stupid for Amtrak to claim equipment poverty when they have some cushion via other railway equipment owners. The privately owned equipment is ready, inspected and Amtrak campatible. I don’t see why they don’t use it in reserve.
I don’t think this is the future for Amtrak. This was done specifically so Amtrak can lease equipment to NJT. Nobody wants a repeat of Sandy.
I agree with you Dave. I think the lease from VIA rail was done on both sides because of the post Sandy problems over the Thanksgiving Day holiday. It could happen in other emergencies but most likely will never be routine.
Part of the reason is that Amtrak itself is leasing some cars to New Jersey Transit to help because many NJT cars were badly damaged by the salt water from the extra high tide and storm surge in the low and swampy areas NJT left them in.
Also, while Thanksgiving generates a lot of traffic in the US, Canada is in a somewhat different situation. Canadian Thanksgiving is in October. No doubt there is some spill over of Americans coming back and forth but Canada does not have a holiday weekend.
We don’t want a repeat of Sandy. But as far as NJT is concerned, we have to ask a repeat of what and very little information has been officially revealed by NJT as to exactly what happened. Rumors abound connected by conjecture and pictures. But none is from NJT.
Frankly, Henry, had I taken the same steps to “protect” rolling stock that NJT managers did I wouldn’t want to talk about it either.
John