What about going down the IC (CN today) to Memphis and then turning SE? Is there a rout in decent condition between Memphis and Atlanta?
[quote user=“daveklepper”]
What about going down the IC (CN today) to Memphis and then turning SE? Is there a route in decent condition between Memphis and Atlanta?/quote]
Yes, but no.
The route SE is the BNSF ex-Frisco line which has substantial traffic; an alternative of sourts is the NS ex-Southern line which drops down into Mississippi and then back up to Chattanooga (where at least theoretically you could go down to Atlanta, but on an already-heavily-occupied line known for its curves and grades). I don’t think either of these lines is particularly well-suited for passenger traffic, even in the ‘time window’ that a Chicago to Florida train would be traversing them: both are single-track and have considerable traffic including a number of loaded and empty coal trains.
The connection would have to be made either at Central Station or via some line that connects conveniently with the ex-IC ‘riverfront’ line. This could be a little involved, but there is room (and some remains of the pre-existing track) that allows a turn east onto the ‘Broadway’ trackage leading off the Mississippi bridges. It might be possible – not easy, but not particularly difficult either – to bring a train that has come down from the St. Louis area through Arkansas over the Harahan Bridge, then back it the short diestance north to Central Station before continuing.
Any way you do it it still makes sense to include the presently rail passenger disenfranchised cities of Louisville, Bowling Green, Nashville, Decatur, Montgomery, etc. 1979 was a very long time ago since they saw their last trains.
Running non-competitive cruise trains that long a distance where there does not exist adequate RoW seems an expensive low priority compared to developing many other shorter corridors.
Exactly. It’s about as good as the Floidian ever was and better than anything you could cobble together from current routes.
Yes, and by now people have made other arrangements. The crime was in axing the service in the first place instead of building it up.
A connection already exists from Dothan to the NOL/JAX line. CSX branch from Bainbridge GA to Tallahassee. I haven’t looked at the connections in Tally, but I think it would be possible to route a Floridian down to this line and utilize the existing (but currently not active) station in Tally. With a restored (daily) Gulf Coast service (Sunset Ltd. or other) that would make two trains daily each way between Tallahassee (state capital) and Jacksonville and the rest of the state.
As for the original question: I think both the original Floridian route via Louisville and Nashville (might have to go via Indy these days), and a route via Cincinatti and Atlanta make sense. There are operational difficulties on both routes (where is that not true these days?) but from a potential ridership viewpoint the more metropolitan areas you hit the better.