Join the discussion on the following article:
‘Hoosier State’ to add third coach, business class
Nice website.
Memo to Lionel:
Build a model of this train, please!
Thinking in terms of additional service…that’s a refreshing change in passenger railroading!
Go Ed Go!
Good to hear this.
WAY TO GO IOWA PACIFIC !!! Maybe they can gradually take over more of the state subsidized routes from Amtrak ? Just a thought !
Let’s see if IP Can make any long term money on this service first, before jumping the gun to other states.
Put F40ph on both ends, itd be nice. Hope this thing works out.
These kind of improvements make it more likely for me to take this train (I live in Chicago) but what would even more guarantee that I would jump on the train with the wife and kid for a weekend in Indy is an addition of another daily round trip. That return departure time from Indianapolis is awful.
It’s remarkable to see private varnish running in regular revenue service, and in classic IC livery, to boot. If Iowa Pacific and All Aboard Florida/FEC can make a go of these operations, it may encourage others to try their hand at private regional routes. Ohio’s market-ready 3-C and Milwaukee-Madison come to mind, if the Class I freights and political leaders involved can find something in it for themselves.
Iowa Pacific’s Hoosier State is quite a contrast to the shabby lackluster Amtrak short distance trains. Let’s all hope it’s greatly successful.
I love it. They obviously thought that Amtrak was faking the bad-order stuff so they hired their own inspector. Not a bad idea, really, but I’m sure they regretted it when their own inspector found even more defects!
At some point, Indiana DOT will pull the plug on this and put the passengers out of their misery.
I sure hope they get more passengers than I have seen so far. I have seen the nortbound train many times from farmland along the Monon in several spots and many days hauling grain from Francesville to Lafayette. Most days the cars look pretty empty and some days it runs late. Not long ago it came by farm south of Romney after 10 AM. That sure won’t make people happy. Maybe some advertising would help.