Maybe I can’t see the forest for the trees here…but I can’t grasp why we “need” passenger trains today. Commuter/METRA/BART, etc sure that makes sense. What I’m stuck on is the concept of something like NYC to CHI or CHI to STL, etc. What service/market does this address that airline or bus travel doesn’t? Other than the “Gee I took the train to XYZ and it was neat”.
An example of 1 adult travelling from Chicago, IL to New York, NY:
Chicago (Union Station, IL) to New York (Penn Station, NY NYP) via AMTRAK currently takes around 20 hours and the cost ranges from $88 to $172, depending on how ‘fancy’ you want to travel, but I’ll use economy/coach here so $88/20 hours travel time.
(Times and prices from AMTRAK’s website http://tickets.amtrak.com/itd/amtrak)
vs
Chicago, IL to New York, NY (Penn Station) via Greyhound takes around 23 hours and costs ~$92 if tickets purchased online or ~$105 if at the counter.
(Times and prices from Greyhound’s website https://www.greyhound.com/farefinder/step2.aspx)
Trains overcome the size and weight limitations of a bus. Steel-wheel on steel-rail vehicles (trains) can also be operated safely at higher speeds than a bus, which is subject to failure of its pneumatic tires, can lose directional control on icy roadways, and is subject to other road hazards.
Hence trains can and do offer more spacious accomodations than buses – wider seats, more leg room, special seating areas for meals (dining car/cafe car). There are high speed services where trains offer substantially faster trip times with buses and trip times competitive with air travel when the various embarkation and disembarkation delays associated with that mode are taken into account.
There is a certain mystique associated with train travel, maybe it is nostalgia for time past when trains were more prevalent, maybe it is inherent in trains themselves. There are a variety of sights, sounds, motions, and even smells (brake shoe smoke?) that are unique to railroading that many people find appealing.
On the other hand, there are many believers in trains who view trains superior to any mode of transportation known to man who perhaps don’t look at things in as utilitarian terms as you do.
The train is said to be fuel-saving and perhaps the best answer to the problem of importing oil. If the train is electric, it can be operated from a non-oil energy source, but whether that energy source is better for the environment than an equivalent bus depends on where the electricity comes from. Using current Amtrak practices of number and type of locomotive, weight and level of streamlining of passenger cars, usage of Diesel-generated electric power for both heating and A/C, the need to keep cars with water systems (toilets) heated during layovers, energy requirement for an 85 foot passenger coach per mile is about the same as a pair of 45 foot buses. To the extent that the train provides more room and more amenities to its passengers than the rather cramped seati
Trains overcome the size and weight limitations of a bus. Steel-wheel on steel-rail vehicles (trains) can also be operated safely at higher speeds than a bus, which is subject to failure of its pneumatic tires, can lose directional control on icy roadways, and is subject to other road hazards.
Hence trains can and do offer more spacious accomodations than buses – wider seats, more leg room, special seating areas for meals (dining car/cafe car). There are high speed services where trains offer substantially faster trip times with buses and trip times competitive with air travel when the various embarkation and disembarkation delays associated with that mode are taken into account.
There is a certain mystique associated with train travel, maybe it is nostalgia for time past when trains were more prevalent, maybe it is inherent in trains themselves. There are a variety of sights, sounds, motions, and even smells (brake shoe smoke?) that are unique to railroading that many people find appealing.
Buses are widely regarded as second-best to a “real” surface transportation option – a train. Keep in mind that Europe has about equal market shares for trains as for intercity motorcoach buses, and their buses have 5 times the market share of buses here and 50 times the market share of Amtrak here in the U.S…
I think the advocacy community views the bus as “why do we need this train when we already have bus service”, but bus service has diminished too. My own position is that the advocacy community should support buses as well as trains as they both provide a surface public transportation option that in many cases can be complementary, the buses serving as the “locals” feeding the “limiteds and expresses” in the form of trains. If we are ever to have an HSR network, that network will need feeder and local service that may take the form of buses.
On the other hand, there are many believers in trains who view trains superior to any mode of transp
Dan! Would you rather put in billions and billions and billions and billions and billions of more dollars into highways and airports and create congestion and pollution and not be at least as equal or betteer than the rest of the world? Ever ride a bus for ten or twenty or forty hours? NO! Rail investment will reap benefits of reliablie, inexpensive, and environmentally better transportation when rationalized and designed into a national transportation policty. When provided as a service rather than running trains it is extremely cost effective, effecient, and envornmentally friendly. Read the April issue of Trains to see how the rest of the world travels and why they do it. If we can’t move people quickly, efficiently, using less fuel and creating fewer hydrocarbons, we will not be able to compte in the world economy. With a better passenger system will also be a better freight system. We cannot continue as we have been. We must move forward somehow…at the moment, if only to keep fifth place to ourselves!
Ever occupy a coach seat on a train for that length of time? I did 40 hours once on the Southwest Limited and it pretty much converted me to the benefits of air transportation.
Is the Vision report, proposing the expenditure of 500 billion dollars to save less than two tenths of a percent on the amount of oil we import, what you have in mind? If it is not, join me in asking that planners do better in coming up with more cost effective proposals.
On a train you can get up, move around, eat, even go to the lavatory in a little more respectable closet.
A lot more fuel will be saved than what is implied. And so will envirnmental contaminants be decresed. In any case, rail is very cost effective, fuel efficient, and enviornmentally safer than highway emmissions. But, yes, planners should come up with cost effective proposals. We, as a nation, have to look at more than just automobiles or airplanes as the only ways to travel. Land usage, fuel consumption, air pollution, return on investment, service, are just a few things that have to be incorporated into a total transportation system. The question to you is $500 billion to air will give you what? highway? rail? And we cannot look at an instant return on investment. Land grants were’nt instant so why should a dollar be so?
Transportation should be balanced with several options. It is a matter of not putting all of our (the US) eggs in one basket. If one mode of transportation fails for several hours to several months (look at what happened in Europe last summer due to the Iceland volcano) there needs to be a balanced system to take up the load.
If it snows hard the roads may close (then no buses)
Bad weather may be closing airports or at least cancelled many of the short haul flights.
A bridge may fail (ie Mineapolis I-35 closing a waterway, RR, or road.
The middle east may flare up cutting off some oil.
Major electrical system failure slowiing or stopping electrified RRs and all RR signaling.
On and on
So we (the US) needs a balanced transportation system and as of now the passenger train side is badly in need of getting to a point of balance/.
While one can certainly argue the benefits of any particular service or improvement plan, and not to take away anything from what has been said above, but …
I think that the simplest answer to Dan (CNW 6000) is that there is a market for passenger trains. With all the complaints about Amtrak service (and we all know that there is frequently reason to complain), it carries 27-28 million passengers per year. All of these people have heard of Greyhound and Southwest, but still chose the train. Even at those stations that are only served in the midddle of the night, only once a day in each direction (and in some cases less than that!), they still come. We can only imagine how many would travel if the service was even a little bit faster, a little more reliable, a little more convenient (meaning, for me, multiple trains in daylight hours at nearly every station), and if it was marketed a bit more effectively.
Yes, most routes (if not all – accountants seem to disagree) currently operate at a loss. But that is a complex issue – most airlines have had multiple loss years, and we don’t say that maybe they should shut down. Yes, airline losses are covered by private investment, not taxpayer dollars (though some might argue that point, too), but that does not diminsh the fact that there is a demand for ground transportation more comfortable than the intercity bus.
One could point to specific demographics – those who are afraid to fly, those who hate the current hassle of flying, those who are willing to pay more and take more time to enjoy the trip or relive “old times”, visitors from abroad who are used to - and prefer - the train, those who don’t drive or don’t have a car, and so on. Small percentages, but a small percentage of 300 million is still a large number!
And for those city-pairs in the 100 - 500 mile range, there is an interesting dynamic – a train trip (on
O K, I’m a very conservative Republican, I am VERY concerned about our national debt and government waste! That said, I know passenger service will always run at a loss and will need government funds to cover that loss however, I don’t believe that any modern country with an effective transportation system can do without passenger service. There are those who for many reasons can only travel comfortably by rail. Long distance trains are still a great way to actually see the country. Commuting is faster and in most cases cost effective. Also I love to take the train… anywhere! As for them costing the tax payers for me to ride…I’ve payed taxes for the last 55 years and passenger railroading is a better investment in the future than PBS, welfare, etc.
While one can certainly argue the benefits of any particular service or improvement plan, and not to take away anything from what has been said above, but …
I think that the simplest answer to Dan (CNW 6000) is that there is a market for passenger trains. With all the complaints about Amtrak service (and we all know that there is frequently reason to complain), it carries 27-28 million passengers per year. All of these people have heard of Greyhound and Southwest, but still chose the train. Even at those stations that are only served in the midddle of the night, only once a day in each direction (and in some cases less than that!), they still come. We can only imagine how many would travel if the service was even a little bit faster, a little more reliable, a little more convenient (meaning, for me, multiple trains in daylight hours at nearly every station), and if it was marketed a bit more effectively.
Yes, most routes (if not all – accountants seem to disagree) currently operate at a loss. But that is a complex issue – most airlines have had multiple loss years, and we don’t say that maybe they should shut down. Yes, airline losses are covered by private investment, not taxpayer dollars (though some might argue that point, too), but that does not diminsh the fact that there is a demand for ground transportation more comfortable than the intercity bus.
One could point to specific demographics – those who are afraid to fly, those who hate the current hassle of flying, those who are willing to pay more and take more time to enjoy the trip or relive “old times”, visitors from abroad who are used to - and prefer - the train, those who don’t drive or don’t have a car, and so on. Small percentages, but a small percentage of 300 million is still a large number!
And for those city-pairs in the 100 - 500 mile range, there is an interest
I am amazed that anyone would compare the NY - Chicago bus experience with the train experience. One is bearable and the other is enjoyable, even for a non-railfan under most conditions traveling coach.
You’re missing my point entirely: I’m not for or against any particular route. My questions/thoughts are related to whether the proposed expenditures are really worth the opportunity cost of not investing in other projects or modes of transportation that may serve more people (and already do).
From the railfan’s perspective-sure, another train (to me anyway-no pax trains here!) is fine and dandy. However, outside of commuter lines and the NEC (isn’t that basically the same thing-writ large?) are these routes really utilized to the point that the expenses needed to improve service times are justified? To me this comes back to the argument of “If you build it, they will come” which I personally doubt, in the near future anyway.
In my travels the options to take passenger trains has been very limited and inconvenient (not to mention really expensive) which is probably a part of why I am asking these questions.
Its a good question to ask. The answer is, as with most things, “it depend”. It depends on what the alternatives are and which option gives the most benefit for the least cost. Not all the benefits show up in the fare box and not all the costs show up on the ledger. It might be better to institute (or continue) rail service in a corridor than to have to build interstate lanes or runways in an urban/suburban area.
I think you’ll generally find that some corridor services make s
Capital transportation decisions cannot be formulated base on TODAY. Those decisions have to be based on projections 20 to 50 years in the future. While we may not know all the technologies that may become available as the years progress we do know that the volumes generated by increasing populations will continue to tax existing facilities beyond what we now know as their practical if not absolute capacity.
How many lanes of Interstate will it take to alleviate congestion and gridlock. How many more airports can be built to server major metropolitan areas and how much more airspace can be created to support flights to serve all the airports.
In a HSR served country all the major metropolitan areas East of the Mississippi are within the practical potential of generating sufficient traffic to support HSR. With truly HSR (150+ MPH sustained speeds), Chicago-New York has the potential to be a 5-6 hour trip, City center to City center, which considering present airport locations would be competitive with the overall air line trip City center to City center, considering the requirements of going from City Center to the outlying air port, through security as we now know it, and the commute from the outlying airport back to City center at destination.
HSR doesn’t, from my viewpoint, make much sense with the metropolitan areas traversing the West; with the being said, a network linking the Pacific Coast from San Diego to Seattle or Vancouver, BC may make economic sense.
What will be the answers as we build to 2020 - 2030 - 2040 - 2050. The clock is ticking.
I think a lot of good points are being made, mainly because the discussion is avoiding the “all or none” tone that usually prevails. At the present time, building/expanding short haul (~300 mile) corridors that can operate at a top speed which Don calls HrSR (110 mph) is sensible b/c the costs are not so high and they can be very competitive for most travelers, air and highway. Later, as true HSR (200-225 mph) is implemented, corridors could be longer, but not likely to ever be competitive at distances greater than NY-CHI (~900 miles), if that.
Didn’t Trailways go belly-up and isn’t Greyhound a shell of its former self? Forty hours on the Southwest Chief can be a problem for someone who doesn’t like trains. Yet, there is constant turnover in the passengers between Chicago and L.A. Think airline travel is ideal for long haul trips. I’m keeping my mouth shut for the next year until we get a better idea of high fuel costs relative to airline travel. Will the wheels come off the industry?
If I’m interpreting your post (and Don’s above) a ‘spoke & hub’ network of bus feeding rail (or light rail feeding rail) feeding airports (for distances greater than 900 miles) kind of system makes sense, right? Or did I miss something?
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
**[Lao-tzu](http://cs.trains.com/quotes/Lao-tzu/)**, *The Way of Lao-tzu*
*Chinese philosopher (604 BC - 531 BC)*
A grand design should be held on the horizon to keep us focused. But construction needs to be a series of small steps toward that long term goal. Just charging headlong toward the grand design makes people say “We can’t afford that”. McDonalds did not seek financing to open 1,500 restaurants in the first ten years. No one would have financed that. They opened them one at a time, gaining speed as the company grew.
Amtrak should pick a few high density corridors and do them right. Fast, frequent, and on time. In short, make them convenient transportation. Adding one or two corridors at a time will not require eye watering investment. When those corridors intersect, then it is easy enough to have some of the equipment run the entire distance, making a de facto long distance train. Running one train a day through rural USA to connect distant cities will never generate high passenger volume.
Yes, that seems to be the idea, along with the kind of gradualism that Phoebe Vet mentions. Do it right in a few corridors at a time. As the passenger base builds, so will public support. Right now, very few Americans have had any direct experience with real rail service of the type we are proposing, even in the NEC, which is pretty slow. It is no wonder they are doubtful about the benefits.
Ok, with that description and plan that changes my whole mind on the PAX rail subject. Of course, I’m open to change in that regard whereas some simply aren’t. I wonder why ‘someone’ didn’t advocate for a plan and approach like what we’re talking about here. If they did…it didn’t get much press or was done poorly.