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Trains News Wire EXCLUSIVE: Amtrak officials to tour ‘Southwest Chief’ route Friday
The bottom line is this: the RR’s are not a charitable 501c-3 group and know how the cards fall. However, both parties have a vested interest in maintaining capacity. Guess who does not wish to admit the fact? Reason demands preservation and upgrades, but the lethal mix of politics and short term financial “results” have their usual corrosive effect.
Warren Buffett could write Big Fat Check Today, if he really want too?? The 56 Billion Man. Also Buffett could also Buy Amtrak New Superliner car order say 500 New Cars as gift??
Make it to 120 mph like in Illinois, if ya gonna spend money that aint yours, go all out. Its ridiculous to build new to 79mph, thats so 1980’s, huge waste to keep it at 79. @ Suzan the guvnah, I hope they stop serving NM.
The Kansas Tiger grant application was submitted in conjunction with 11 southern Colorado entities.
I hope Amarillo still has a decent train station. sigh.
Kansas wants the feds to pay their state’s share. I wish I could get someone to pays my taxes for me.
A route shift to Pueblo, Walsenburg and then to Trinidad is not practical for several reasons:
this would add 4-5 hours to the overall schedule of the SWC only significant potential for additional passengers is Pueblo
Pueblo - Trinidad line not ready for passenger trains
Backup switch move needed in Pueblo unless another depot created
To Richard,
A riddle: When does the cost of an airline ticket not equal the cost of an airline ticket?
Answer: As soon as you board any commercial flight. When you factor the expense of air traffic control, the TSA, and if you board at Garden City, the subsidy for essential air service the cost of that ticket balloons.
I’m really loath to tell other states how they should spend their money. The USG should pay the addition cost if keeping the SWC on the Raton route is in the nation’s interest. Amtrak is a USG program funded by our Federal taxes. This going hat-in-hand is a reason those brave souls in DOT back in 1969-70 fought to make Amtrak a USG program rather than leaving it up to the states. States would have quarreled over routes, schedules, funds, equipment, etc. with no sense of national interest. We would have had the NEC, probably a hub-and-spoke operation out of Chicago, and maybe a couple of trains elsewhere. Amtrak was the least “bad” option.
I’m glad Boardman is getting out on the road, even if it’s only to solicit money for a specific train. He should follow Matt Rose’s example; Rose visits about a third of the BNSF system each year.
The scout ranch is in Cimarron, NM. Not CO.
Ms. Guvnah I’m sure made her comments from the back of her state provided limo.
Pueblo played this card before. A 100 years ago when Colorado was looking to support construction of the Moffat Tunnel, they also agreed to do a flood control program for Pueblo to get their support. Now than Colorado is thinking of spending more money on railroads, Pueblo wants a piece of it.
When the loss per passenger per train equals an airline ticket
why not just take a big sigh and bite the bullet. If any of this
made sense the Class 1’s would do it on their own. Sure it’s nice
that someone else is paying for all this but that’s getting old.
I’m sure The Teabag Guv. Susanna Martinez’s attitude toward the Scouts coming to Philmont is: “They can damn well fly!”
Why shouldn’t BNSF try to get the states, Amtrak and the federal government to pay for the upkeep and preservation of the Raton pass line. Look how good that worked for them in North Dakota with the Devil’s Lake line, which is now so busy with crude oil and grain traffic that the Empire Builder can’t even get over it on time.
For how long does Suzzener remain gubner of Old Mexico? Perhaps she may be voted out of office before all of these pieces come together. And I’m sure immigration issues will keep de-railing any negativity from her office.
In the end…Joe Boardman for N.M. Gubner!!!
if upgrades are completed on this line (principally welded rail),
the presence of automatic train stop suggests that 90 mph
will be possible on at least some segments. all the ats
circuitry is in place. the real value would be “90 mph permitted
but not scheduled” (like west of on the transcon) which is a big
help to timekeeping. i believe the fra rules read, ctc with
ats allows 90 mph on track of the proper class.
What did you expect from Oh Susanna? Why can’t Amtrak ever get two good CEO’s in a row? Boardman has wasted the last six years of a pro Amtrak presidency bumbling and stumbling around. Too bad they let Canadian Pacific grab Hunter Harrison.