This Week at Amtrak 2006-11-02
Volume 3 Number 44 — Any given day can bring dozens of communiques to the URPA electronic mail box. Here is a sampling of the last few days.
- From a resident of Mount Prospect, Illinois about last week’s TWA:
Several unsolicited comments:
- In your newsletter of Oct. 6 you argued that Amtrak was America’s best secret outside of Washington and the NEC. You really need to include Illinois in your exception. Just looking at Illinois’ number of passengers, passenger miles, and revenue should be sufficient to prove the we are aware of Amtrak. Better measures of Amtrak’s success include congestion relief (certainly the Chicago - Milwaukee route is now important in this regard, and I’m glad an extra car is going to be added to those departures that have sometimes experienced standing-room only problems), the reduction of pollution, better land-use, and most importantly, the productivity that can be gained by having time to work while on a train as opposed to driving a vehicle on our now dysfunctional highway system. The local Amtrak radio and print marketing campaigns are snappy and are driving home the point that, well, driving is a pretty stupid thing to do when you can take the train. That said, we have just scratched the surface in realizing the potential of what trains can do in Illinois. But we do know Amtrak and what it can offer. Your point about how Amtrak could do a better job connecting with hotels is good advice (though I’d be very surprised if there’s a single city in Illinois served by Amtrak in which a hotel wouldn’t take you to the Amtrak depot), as is the opportunity for Amtrak to engage in some low-cost marketing techniques.
- You are correct in stating that Amtrak remains a secret here in one regard: I don’t think that most residents of Illinois realize that Chicago’s commuter rail system (METRA) - arguably the most successful in the western hemisphere - depends on Amtrak for both dispatching and Union Station. I’ll bet you that if Chicago’s commuter rail system shut down for five workdays there is nowhere on this planet where the local newspapers wouldn’t cover it, as the economic impact would be staggering. Yes, passenger trains in Illinois are that important. Primarily I am referring to trains within 100 miles of Chicago, but recently we’ve given up waiting for inept Washington and just decided to pay for additional Amtrak service out of our own pockets. It does seem a bit unfair that 46 people in Alaska can get $250,000,000 out of federal funds to build a bridge to nowhere and we get nothing for rail. But paying out of our own pocket is the only way to stay competitive with Europe and Asia, as well as to improve our quality of life, so we have risen to the challenge.
- I was glad to see a little space devoted to the near cancellation of the new Illinois trains in your latest newsletter. Until that, there had been very little information in your newsletter on the Midwest, excluding occasional news on the Empire Builder.
- Unlike the lack of Midwest coverage, the amount of space that you have given to your beloved Sunset is amazing. Despite all of your coverage, I need further convincing to see the need to restore the Sunset, given the dismal on-time performance of the post-Katrina Sunset (4% in August) and the incredibly low number of riders (4,369). For far less money than running the beloved Sunset from Florida to New Orleans we could add a second daily departure from Chicago to Minneapolis/St Paul. The on-time performance of this second departure would be around 90% (based on the performance of the existing westbound train from Chicago to St. Paul), and the number of riders would easily be at least ten times that on the Florida to New Orleans route. Indeed, the existence of any train with an on-time performance of less than 50% needs to be very, very seriously considered. Such trains are not contributing to making our country more economically competitive, as no business traveler in his or her right mind would ride one.
- What is wrong with your idea to extend the City of New Orleans to Florida? Primarily that the Sunset runs along UP and CSX track, both of which clearly do not want passenger trains and through their slow orders will eventually succeed in killing passenger rail along their routes. However, if me must have the Sunset, I would be willing to back your proposal with the following modification: trains departing from Florida would have an 12 hour layover in New Orleans before proceeding to Chicago. This should be enough time to allow the trains to catch up with their schedule and then leave New Orleans and northern cities on time. The Midwest should not have one of its routes destroyed via late trains just so that the beloved Sunset can run through Florida again to serve a handful of riders. …
The missive from our reader in Illinois was read and commented upon by a URPA member. It should also be noted that Illinois, like California, supports and controls statewide advertising for state funded Amtrak trains. California discovered years ago the best way to keep state subsidies to Amtrak lower was to control advertising for the trains subsidized, and the cost of advertising and bringing aboard new passengers and revenues is much lower than the subsidies Amtrak requires when no advertising is present.
The fellow [above] is obviously puffed up about Illinois service. Looking at some of the numbers, they are indeed doing well with actual sold seats above the 100 mark, about the same as the Sunset. Previous Illinois passenger rail numbers were around 80 or so.
But the analogy of dropping trains because of a poor on-time record rather than low revenue is a new one. That remark does not say much about the writer’s [thought process].
Another point the Illinois people are trumpeting is congestion relief. The Illinois services would require something like four buses to duplicate the capacity and the speed of a train. But 2 of the 4 buses would be empty.
Then there is the congestion angle. Four buses worth of service won’t cause gridlock on the highway but it might on the railroad - at least according to CN. So where is the congestion problem?
The Greyhound bus operator is also Canadian controlled and their actions are identical, downgrading the weaker links on their U.S. system. But if you check out the Canadian Greyhound Bus system, it remains intact, going even to the remotest settlements in the far north near the Hudson Bay where the highway ends - virtually. The Trans Canada route around Lake Superior has traffic so low that a single 2-lane highway can carry the entire nation’s trucks, cars and buses between both coasts - and it isn’t crowded. Canadian Greyhound services this area but not Chicago to Seattle.
- An update for the record: Amtrak and CN/IC came to an agreement to allow the new Illinois state funded trains to begin rolling last Monday, as scheduled. Amtrak stood its ground, and CN agreed to live up to its contract with Amtrak, but only for a year, pending the outcome of operating the new trains. Someone at CN figured out that a signed contract is a signed contract, even if someone outside of the Montreal home office signed the contract without permission.
- Here’s a fascinating trip report about a group of senior citizens riding on private cars and their Amtrak experience. Be sure and read the next item below this trip report. It speaks volumes about an improved Amtrak if the gentleman writing the memo sticks to his guns.
Our Fall Foliage Trip Posted By: George …
I thought all of the membership of AAPRCO [American Association of Private Rail Car Owners] will want to read our trip LOG.
Another Great Group-Travel In Conjunction With Amtrak
Three private cars, 30 elderly passengers plus crew. Amtrak Costs $32,327.30 [for handling the private cars on the trip]. “Leaf Peepers” fall foliage trip.
Monday, October 9, 2006
8:00 A.M. - Texas Eagle departed San Antonio on time.
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
3:15 P.M. - The Texas Eagle, No. 22 arrived late [into Chicago Union Station]. George went to the “glass house”[Amtrak services office in Chicago]; no one knew we were coming and could not tell him when we would be moved.
4:45 P.M. - George called [Chicago Amtrak] yard tower - will move entire train to yard in 15 minutes but no idea when we will be moved to one of the river tracks, which are accessible by taxi or bus; will be on track No. 1 in meantime; not sure when any special moves can be made.
4:30 P.M. - HEP [Head End Power/hotel electric power for train cars including lights, air conditioning and heat, plus kitchen power and plumbing power] down. Cars inspected in station.
4:55 P.M. - Blue flag [Safety flag indicated train or individual cars cannot be moved because of mechanical personnel working on equipment] taken down.
5:10 P.M. - Switch engine coupled. 5:35 P.M. - [Private cars] left [Chicago] Union Station. 5:40 P.M. - Stopped next to pit inspection building; switch engine and crew still on.
6:00 P.M. - Moved over one track with two Superliners attached to us; called Tower to ask permission for our crew to add water to Swift Stream generator because refrigerators and freezers off power (since 4:30) and no HEP; tower replied NO - will move us to Track 11 (good location - third track from street by river) in about 40 minutes.
6:22 P.M. - Group Travel representative called - passengers want to return to train - some need to get to their medications; we told her to stall the group until our move is completed - in about 20-25 minutes.
7:20 P.M. - Switch engine coupled to us to move to wye [track to change direction cars are pointed] and then Track 11.
7:40 P.M. - Switched one Superliner car off on yard. 7:45 - 7:56 P.M. - Moved back into the Station and second Superliner car switched off.
7:56 P.M. - Starting to the wye.
Sometime between 8:00 and 8:20 P.M. - Travel Group representative obtained the tower phone number and called the yard master and was told our move to Track 11 was in progress.
8:25 P.M. - Still sitting on wye. 8:30 P.M. - George shined flashlight at switch crew and they then started moving us again.
8:35 P.M. - Travel Group representative called to report her conversation with the yard master.
8:50 P.M. - Five hours and thirty-five minutes after arrival in Chicago - Parked on Track 11; HEP on; water started.
9:00-9:20 P.M. - Septic dump.
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
9:00 A.M. - Travel Group left on trolley bus for city tour and will return to train between 11:30 and 11:45.
11:30 A.M. - Debbie notice someone fooling around the HEP stand. George went out and ask the guy what he was doing. The guy replied he was told to disconnect the HEP. George asked him why … the reply was … he didn’t know. HEP shut down. George called tower - Angie informed George that we were being moved and attached to Lake Shore Limited No. 49 when it arrives and move us into shop service building (i.e., out of sight). George asked her why they were moving us at 11:30 A.M. for an 8:00 P.M. departure from Chicago. Angie replied because that’s what they were going to do! George called Don Cushine [Longtime Amtrak Chicago executive] - voicemail - out of town, then Billie Ernest - voicemail.
11:45 A.M. - Switch engine arrived; George already on phone with Billie - she’ll find out what and why, and call back.
12:00 P.M. - Billie called to assure us we are “only moving about a hundred yards”. Problem is, it’s a hundred yards deeper into the yard with more than 7 live tracks (commuter trains, switching, etc.) between us and the returning passengers.
12:05 P.M. - Left Track 11.
12:20 P.M. - Now on Track 4, inside service pit building and over pit; switch crew did position us for immediate HEP hookup but Angie (in Tower) overruled switch crew and ordered our reposition to the end of service building with Huntington [private car name] outside building and no HEP until train No. 49 arrives in “maybe 40 minutes.” Also no water available at our current position.
12:35 P.M. - Travel Group representative called for instructions to get trolley bus to service building to offload 12 passengers (down ramp, hard right U-turn, yard road across live tracks).
1:00 P.M. - Travel Group arrived on trolley bus. Ten passengers boarded train; Group rep and other 12 passengers continued to Union Station to eat lunch, sightsee, and will return between 5 and 5:30. Trolley barely made turn-around on yard road and switching on Track 5 during passenger transfers and trolley turn-around and exit from yard.
1:05 P.M. - We will be moved another 10 feet toward Station because No. 49 not positioned correctly to get all cars (including us) onto HEP.
1:30 P.M. - Parked after 10-foot move, now blocking yard road where trolley bus could get to us. No HEP, water, air, etc.
2:00 P.M. - Harold called tower - when will we have HEP, water, air?
2:15 P.M. - George called tower - same question.
2:35 P.M. - Billie called to check status; if we don’t have power within 10 minutes, call her back. 3:10 P.M. - HEP on.
3:20 P.M. - Informed that Eagle View and Swift Stream [private car names] will be watered but Huntington can’t be watered - don’t have enough hose to reach it’s current location.
3:25 P.M. - HEP off.
3:50 P.M. - HEP off again due to inspection of No. 49’s cars, which will become No. 48 on departure from Chicago.
4:00 P.M. - Billie called to check status. George told her we still didn’t have ice. She called Chicago to make sure they brought us ice.
5:00 P.M. - HEP on.
5:30 P.M. - Group Travel back in Union Station - can’t get to train.
6:35 P.M. - HEP off.
6:50 P.M. - HEP on.
7:10 P.M. - Blue flag down.
7:20 P.M. - Backed into Chicago Union Station. Boarded Travel Group representative stating “Never again would she do this!” and 12 passengers, two of whom would have already flown back to San Antonio if their luggage and medications hadn’t been on board. All passengers upset with Amtrak, us, and the Group Travel Agency representative. Several passengers are threatening to cancel remainder of trip, no matter where they are at the time, if anything else happens.
7:30 P.M. - Still no ice - George and our crew went down station ramp to commissary to get ice for our cars.
7:57 P.M. - DEPART CHICAGO - THANK GOD! Debbie named this part of the trip “You just can’t fix stupid.”
Thursday, October 12, 2006
7:00 A.M. - George called conductor via radio to confirm that he knew our passenger were detraining in Buffalo; conductor hadn’t read manifest and was not aware that passengers would detrain at Buffalo, requiring double spotting [stopping the train twice at one station because the station platform is not as long as the train].
7:30 - 7:45 A.M. - Arrived Buffalo — Passengers detrain to be bussed to Canada.
1:15 - 1:45 P.M. - Arrived Rensselaer. Switch crew waiting to take us off The Lake Shore Limited No. 48. Moved to Track 6 - excellent parking area with easy access for tour bus and rental car. Immediate HEP connection and water available.
Monday, October 16, 2006
11:30 A.M. - Dumped all three cars [septic tanks].
12:20 P.M. - Switched to Track 3; HEP on.
3:15 P.M. - Departed Rensselaer on time.
6:10 P.M. - Waited in tunnel at NYP [New York City, Pennsylvania Station].
6:15 P.M. - Arrived on Track 6; passengers detrained.
6:35 P.M. - Left Track 6 for [Amtrak] Sunnyside Yard
7:05 P.M. - Parked in Sunnyside after making the loop; blue flag up; told it will be at least one hour before we will be moved, but don’t know where we’ll be.
7:35 P.M. - George called Sunnyside Yardmaster John Caruso, who didn’t know when we will be moved back to station because he has to move two private cars to Hudson RR; George explained that we are Group Travel; he was very helpful and would call back in 10 minutes.
7:45 P.M. - George called John Caruso; he is taking idle crew and locomotive with the two unoccupied private cars and will take us back to NYP.
8:00 P.M. - HEP off and two cars and locomotive attached.
8:10 P.M. - HEP on - waiting for move to NYP.
9:07 P.M. - Crew arrived and conductor walked train.
9:20 P.M. - Left Sunnyside Yard. 9:40 P.M. - Arrived NYP Track 6.
9:45 P.M. - Moved beyond passenger access to NYP yard track D5; no HEP; George called John Caruso, who called NYP station master, who said it was too busy and may move us in an hour.
10:00 P.M. - Electric locomotive coupled to us.
10:15 P.M. - HEP on from electric locomotive.
10:55 P.M. - Move to Track 5 to board passengers after $50 bribe to Amtrak employee.
1:50 A.M. - HEP off; moved to be connected to train NEC Regional train No. 67.
2:00 A.M. - Coupled to train No. 67; locomotive uncoupled.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
7:05 A.M. - Arrived Washington; HEP off; No. 67 disconnected.
7:40 A.M. - Switch engine and crew connected; all three cars moved to Track 9, then disconnected Huntington and moved it to Track 10. This separated the kitchens and dining areas from the Swift Stream and Huntington.
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
3:30 P.M. - HEP off.
3:50 P.M. - Coupled Huntington with our other two cars.
4:15 P.M. - Moved to yard to be dumped [septic tanks].
4:20 P.M. - Arrived at pump station; informed it would take 20-30 minutes before pumping could start; pumps have to build up suction and “no one told them we were coming to be pumped.”
4:50 P.M. - Pumping started.
5:05 P.M. - Pumping finished; moved to Track 8, upper level.
6:35 P.M. - Moved to lower level and coupled to The Crescent, No. 19; received Map 10C Summary copy for first time on this entire trip.
6:48 P.M. - Depart Washington.
Thursday, October 19, 2006
7:50 P.M. - Arrive New Orleans.
8:10 P.M. - Moved to pit to replace Eagle View’s brake shoes; washed and dumped.
9:55 P.M. - Moving to station.
10:15 P.M. - In station; HEP on.
Friday, October 20, 2006
10:00 A.M. - Ice delivered.
12:06 P.M. - Depart New Orleans on Sunset Limited.
Saturday, October 21, 2006
2:10 A.M. - Arrive San Antonio - first time ever that we arrived early at San Antonio! The Group Travel Agency told George point blank that they would never book another trip with us again unless we could assure them that the problems with Amtrak were straightened out!
Pretty amazing how much $32,327.30 will buy you from Amtrak for hauling three private passenger cars and providing basic station services.
- Here’s the good part. Below is an internal memo from Jeff Snowden in Chicago, who is Amtrak’s Central Division Passenger Services Superintendent in Chicago.
Sunday, October 1, 2006
Managers and Operation Supervisors,
As you know FY 06 came to a close yesterday and I wanted to write you and let you know how I assessed the year.
Some of your areas, whether Stations or On Board Services, have been a challenge specifically surrounding our Customer Service. As most of you know, we constantly receive a great deal of customer service complaints that are appalling to read and even more difficult to follow up on for various reasons. I sometimes read them and shake my head wondering how some of our employees could be so thoughtless and non-customer focused. The reason is we (management) have allowed them! In my travels I see a lot of great employees doing the right things and giving great customer service and believe that they truly get it. I have also run into those who don’t have a clue as to how to give great Customer Service. Some of these employees are the ones that have twenty five or thirty years and are just treading along until retirement. I even had one tell me, with respect to our service efforts and Simplified Dining, “Everything we’re doing today will change next year.” When I challenged that theory he was somewhat receptive but I doubt it was taken to heart. Folks, there is a culture change that is needed here in the Division. We have allowed our employees to dictate what they are going to do and when they are going to do it. That ends right now! I have a lot of ideas of how we need to accomplish this but the following is just the beginning.
Starting this month, each of you (management only) will be involved in Assessment Team Audits. Each of you will be paired up with a fellow manager and sent to a section of the Division that is not in your area of responsibility. You will audit this area looking specifically at uniform compliance, service, and safety guidelines, etc. You will know ahead of time when you are going but you won’t know where nor will you have any details about what the specifics are of your trip until you meet with me directly. This serves to not make any area look bad and receive a negative report from your colleagues, but it is only to help us enhance the entire Division and ensure that a fresh set of eyes are able to see some of the inconsistencies that we all should be observing daily. In addition, I am instituting a minimum number of train rides for OBS managers on a weekly basis and a minimum number of station visits for District Managers. …
As I look at some of the TDRS entries some of you are doing a great job getting your “Mandatory” 30 observations entered [Visual observations Amtrak frontline managers are required to make about OBS and other employees and the presentation and service they are providing to passengers]. Equally important, you are addressing failures. Unfortunately, there are some who are struggling in this area. Starting today, I am instituting a 20% failure rate for all managers and Operation Supervisors. Meaning this, for every 30 observations there needs to be at least 6 failures. Now, as many failures that we see out there 20% is easily achievable. Obviously as we get better and more consistent, that rate will change. Also, 30 TDRS observations is just a minimum amount that needs to be entered, but I expect to see more than that every month from each of you.
… With regards to our Revenue and Remit Reviews and Station Audits although we made the goal of the corporation, most of it was done literally at the last minute and this is unacceptable. For Audits to be effective there can not be a mad dash to finish it because the year is ending. They have to be done with a sense of purpose to ensure that it is done correctly. This year there will be specific deadlines throughout the year that will be met to achieve your specific goal. I will be monitoring these goals personally.
… The entire year of FY 07 our theme for Passenger Services will be “Commitment to Excellence.” This is not only for our employees, but for us as well. We have a long way to go but I am confident in each and every one of you that you will exceed my expectations. My personal goal is to continue to make this Division the best in the country. All of you should have that as your personal goal for your respective areas. There will be changes that are going to be in the best interest of the company, the division, the department and more importantly our customers. …
Here’s hoping the best for Mr. Snowden and his efforts. He certainly seems to “get it.” Here is a final word from an outside observer about the above memo.
What even Amtrak’s supporters should find alarming: “You WILL find 20% in violation” (by implication … or be fired). “You will have NO trouble doing this (”easily achievable”); things are THAT bad.”
- Want to have some fun? Watch what happens when the front line employees know the new president of the company is riding the train. Here is an anonymous report from a fellow rider when newly minted Amtrak President and CEO Alex Kummant took a ride on the Coast Starlight.
Just got off No.14 [Coast Starlight] at Portland, Oregon. [Mr.] Kummant and his small entourage got on-board last night at Sacramento. He was in Room A of the 1430 car, others were spread out between the other sleepers in Room A and the economy rooms. Here’s the scoop from my perspective as a passenger:
First thing I noticed at Los Angeles when walking up the platform to the train was that it was clean — very clean. Not that the Coast Starlight is filthy or anything, but I could tell that extra time had been spent spiffing it up. A first-time or occasional rider of the train would probably think it’s normal and not even notice it. But for folks who have been around the equipment for a while, it was very noticeable. Same thing on the interiors — I have never … ever … seen the inside of a sleeping car so clean. They obviously put some effort into making this train look nice. No extra touches were added — it was just clean and looked great. As one onboard employee said, “Why can’t they do this every day for the paying passengers?”.
This train also had a Pacific Parlour Car on it. I noticed that the car number 39974, which I believe has been sitting in the Los Angeles Amtrak yard collecting dust for a very long time. It was great having that car …
At most stations along the way, there were “meet and greet” sessions between [Mr.] Kummant and his people and the crew working at the station. Nothing formal, just shaking hands and saying hello.
There were many Amtrak employees along the way who were obviously there to meet him. I’ve traveled this route a lot, and I’ve never seen anything like it. I suppose when the boss comes through town, everyone knows about it.
In addition to Mr. Kummant, there were others on-board the train either traveling with him, or rode part of the way. I couldn’t keep track of the various names of people who came and went (and I may mess up their job title as well), but here are some of the Amtrak people that were there for at least part of the trip (some the entire way): General Superintendent of the Pacific Division (I can’t recall if that’s the exact job title, but he’s the man in charge of the entire Pacific Division at Amtrak), Superintendent of on-board employees (office based in Seattle), the man who is in charge of the entire Coast Starlight line, and several others with “superintendent” or “manager” in their job title.
Mr. Kummant seems like a very grounded person. He appeared open and was just taking everything in. He walked around and talked to employees and passengers. He also held a meeting onboard the train this afternoon in the dining car with all on-board employees. No announcements or anything special — just a brief chat. Someone else commented that [Mr.]Kummant is acting like a “sponge” at this point, just soaking it all in. From my perspective, that’s what I witnessed. I did not get the impression that he is out to “do” anything bad to Amtrak, except run it well and do the best with what he’s given. I said that I would not want to be in his shoes, leading a company with a long track record of financial woes and other issues.
Regarding the Parlour Cars, here it is straight from the horse’s mouth: The decision to eliminate the cars and remove them forever is temporarily on hold. They *were* going to get rid of them, but he sees the benefit in keeping them and has heard from many people, both passengers and employees alike. The decision from his standpoint comes down to one simple thing: money. It’s strictly an economic decision. A final word on the status of these cars will be announced “very shortly.” When asked, I was told this means within a few short weeks. In the meantime, the cars will just show up on a trainset every now and then as they have been for several months now.
One other item worth mentioning is that I have never been on ANY Amtrak train where we were treated like royalty by the host railroad. I listened to the scanner almost the entire trip, and it was blatantly obvious that anyone having ANYTHING to do with No. 14 was well aware of it up and down the west coast. I continued hearing us referred to as being “hot,” as in “I’ve got a hot No. 14 coming through” - I have never heard this before. Dispatchers were on their best behavior and had the track ahead of us cleared out for miles and miles and miles — it was amazing. The onboard employees were veteran Amtrak employees — not a rookie in the bunch. I’m not sure if this was by chance or if it was planned. I will be on this same trainset as No. 11 tomorrow and I’ll have to ask to see if they were hand-picked or not. The crew worked more diligently than I have ever seen on any Amtrak train. Everything was done quickly and efficiently. Again, I’ve never seen anything quite like this before. The conductors from Los Angeles all the way to Portland kept the passengers informed of the slightest delay and exactly what was going on. Most conductors do this, but this time it was different - the smallest and most insignificant delay was announced and we were kept extremely informed as to our progress.
Now I know what Amtrak is like when everything runs super-smooth and the equipment is given a little extra attention. Too bad it can’t be done every day.
Overall, my impression of [Mr.] Kummant is that he realizes he is new to his job and has lots to learn in order to make the right decisions. He didn’t come across as arrogant, pompous, or with an agenda. Of course, time will tell …
- A reader in California was kind enough to send this message, regarding last week’s item about VIA Rail Canada’s 150th anniversary of Canadian passenger rail service between Toronto and Montreal.
Enjoy your commentaries. A few weeks ago my wife and I traveled from Montreal to Quebec City on VIA’s business class: clean, modern equipment; on-time; two course lunch with wine served at our seat; service professional and friendly; both stations clean. Some contrast with Amtrak.
- More mail about VIA came floating over the cyberspace transom.
“Passenger rail in the corridor is still going strong after 150 years. The long-lasting popularity of this service illustrates the on-going need for passenger rail in Canada. Last year alone, VIA carried a record 4 million passengers,” said Paul Côté, President and Chief Executive Officer. “It is clear that more and more people are turning to passenger rail as a safe and environment-friendly travel alternative, something we at VIA are very proud of.”
Interesting. Did VIA carry 4 million people in just the Windsor-Quebec City Corridor or all of Canada?
[No, that 4 million number of passengers is a system wide total.] Canada is a country of 32 plus million. We are a country of 300 million. VIA with it’s admitted skeletal system has a ridership of 4 million. Amtrak has ridership of 24 million. If the ridership in the U.S. was the same percentage of the population as in Canada, Amtrak’s annual ridership should be 37 million.
As bad as VIA is supposedly doing, Amtrak is doing much worse.
- More on Amtrak and VIA from a TWA reader who works in New York City and rides Amtrak’s Empire Service as a commuter to and from work everyday.
So, now the Canadians have wireless Internet on board [their] trains? Hmm, could we the last developed country in the world without?
Can you imagine if Amtrak were to install such a feature? They’d have to double up on the number of cars on their trains to handle all the new traffic, at least on the NEC.
Let’s see now … you’ve got a business meeting in Washington at 2:00 P.M. on Monday of next week. You can either sit in I-95 congestion, wasting your time, your gasoline, and your toll money, suppressing road rage for five hours while listening to the inane drivel from some shock-jock on the radio; or you can stretch out in a comfortable train, sipping freshly-brewed coffee, putting the finishing touches on your PowerPoint presentation and e-mailing up a storm with your business contacts. So, which would you choose?
This is exactly the real-world scenario that makes corridors such as the NEC and Canada’s Grand Trunk such a popular choice with travelers over medium-range distances. Since many thousands of riders use these corridors every day, trains leave many times per day, and you have almost the scheduling flexibility of driving. Also, expensive infrastructure — which, when amortized, accounts for a large share of total operating costs — gets put to good solid use rather than just lying there rusting for 23 hours and 59 minutes of every day. Trains are a natural, common-sense fit for medium-distance travel because they provide a practical, sensible travel option to large numbers of riders.
Now, let’s run a corresponding comparison of alternatives for longer distances: I have a business meeting in Los Angeles at 2:00 P.M. on Monday of next week. One option is to take an E train to the JFK spur, endure a near strip-searching by security, stuff myself into a plane, [breathe] artificial air and eat bad food for six hours, and then I’m there, perhaps a little worse for the wear, but ready to go to work after a face-wash and good strong coffee or two. The other option is to take your chances on the notorious Lake Shore Limited, praying that you don’t get parked behind a freight train overnight which would raise the risk of missing your connection with the Southwest Chief in Chicago, on which you will subsequently tarry for an adventure lasting two full days and nights — if all goes well. At least you have nice scenery to look at. Now, if I want to make that meeting on Monday by train, I’ll have to leave … hmm, let’s see … oh boy, I’ll have to leave at 3:20 P.M. today! Aack! Better let the wife and kids know I won’t be seeing them this weekend. Ooohhh, and I forgot to pack! Aargh!
On second thought, maybe I’ll just give in and fly.
I’m not saying that long-distance trains should be reduced or eliminated. I’m in favor of expanding them, too. A great country should have a great transportation network, and that includes long-distance rail. If that requires a little extra subsidy, then so be it. I can eat one less ham sandwich next year so that Chicagoans and Texans can get to Disney by train if they wish — preferably in comfort and on time. But I believe it was Norman Mineta who coined the phrase “boutique travel” for long-distance trains, and although I find this expression unfortunate, you have to admit that there is some truth to it. Rail buffs and other eccentric types (myself included) are amenable to this way of traveling, but as long as government subsidies for air travel (over $10B a year) make advance-reservation airplane fares artificially competitive with rail fares, and as long as trains take five or ten times as long to go long distances as planes, it’s going to take one heck of a marketing campaign (or a 300 MPH Maglev system) to convince most Americans to give rail a try for trips of more than a couple hundred miles. That’s just the way things are.
Notice how, under the Canadian austerity plan of the mid-1980’s, it was the regional trains that were kept, while the coast-to-coast ones were, unfortunately, dropped? Was this yet another example of ill-advised cutting by management, or might they have looked at the numbers and chosen to keep only those portions of their system that provide the most people the greatest value while requiring the least subsidy?