Volume 1, Number 15

William Lindley of Scottsdale, Arizona has issued a declaration of victory for the passenger rail world in North America. His compelling commentary:

Gentle Readers,

These past few weeks you have witnessed the beginnings of the new Golden Age of American passenger rail.

Fifty years of negativism on the subject of passenger trains, and the resulting spirit-crushing socialist bureaucracy, are finally crumbling. The codifying document of the disconsolate movement was the April 1959 special issue of TRAINS magazine entitled “Who Shot the Passenger Train?” which saw the symptom of shrinking schedule-books but utterly misunderstood the disease. It called not for making trains more competitive with the new super-highways and jetways, but saw only a world where over-regulation, over-taxation, and inflexible union rules were beyond the ability to change. Indeed, the magazine effectively calls for the demolition of allegedly useless edifices like New York’s Pennsylvania Station — realized only four years later in “a monumental act of vandalism against one of the largest and finest landmarks of its age of Roman elegance.” (“Farewell to Penn Station,” The New York Times, October 30, 1963.)

You have seen in the past few weeks here in this space, some of the history of the Northeast Corridor. And you may wonder why — Why, on God’s green Earth, would the Pennsylvania road wish to build an absurdly expensive new station in New York City, which for many years already had the perfectly good Grand Central Station? (That facility became properly known as Grand Central Terminal upon completion of its 1913 rebuild.) And why would the Pennsylvania resort to nearly unproven new technology like underwater railway tunnels, two of them, and a station and connecting tracks requiring the purchase, leveling, and excavation of a huge swath of prime Manhattan real estate?

The answer lies in two seemingly forbidden words: Competition and Profit.

In 1898, the Pennsylvania Railroad derived $14,576,724 in income from its passenger operations, $17,530,769 including mail and express — 26.67% of the total, with $47,122,172 or 71.67% being from freight. Meanwhile the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad had $16,189,359 or 35.33% of its income — well over a third — from passengers, mail, and express. (Source: “Eleventh Annual Report on the Statistics of Railways in the United States for the Year Ending June 30, 1898″, Interstate Commerce Commission, Washington DC 1899, page 348.)

The Pennsylvania road was after the passenger business, particularly the high-dollar through passenger; and, in competition with New York Central, the direct and through traffic of mail, express, and freight between the Mid-Atlantic states and New England. Not to mention the free advertising that the imposing grandeur of Pennsylvania Station would inspire.

New York City’s grand railway edifices did not descend upon the metropolis as gifts from unseen gods. No, Gentle Reader, one hundred years ago — as today — it’s all about money. And those evil words, Competition and Profit. The Grand Central and Pennsylvania stations were, to be blunt, temples of commerce. If you wish to read the details, please pick up a copy of “Conquering Gotham: Building Penn Station and Its Tunnels” by Jill Jonnes.

Now, separated from those years by two World Wars, the advent of super-highways, the Jet Age, and the Space Age, and their passing fancies of tail-finned rockets and Cadillacs, we find ourselves fifty further years removed from those technologies’ heyday. The glamour of the 707, the Saturn V and the Bel-Air convertible has become the reality of “your papers please,” invasive pat-downs, the retirement of the bloated Space Shuttle, and collapsing highway bridges in Minneapolis. All of these have set the stage for America to catch up to what Europe rediscovered two decades ago: Trains make economic, social, and ecological sense.

More passengers are riding trains in Great Britain than ever before, a decade and a half after the railways were privatised. It has not been a perfect process, but the numbers speak for themselves. In France, Veolia – a French company operating buses and passenger trains around the world – has a license to operate passenger trains in competition with SNCF. Germany’s DB has undergone privatization starting in 2008. The list goes on.

Here at home, in the past months we have seen Ed Ellis’s Saratoga and North Creek Railway, part of the Iowa Pacific Holdings group, begin operation of its privately run passenger train. We have seen Caltrain move to recommend that TransitAmerica Services, not Amtrak, operate that San Francisco peninsula railway. We have seen Florida move to work with Florida East Coast on a new passenger train arrangement. Meanwhile in Boston, the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company, not Amtrak, operates MBTA trains. Keolis runs the Virginia commuter trains. New state-sponsored trains in Virginia and Illinois have attracted far more riders than expected. Norfolk Southern has spoken positively about passenger trains from Washington DC to Roanoke and beyond. Even Union Pacific has a good relationship with the Front Runner commuter trains in Utah.

This week I have seen trucks of DB Schenker – Deutsche Bahn’s freight subsidiary of the German railroad – all around Phoenix, a city whose buses are operated by Veolia and the American branch of First Group PLC (a British company who operates buses and passenger trains around the world). And speaking of British passenger train operators, the Palm Beach Post today reported that Virgin Trains was also consulted on the Miami passenger train service. Also please consult the website of the Association of Independent Passenger Rail Operators: There is money to be made, and the eyes and ears of business are open.

Yes, it is at last clear that the new golden age of American passenger trains is upon us; a new age of competition and profit… for the despondent era of “we-can’t-do-it” has been broken.

- William Lindley, Scottsdale, Ariz.

Gil Carmichael, former FRA Administrator during the Bush I years, and former Chairman of the Amtrak Reform Council, as well as the Founding Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Intermodal Transportation Institute at the University of Denver has started a new series of reports, entitled the Gil Carmichael Report, Investing in Interstate 2.0. The reports are free, informative, and a must read for anyone serious about the future of railroads in the United States. Contact the report distributor at geoff@jdmandassociates.com for your very own copy.

J. Craig Thorpe, noted Amtrak and railroad illustrator is available for all railroads, railroad-related companies, and organizations for his dramatic illustrations on a custom basis. Mr. Thorpe’s impressive gallery of work and contacts for engagement may be viewed on his web site, which is listed below.

1. The late Austin Coates, the founder of United Rail Passenger Alliance, was known to one and all as a courtly, Southern gentleman. Always quick with a friendly handshake, and at a times a poignant pause which was sincere in every way, he did have his grumpy moments in his later years. When Amtrak had been particularly naughty, he was known to say, “They ought to just pull ‘em over and park ‘em,” referring to Amtrak’s trains serving the various united states.

   It’s hard to say at this moment what Mr. Coates would say about Amtrak’s naughtiness, but, in honesty, it may not be entirely fit for a family publication, such would be his many frustrations with Amtrak today.

   Actually, his “pull ‘em over and park ‘em” may be just what needs to happen.

   After that happened, then the parked trains should have a new paint job slapped on them (a la Amtrak Day, May 1, 1971), and a new operator should take over Amtrak’s route system; an operator which would actually be interested in running passenger trains.

   Veolia? Herzog? Virgin? Where are you? We need you.

   We have all been waiting months for Amtrak, with its fourth president (And, the current one only an interim president.) in less than 10 years, to come up with some – any – vision for the future. It hasn’t happened.

   Reports have come (See the last issue of This Week at Amtrak.) Amtrak really isn’t interested in “slow trains,” but wants to jump into the high speed rail game, and place all of its focus there.

   Ugh.

   Since Amtrak can’t properly operate a conventional speed passenger rail system effectively, what proof is there Amtrak can operate a high speed rail system properly?

   And, this one rather significant fact comes into play: High speed systems need conventional speed rail feeder system to make them work efficiently. Since Amtrak hasn’t accomplished that first, well, why would anyone with a rational mind entrust them with a whole new set of trains?

   So, here’s the rational thought. If Amtrak management wants to go chasing after the future of high speed rail and compete with the likes of the successful European operators, we should let them. Shovel a few million bucks their way every year to keep the team together, and let them plot and plan to their collective hearts’ desire. It would be cheap by anyone’s measure to pay these folks to do something different.

   While current Amtrak senior managers can work themselves silly in their new offices, real railroad managers, who not only know how to run a railroad, but WANT to run a passenger railroad, can take over Amtrak, and run and grow and expand the company the way it deserves to be run.

   Veolia? Herzog? Virgin? Are you there?

   All of these people like to run trains. Why not let them?

   Here is what one TWA reader had to say after publication of the last TWA.

   Here’s a thought: why not simply invite TALGO to carefully replace train by train, line by line Amtrak’s existing network, with TALGO  assuming all maintenance on all Talgo equipment? The argument that TALGO can’t use the NE Corridor’s high level platforms is ridiculous; back in the mid-50′s the New Haven Railroad’s Talgo (John Quincy Adams) loaded and unloaded at the high level platforms in Grand Central Terminal on a daily basis.

   A Talgo SILVER METEOR or a Talgo LAKE SHORE LIMITED are not difficult to imagine (including sleeping and dining facilities) and the Talgo tilt-feature would allow cuts in running time on EVERY route on EVERY train (imagine what a TALGO could do on the curvy route of the CARDINAL). TALGO is existing, proven technology THAT WORKS.

   Washington state’s Talgo CASCADES have a stellar record of reliability and passengers love them. Best of all, they’re relatively INEXPENSIVE. What’s not to like? As for FRA regulations, I have faith that serious Talgo engineering should be able to come up with acceptable solutions to all concerns about crashworthiness and safety.

   Kind of makes you think, doesn’t it?

2. Who would be winners, and who would be losers in this process? What would it take to make this happen.

   First, it would literally take an act of Congress. Congress created Amtrak, Congress keeps Amtrak alive, and Congress can transfer Amtrak to another management team.

   Second, this is a no-brainer for Amtrak’s unions. Beyond Amtrak headquarters in Washington and the Northeast Corridor, there is literally an entire country full of Amtrak union workers who would love to have an expanded system to work on and help grow. A more aggressive passenger rail management would certainly require more workers, creating more union jobs.

   Third, Amtrak’s current suppliers probably wouldn’t care who they sell to, as along as they are selling. No love lost there.

   Fourth, Amtrak’s current state partners often question Amtrak’s rather high-handed approach to “partnerships,” and most likely would enjoy working with a more professional organization like Veolia, which already has contracts with over 500 cities and states around the world to run transit system.

   Fifth, just to use on example, Veolia, under the leadership of Executive Vice President Ron Hartman, is filled on its front lines with some of the best ex-Amtrakers in the country (Mr. Hartman himself is a former Amtraker.).

   Sixth, turning over the keys to the kingdom would be much easier today than it was on May 1, 1971; after all, a company completely in place is much easier to transition than putting together a new network made up of parts from over a dozen older networks.

   We have all had enough of Amtrak’s foot dragging, whining, and inability to operate passenger trains in a professional manner. Amtrak has espoused no vision for the future, and somehow expects all of us to simply fall in line to what it says, without relevant questioning.

   It’s time for that to stop.

   It’s time for someone to be proactive.

   It’s time for Amtrak as we know it today to come to an end, and a new operator for America’s tattered and tottering passenger rail system to come to the front and take over.

   Every taxpayer in America will be better for it, and every Amtrak employee will have new, better employer with the ability to pay prevailing wages and offer better security.

   All it takes is – literally – an act of Congress.

   Call your congressman and senators today. You will be glad you did.

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