Interesting: Amtrak ridership soars due to increased gas prices.

omber

New member
From Palm Beach Post

"For a first-time train rider, it was a unique experience," said Sharon Powell, who marveled at the wide seats in coach, meals in the dining car, the absence of airport hassles at the depot and "no anxiety" for the rail trip.
"It reminded you of the Fifties," she said.


Rising gas prices are contributing to a surge in train travel with ridership reaching record levels.


"We'll probably crack 27 million this year" in riders, said Alexander Kummant, president and chief executive officer of Amtrak, officially the National Railroad Passengers Corp. and operator of the trains that carry riders between the nation's cities. That 27 million is up from last year's record of 25.8 million passengers.

Full article here.
 
It's just the start of things to. :hehe:
First the passengers come back then the freight comes back, and then who knows? Maybe we will have some new individual railroads pop up.

The raise in gas prices may mean less car travel but it's great for train travel! :D
 
It's quite sad that no-one realised how much cars, lorries and planes were messing up the planet untill now. If everybody traveled by train for short to medium distance journeys then prehaps we wouldn't be in the mess we are now. But the age of the train is dawning again, just like the trains over here (England), better late than never.

Andy :D
 
I recently rode the Sunset Limited from New Orleans to Tucson and it was a delightful ride. Nice comfortable seats with plenty of room, beautiful observation car, dining car, club car plus sleepers if you so desire. The train was sold out and only stopped at the larger cities. In the future I'm riding Amtrk if possible.

Earl
 
Google "Peak Oil" or visit http://www.lifeaftertheoilcrash.net/ and you may never sleep easy again...

Some of the ideas postulated on the site might seem a bit far fetched but it brings home the fact that even now we need to be looking at more energy efficient means of transporting goods and people using sustainable energy sources.
 
I propose a private company to connect adjoining airhubs with high speed rail; say 100 to 300 miles distance, with commercial and entertainment centers built into the main stations to generate additional revenue.
Once a sufficient number of lines are built, they can be connected. We could cross the US in 30 hours, in total comfort, for half what an airline ticket would cost.
As for riding Amtrack, I'd like to ride it from San Diego to Tucson, but there's only one train a day, and the wee morning is not the best time to arrive. I just don't have time to go through all that to be inconvenienced by poor schedules.
It's a lovely heritage line for tourists, but needs to be improved considerably before it's a viable transportation company.
So, does anybody have a few bilion they could loan me?

:cool: Claude
 
over my thanks ginvig brake I road the coast starlight from eugene OR. to martinez CA and the train was empty but on my return trip the train was packed. I think amtrak is not going to complane about being broke any more. now there going to complane a bout not having any coaches to accommodate more passengers.
 
Pennsylvania is planning ahead for the future! I'm still reading but I wonder if the first US Maglev will be put into Amtrak's care?

Would be perfect for them since the logo would look real nice on a Maglev.

http://www.maglevpa.com/index.html

There's the link.

Best part for me is that I live near there. Hopefully West Virginia and Ohio and convince them to run those down the river!

On a side note. West Virginia is bare of passenger stations almost. We have a lot that are now museums but only 3 or 4 real stations. The closest to me is in Pittsburgh, PA.

The reason I bring this up is the fact that the only railroad near me is CSX. I feel that trains to Wheeling, Parkersburgh, and Clarksburgh would be a nice start for West Virginia to bring passenger service back. The railroad beds from the past are still there! I say fix them up, build what you need too, then put a train on it with some stops at small towns along the way.

What would be even better tho would be if the CSX, UP, and CN/CP would start putting their own passenger trains together. I feel Amtrak needs some competition. ;)

Wow... I think I'm hoping for too much, but we never know.
 
Train vs. Car

I often take Amtrack's Downeaster service from Portland, ME to North Station in Boston, MA. In my opinion it beats driving to Boston. The conductors, agents and other saff are cheerful and polite. This beats the attitude of the drivers on the highway. Cost wise it seem to be cheaper. Parking in Portland is a lot cheaper than in Boston. I have seen the daily rate in Portland equal the hourly rate in Boston. In terms of imediate cost, such as fuel and tolls, there seems to be a break even point at a gasoline consumption of aproximately twenty miles per gallon. However one needs to look at the over all cost per mile to operate your vehicle not just the imediate expence of the fuel. With this in mind and aware of the disparity of parking rates, it becomes rather economical to take the train, besides you get to relax the whole way.
 
I did the Coast Starlight to LA from SF and then the Sunset Limited to Orlando with the rels at the millenium turnover. Great trip but it took like three nights. And then came back the same way. The sleeper is worth it. :)

Cheers

AJ
 
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