Gentlemen and gentlewomen, did you know that there's such a thing as passenger rail between San Antonio and Cleburne, Texas? I didn't until yesterday, but there is, seriously. The train leaves San Antonio at 06.48 and rolls into spiffy little Cleburne at around 13:00, and all for what? The stupidly low price of 20-40$.
This saves me a 6 hour highway slog, there and back, to pick up a member of the team, result. And result for the passenger, 6 hours of blissful train journey through the rolling plains and sylvan mesquite groves of Olde Texas. Nice, I'm jealous.
That in mind, you can take the Texas Eagle to Chicago, which might be interesting, see recip clubs, then take it back to California, behold the desolation, and then back to the safety of Free State Texas. This appeals to me, and it'd appeal a whole lot more if there was an equivalent with an open carriage and opening windows. Perhaps you know what I mean.
As it is, Amtrak has an interesting rail solution, the Texas Eagle. Let's check it out, and while we're at it, why can't America provide us with a convenient, workable, affordable rail solution? It's not as though we're not the richest, most powerful country on the planet, for goodness sake.
So let's see fewer billions sent to transsexual theater groups in Uganda and more money spent on passenger rail. It'd benefit us all, don't you think?
LSP
Profit/loss. Without pointing finders, if hauling passengers were profitable, the railroads would be doing it. Amtrak is a government creation to operates with huge subsidies.
ReplyDeleteDammit, WSF, you have a point.
DeleteWhat you need to do with rail service is look what Brightlines did with the Florida East Coast Railroad (FEC.)
ReplyDeleteThey helped fund double-tracking and improving the roadbed from Miami to Cocoa, and then built their own double-track ready/single track actual from Cocoa to Orlando International Airport and built a modern service and maintenance facility.
The passenger service on the BL/FEC line can go up to 80mph, while the dedicated line can reach up to 130mph.
Not a drop of federal or state money. Totally private funding. Done right and even early.
The FEC portion of the line gives the passengers a chance to see the Indian River basin and lots of little suburbs and cities. The Brightlines-only gives a good view of the St. Johns River and lots of wild Florida.
Again, done on or before time and not on government money.
Interesting, Beans, I'll look it up.
DeleteOn Youtube, TheRoamingRailfan did a weekly and sometimes more than weekly update on the construction of the FEC/Brightline double track and on the Brightline roadbed and track, and construction of Brightline's maintenance building at Orlando International Airport. Plus other goodies. Guy does an excellent job just reporting on what's been done.
DeleteThe thing is, to get good passenger rail, you have to go non-government. AMTRAK has always been a lodestone, especially since it's a passenger only option and only really deals with running passenger equipment over existing freight rail. Previously the US Mail paid well for train passage and that subsidized the passenger rail for a long time, then lost the mail to airlines. Very complex issue.
DeleteBut it all comes down to it should be a commercial venture between the passenger provider and the rail provider. Both should work hand-in-hand to upgrade and improve the rail lines, the sensors (things like position sensors and hot bearing box sensors, the command block equipment, crossing equipment, bridges and tunnels.
To use the Brightlines/FEC example, it was interesting watching bridges I grew up looking at being replaced with newer more modern but as well built bridges, often rising up to 10' higher than the previous low bridge to allow more boat traffic. They also worked on noise abatement, improving the curves of all the curves by making them more gentle, installed a ton of various sensors and signals, built new passenger terminals, worked on new freight turnoffs and switches and all that sort of thing. They also worked with all the communities that they went through to mitigate any issues.
Contrast that to the Cali High Speed boondoggle where land was seized or condemned by the government and nothing's been done since.
Heck, Brightlines and the FEC even worked with US Sugar, who has their own railroad in the canefields of the Everglades, to make for smooth transitions between all the various companies.
Okay, a bit of a fanboi over the FEC. They're working with Gold Coast Railway Museum to refurbish 4 FEC steam engines.
US Sugar has 1 refurbished steam engine that they use on holiday trains and are working on getting another up and running.
Even CSX is busy expanding and improving their lines in Florida, including working on a commuter rail project in the Orlando area.
Florida's a happening place for rail. Just wish the NASA railroad would get up and running again, and, yes, NASA had it's own railroad that serviced both Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral AF Station. Even had their own locomotives. Sigh, not going to happen unless Musk gets involved and figures out rail is cheaper for transporting huge rolls of metal to the new Starfactory they're building at Kennedy/the Cape. Said rail line could even shuttle passengers from Brightlines over to the Cruise Ship Terminal at Port Canaveral but that's really wishing for fishing...
Good mornin' America, how are ya,,,,,"
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvMS_ykiLiQ
When I was about 7, my mother and I rode the Shasta Daylight from Klamath Falls to Sacramento.
Haven't heard that in years, RHT! Good call.
DeleteI'm cautiously supportive of the proposition. Mrs & I went to Spain a few years ago and after a hilarious fail of the rental car company to provide an actual car, ended up getting around by their high speed rail system and it was fantastic. 300 KPH, clean, smooth, comfortable seating, especially compared to airline seating, relatively quiet, lunch included and the included beverage cart had some pretty good wine. Highly civilized.
ReplyDeleteThen I lookit what air travel in the United States has turned into, and I have to wonder......Anyway, I'm aware Amtrack has private cabins or whatever they call them. Perhaps that would be the way to go.
Wild, well said.
DeleteAir trav is HORRIBLE. Worse, I think, than bus travel in the UK in the early '80s. and that was nasty.
Maybe trains could provide a better alternative? You pay a bit more and it's slower but... so much more pleasant.
I'm down with that.