Amtrak was perfect for college students. Especially during breaks, I remember the Amtrak being full of students traveling between home and school, and this was only a couple years ago. There absolutely is a sweet spot between distance and time that Amtrak meets, I hope it's here to stay. Excited for the Victorville to LV route!
Amtrak is often really expensive compared to carpooling which is a discouraging factor for students, though. Plus, they aren’t really frequent enough riders
It’s okay for some routes. San Diego to Santa Barbara is 80-90$ round trip with student discounts. Which is a little steep given gas costs on a decent car would be 90-120$ round trip
Even if flying could be faster, I almost always prefer to just take Amtrak. Its a lot less of a hassle to book and board and I have never been 'bumped'. I also personally don't mind the longer travel time since I always bring a portable game console so I can keep myself amused.
Took a round trip from Newark NJ to Charlotte NC in an Amtrak roomette (small private room) last February. Had my laptop and my Switch, and the trip took about 12 hours each way. Door closed and locked with little privacy curtains for all the windows, i was in my own little world the whole time and totally isolated at the height of the pandemic. Absolutely destroyed the experience of commercial flight, no contest... and I look to go by train whenever I travel now! Edit: didn't even mention the fact that the seats converted to beds and you also have a toilet and sink IN YOUR ROOM!
Thank you for this well rounded account. A growth in positive attitudes towards train travel will go a long way to improving our rail service . In the past when I wanted to travel by train ; the trains were sold out for months or they called at the local station at the most inconvenient hours.
When you run long distance overnight sleeper trains on a daily or trice weekly basis, many towns and cities see 3 AM services. Trains routes are linear in nature, they are not like the airlines hopping from one airport to another...
Sad to see that they won’t be running into Tampa Union Station with brightline, that station has been in operation since 1911 and has always been apart of the city. When they stop running trains into Tampa Union I could guess it’d become a museum, but it’ll never be the same. Atleast I’ve had the pleasure of taking a few trains in and out of Tampa Union and visiting during several events, good memories I won’t forget.
Kinda like Omaha's Union Station (Durham Museum) and Burlington Station (Ex. CB&Q) (KETV 7 News Station). Amtrak just built a tiny little thing off to the side, while these two stations already existed right across from each other.
AMTRAK does a good job of short line routes especially in California. I live in Stockton, CA and have taken the San Joaquin Line from my town to Oakland and to Los Angeles via the Bakersfield bus connection. On top of that the Capitol Corridor and Pacific Surfliner routes are well managed with a good number of the trains on time.
Te return of sleeper trains is a big thing. With the internet, travel times don't matter as much as most people can do their work on the move with a laptop, so therefore having sleeper trains where the person gets a little cabin to themselves is a great idea. Even the Shinkansen in Japan has sleeper trains now. I personally am looking forward to sleeper trains from Europe coming back into the UK, especially if they go up to Edinburgh, I live near the East Coast Mainline so it's not far for me to go to my local station on the line and catch a train. If they end up running something like a "Edinburgh to Milan" or "Edinburgh to Stockholm" sleeper train then I'll definitely book myself on it and go explore Europe via train.
18:00 HA! Flight Shaming, that's good. That is the kind of advertising Amtrak should be doing, just go all out and call out the roads and airlines for their BS. Though a little fact-checking here, the Southern would have been more than happy to keep the Crescent, they were still making a profit on it. Unfortunately, that profitability took a hit when one of those trains got involved in an accident and reluctantly the Southern sold the Crescent to Amtrak as a result.
@@TheBestTrainsAreReal Amtrak's last CEO Richard Anderson came from Delta. He peed off a lot of railfans when he ended charter trains in March 2018, and made it harder for PV owners to move their cars. You can only hook and unhook them at a major terminal now. Some PV owners gave up and sold their cars to maybe a museum or tourist railroad. Also, some steam groups that ran on BNSF were affected by the charter ban, as they used Amtrak for insurance and diesel power for HEP and dynamic braking, and as backup power in case something happened to the steam locomotive en route. You do not want to tie up a busy freight line with an excursion train.
Happy (early) 50th Birthday Amtrak! Great video as always, love learning about some of the backstories and reasons behind how and why Amtrak became, well, Amtrak!
Yep, the northeast corridor railroad went bankrupt due to the termination of their mail contracts. No longer do passenger trains in America have a dozen or more mail cars on the consists. The USPS chose to fly the mail overnight in the air in hours instead of using the trains which took days...
@@johnnyjames7139 Airlines got how many billions in those years? Highways? Think ice breaking for ships in the winter is cheap? The coast guard does that for them. FREE to foreign shipping. Road taxes do not cover the costs of roads. Railroad taxes help make up the difference.
@@Westerner78 Passenger rails made men into tycoons. Rail transport was unsubsidized, cheap and luxurious. Then the government took over. The rest is Amtrak history.
@@DrCruel Private lines SET UP AMTRAK LAWS AND AGREEMENTS. BECAUSE THEY FAILED. Due to loss of package and MAIL service to trucks. The customers, the taxpaying public demanded trains be saved. So a few lines were saved very few. Amtrak was cut back and underfunded from day one. Yet ridership boomed no matter what lousy service was offered with higher rates. After 50 years it now has a good future.
I'm in the UK have rode around the US for 6 weeks ny-ny in a ford van and also taken the AMTRAK from NY - LA and I do still prefer the train and am mostly still impressed you have a nationalised rail company.
What I don’t understand is why Amtrak needs to be profitable. Amtrak was created so companies could offload their unprofitable routes, as well as keeping that vital infrastructure. If Amtrak removes long distance routes there is no reason for it to exist and the NEC should be sold off to private companies, removing the need for any kind of government affiliation.
Profitability is what separates the successful from the unsuccessful. Currently, America has limited investment money. It needs to know who to back and stay away from and profitability can greatly help with that decision.
I did a few long distance trips on Amtrak trains back in the 90s. The seats were big and comfortable and the dinning car had great food. I recommended the experience to so many people. Though I still struggle to understand why it took so long to repair the track damage done by Hurricane Katrina along the Gulf Coast and why the Amtrak service between New Orleans and Orlando still has not been reinstated.
18:25 - Where did Kaliningrad go? And why is Liechtenstein so big? Other than that, you continue to impress with your high-quality railway history videos. Even if I thought I knew all there was to know about something, I always seem to finish the video having learned something new. Well done!
during the pandemic, the airlines were bailed out with 64$ billion in a combination of grants and loans (the latter which only require 30% repayment) Amtrak only received 2.7$ billion the final (1.7$ billion coming in 2021). Back in 2009 there was a project for an upgraded line between Chicago and Milwaukee using Talgo equipment (built in Milwaukee), that would run at a maximum speed of 125 MPH and averaging around 85 - 90 MPH when adjusting for stops enroute. The average speed for the Empire Builder (the only train currently serving that route) is about 47 - 48 mph, taking just over 9 hours between the two end points. The new line would have cut that time in nearly half. The entire line could be operating today had it not been for the shortsighted former governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin (though which most of the line passed) who in early 2011 cancelled the first leg of the line from the Wisconsin Illinois line through Milwaukee to the capitol of Madison (another city which lost rail service after Amtrak was formed). The service was to have started with two trains daily each way daily in addition to the Empire Builder as well as current Hiawatha service between Milwaukee and Chicago HSR makes good sense is corridors of up to 450 miles between major city pairs as this is seen as the best potential market for sustainable passenger volume. There is a new plan in the works out in the Pacific Northwest for a true HSR that would serve Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver BC. with running time between Portland and Seattle of around an hour. This would be very competitive with if not quicker than air travel between the two cities particularly given the fact that it would be city centre to city centre and not have to deal with the drive to/from the airport, security lines, taxiing holding for takeoff, and weather delays (fog is an issue at SeaTac as it is near wetlands). I watched one video of a flight that departed Chicago O'Hare where just taxiing (after pushback from the gate) took 21 minutes (about the "in air" flight time to Milwaukee). These are points that opponents of HSR don't take into account when touting that air travel is "better".
Amtrak almost had the Sunset Limited come back to Florida. I remember I watched the inaugural train go by with two heritage units and phase 3 superliners. Then CSX decided to sell the Tallahassee Subdivision to a shortline and the deal was over just as it started.
@@haweater1555 That was written when trains had low ridership. If they do today it's because they don't have the cars on them or don't run much. 1971 was different world.
Very nice presentation! I was at the Ashland, KY depot on 4/30/1971 (my birthday!) to see the last C&O "George Washington" depart for D.C., we are so fortunate to have the Cardinal! We really need a daily Cardinal with 2 sleepers, and full diner for all passengers! *Cheers!*
Here in Ohio, rail travel is not a serious consideration. The last payout to improve rail service was turned down by our governor and went to California. Since our roads are not overcrowded compared to other states, Ohio residents have little reason to consider alternative transportation. Having used Amtrak in the form of the AutoTrain, one year the rails were nice and smooth. Since the rails used are used primarily used by freight trains, the next year the rails were like riding on speed bumps. The trips served me no useful function other than my love of riding on a train. Passenger travel is very expensive and service is no where near what it used to be. However, east and west coast states seem to make a go of it. To make it cheaper for us railfans, they might consider tacking passenger cars on a freight train, remembering you have to go where the freight goes. Not only would you see some areas not normally accessable to passenger trains, but you might get stuck in a freight yard too.
Coming from Germany, I enjoyed the California Zephyr in 2019 so much that I booked a round trip with Amtrak; four weeks in February 2023: New York, New Haven, Boston, Chicago, Washington, Philadelphia, New York. So relaxed travel and so much to see along the route. But there was a problem with a blocked route from Chicago to Washington, and the other route is only served three times a week! So I had to go one day earlier which was not really a problem but it gives an interesting spot on the rail travel in the US. Here in Germany the major routes are served every hour so if you miss a train, no big deal, there will be another one soon. On that trip I was at the station an hour before take-off because it would be a real problem to miss the train.
Running a risk here, but if I'm not mistaken there are only 5 MAJOR rail lines in the U.S. BNSF, Union Pacific, CSX, Norfolk Southern and KCS. CN, the old IC, (Canadian) and CP (Canadian) are both vying for KCS. That will leave only 4. They have a ton of leverage when it comes to giving up trackage rights for passenger service. Riding a train can be fun, but if a passenger has a limited amount of time, he or she isn't going to want to give up that time in transit. If it's the journey rather than the destination, then riding a train makes sense.
Sorry all routes had record ridership before the mismanaged Covid emergency. The railroads signed agreements in 1971 that gave Amtrak the right to go any way any time. Now backed by law and if republican's can't stop funding again. Will be backed by funding!
5:16 - What kind of service was that? I don't know if I've ever seen modern Amtrak service that long before. Was it just moving equipment or something? It wouldn't seem like it since it had the 2 Phase III P42 anniversary units.
@@HighIron Amtrak was required by law to run two of these trips a year. Even if the train could sell out in minutes. They only ran two to obey the law. Nothing lately except on the C&O and it took a Senator to make them do it. Surprise billing after the trip bankrupted the private operator the NRHS Huntington Chapter! Now there is a new operator! Anderson-Trump's railroad. it's going to be great you know.
At 9:51 - Here is some further info about Michigan Intercity passenger rail service that is also provided by Amtrak on a 135-mile state-owned line between Kalamazoo and Dearborn. Michigan DOT provides capital and operating assistance, technical support and safety oversight of Michigan’s passenger rail system. The department also sponsors three separate intercity passenger rail routes that are operated by Amtrak and serves 22 station communities. All routes are expected to have new equipment by 2022. In addition, MDOT owns a segment of the accelerated rail corridor that connects Chicago and Detroit/Pontiac and the communities in between. It funds all capital and maintenance work on the segment of the corridor between Kalamazoo and Dearborn. Currently, efforts are focused on increasing passenger speeds up to 110 mph in this area. Passenger trains have traveled up to 110 mph since 2012 on the Amtrak-owned portion of the accelerated rail corridor between Kalamazoo, Michigan and Porter, Indiana. www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,4616,7-151-22444_56481---,00.html www.michigan.gov/documents/mdot/MDOTStateOwnedRail_330121_7.pdf
Very good! Excellent in fact! About time there was a good honest story of this subject, that even Public TV avoids. ( They get Alfred Sloan grants the GM guy and Koch brothers, need I say more?)
To be fair, there is a city of Louisville that pronounces its name LOU-iss -vill, but it is located in Colorado (Ca-luh-RAH-do). The city where the Kentucky Derby is run is pronounced LOO-a-vul.
Excellent appraisal. Good informative low-down objectively delivered. Faith in railtravel must not be lost not every car owner sees pleasure in driving more than 150 miles in one go or look forward to making the return journey without seeing other people except in other cars and often getting in each other’s way and what air passenger looks forward to paying a taxi to the town centre or looking dismally out of a bus window to view a road jam-packed with other vehicles? A big advantage of rail over airlines and road traffic is its facility to get passengers right into city centres and that advantage should be maintained, developed and exploited! Keep the faith! Good luck!
Took the Amtrak once about a decade or so ago from Boston to Washington DC. It was definitely an experience but to be honest, it was the same time of travel as driving (roughly 7-8 hours). The reason is actually the entire state of Connecticut where travel speed is about 30mph or so (not entirely sure). If Amtrak can make that section go faster, I am sure it will reduce the travel time by a few hours.
We rode the Amtrak version of the "City of New Orleans" from New Orleans to Memphis, and then Memphis to Houston in 2005. It was slower than flying, but we had a lot more fun. I never rode another train again.
I didn't really understand what we didn't have until visiting Europe. I remembered stories from my parents about taking passenger trains from my home town of Bangor, Maine. But that was in the 50s. Now there's finally a push to bring it back. I'd love to see it, as at least when traveling domestically, it's the way I'd prefer to go. Sadly, as it stands, I only take Amtrak on the occasion I visit NYC from Washington DC. I'd love to go elsewhere, like Chicago or New Orleans, but that's not really a realistic option.
I have started using AMTRAK for all of my travel due to the train is more comfortable and I do not feel like a sardine in a tin can like I do when I used to fly. I have found that all of the car attendants are very accommodating and helpful when passengers require assistance. Although I wish there was more of a choice as far as dining as when you take the train the menus are usually repeated, causing less choices and forcing repeating selections when traveling.
The president of the NYC RR made a video in 1960 informing the public that the government was backing the airlines by building airports with taxpayer money, but the railroads for over 100 years had to buy land for their tracks and build their own stations. Now I know many will say that is not true because Pres. Lincoln signed the National railroad act, but that was only for the Union Pacific and Central Pacific RRs. Other RRs signed on, but most went bankrupt or were bought out. The point is the US Govt. was not willing to pass a bill for US RRs, but they established the FAA with far more taxpayer money than the RRs even figuring in 100 years of inflation.
Another point. The RR barons of the 1800s (Vanderbilt etc.) had huge investments that made them the RR millionaires they were. In the 20th century (1950 +) other investors in airlines also did this because Americans prefer faster planes than trains. As the video pointed out, we hope AMTRAK and other private RR passenger companies become viable again, and carbon saving may that way if all the RRs electrify as they are doing in India, Europe, and China.
@@Westerner78 They're rolling now. Diesel-battery locomotives are coming on. Don't be surprised if the Milwaukee catenary across the Rockies is operating again with frieght trains.
Here in Orlando, many companies including the theme parks are worried about track placement for Brightrail interrupting other infrastructure but still want it in some form.
With upgraded trackage and timetable protection, Talgo tilt trains could relieve some of the political hooraw around the cost of true high speed rail. I enjoy Amtrak and understand why I've sometimes spent the whole night on a siding in zero degree weather (I'm looking at you, freight lines), but I'd be even happier doing 120 miles an hour. Walker understood this, which is no doubt why he dismantled the licensed USA factory.
I'm all for rail travel, but what happens once you get to your destination? Cities aren't small enough any more to just walk where you want to go. I would personally rather just drive my car than ride a train and then have to rent one. Now, if I could take my car with me, say in a car hauler, that would be a different matter...
Actually, Amtrak has cars for vehicles so technically, you can take a car with you to your destination. I think it is only available for some routes at certain stations.
It still blew me away that Roanoke, VA one of the biggest railroad cities hadn’t had passenger rail since the 70’s either. I moved there for a few in 2007 and was surprised we had to drive an hour to Lynchburg just to grab the Amtrak until a decade later. 🤣
In order for Amtrak to prosper & survive they must mimic rail travel in Europe, especially the high-speed aspect of passenger train service. You correctly described all of the roadblocks to achieving this goal, especially the lack of track ownership. The fact that freight service owns the bulk of the nation's tracks puts them in charge of who & when will pass through on their tracks. Couple that with the speed of other forms of travel and it is easy to see why Amtrak has a hard time competing. Unless there is a huge investment in new train cars & separate (from freight) high-speed tracks it is basically a lost cause. The bottom line is freight is more lucrative than passenger train service. The Northeast Corridor's Acela line is a money maker because of the relative speed of the service. It is comparable or sometimes even faster than driving a car to the same destination. It is sad to see the richest country in the world with a second-class national train system. It doesn't have to be that way. If you get some of those well off investors to get onboard with the federal government to fund & structure it right, then we could just as easily rival Europe's world-class train service.
The funny part - the Acela Express trains - the power unit is built by Alstom, same company that built the TGV in France. The other funny, even the MBCR in Bostn uses Alstom to maintain its cars.
What the US federal government in association with state governments is to acquire all major rail infrastructure, signalling and train control from the freight rail companies and operate the national rail infrastructure as an 'open' not for profit operation for any freight, passenger including Amtrak and heritage rail museum operator/s and treat the network as tax payer owned national strategic 'steel highway' asset.
Houston also doesn't have service north without a bus ride to Dallas. There's the route east along the Gulf (along the I10 corridor) but going most other places isn't possible on just rail.
Always remember this… every time we pump fuel in to our cars trucks and suvs we are paying state and federal on road taxes per gallon and every time we buy an airline ticket we pay airport taxes… hell…many times the airport taxes are more than the airfare itself!
@@Mira_linn true.. but a car will not go anywhere without fuel ⛽️…now here is the kicker..these electric cars now out there and guess what.. local and feds are not getting that fuel tax… so the DOT is trying to pass a use tax or per mile tax..
A trackage in Northern Michigan, not owned or operated by Amtrak due to it being in rural most areas is being used for commuter service. Because Amtrak is not there, they don't want another failure like Louisville (equivalent kinda deal). However, the Class II railroad of MI, The Great Lakes Central have taken action using refurbished 1960s double decker seated cars and repaired Ann Arbor and C&O trackage to make the trek to north most areas. The line is good for 60 MPH trains and was only able to be done with help of the state and ownership of existing tracks. Most tracks actually being industrial spurs leading to Ex-C&O stations now used by the GLC. Even without the help of Amtrak, they are able to do excursion runs and greatly profit off them too, just can't wait to see how the commuter service comes to life in the coming year.
Mail must return to passenger rail. It not faster nor cheaper by truck. But the Postmaster De Joy has a major position in ownership in the competition. One of his holdings is XPO trucking! He is a De Jerk that must be fired he is doing to the Post Office what they have done to passenger rail for 50 years. It must be stopped. It's just a matter of time till Northern Michigan has Amtrak.
@@Westerner78 I wouldn't say Amtrak will be going up north anytime soon because the trackage managed for the new commuters is owned by MDOT themselves and has only partnered with the most well equipped railroad in Michigan for passenger service, but I would like to see a slight return in mail transportation as intakes a bit too long for mail and other packages to be moved from warehouses to their destination. The packages could sit for months at a time, but with specified mail trains, UPS or FedEx wouldn't require to drive or fly 100s of miles for small packages. They could be delivered to the big cities along the us by train, then shipped by truck/car to the final destination. If it came back, it would be a bit more efficient overall for the isolated regions of Michigan where mail facilities could have packages sit for a few days at a time only a few miles away is their destination.
@@hjmiller2689 The issue is very powerful people want to make CENTS, not SENSE. Our Postmaster De Joy is fully invested in non rail companies that truck everything. it's a very profitable huge operation for them and HIM . But notice how last holiday season either Fed Ex or UPS could handle it all. In fact they dumped tons of packages on the Post Office De Jerk, is working to ruin! This was after Oct when Amtrak dropped it's package express business completely after the railroads forced them to buy NEW cars!
I would really enjoy to be able to take a trip from Troy to Cadillac for a weekend, guess that would require Amtrak to extend from Pontiac to Durand, or GLC to do the opposite. GLC does go to Durand doesn't it?
Hey mr. High iron, I love your knowledge of trains and it got me wondering. Could you do a video on if you ran a railroad what would be the history and what locomotives would you use, especially on the passenger trains? I would definitely send $50 for such an unique video, if nobody else asked before.
I rode on Amtrak from Charlottesville to Chicago about 3 years ago. It was just about the only time I have _ever_ seen train tickets go for cheaper than airline tickets (and I did fly from Chicago to Denver for that exact reason). I was very lucky, because I had planned to meet up with a friend and spend the day in Chicago, however the train wound up running _8 hours_ late because we wound up sitting on the tracks waiting for some freight trains to do some switching. So, yeah, the freight railroad companies don't give half a shit about whether or not passenger trains are remotely on schedule. If I hadn't have planned to stay in Chicago, I probably would've wound up missing my flight. That probably would have left me stranded there, seeing as how I was absolutely broke at that time, and I doubt the airlines would comp me a ticket because the train was late.
This video should have mentioned Amtrak's chronic equipment shortage. Every daily long distance train west of Chicago requires at least SEVEN sets of equipment -- one for each day until the first train returns to Chicago, plus one "protection" set in case of emergency.
Long term leases offered to private investors would have them build the cars. Like the railroads did for a hundred years. This is against the Amtrak law. So they have to depend on the government. That highway lobbies can control.
I would like to see a study on an overnight LA to SJ and SF train. It would not need a diner and the tracks have basically nothing but passenger trains on them now, as freight goes over Tehachapi Loop.
A similar plan is actually in the California State rail plan. I think this project isn't receiving enough attention among other state priorities. However, effectively marketing the overnight train -- let's call it the "Lark" after the SP train that ran this route from 1910-1968 -- to business travelers as an alternative to spending a day driving or flying between NorCal and SoCal would be a challenge.
@@AVeryRandomPerson - Remember that California High Speed Rail includes a passenger-only high speed line up through the Tehachapi Pass and then through the San Gabriel mountains into the San Fernando Valley. When that gets built, there won't be a need to put passenger trains on the Loop. Don't forget that the current Tehachapi Loop / Soledad Canyon route is bad for passenger trains anyhow. The old "Owl" overnight train took a whopping 13.5 hours from Los Angeles to Oakland, hours longer than the current Coast Starlight. Using buses from Bakersfield into Southern California save a lot of time over alternatives. www.streamlinerschedules.com/concourse/track7/owl195707.html
@@Westerner78 That's right, the Coast Line. Even in the glory days when the SP Daylight was the most popular train on the Continent, the Coast route has never taken less than 9h 45m, or much slower than the existing Amtrak rail-bus service through Bakersfield. However, an overnight train could leave one city after work and arrive plenty early for business travelers. The biggest challenge would be scheduling it to run when Metrolink and CalTrain are running their peak-time services.
My favorite railroad amtrak I have the Amtrak diner budd car. Now u don't see them anymore with the Arrow Schemes. N new logo Amtrak Heritage budd diner car's
16:10 If these railway routes that you show are actually implemented, I will be very hopeful for the future of not only Amtrak, but rail travel as a flying alternative as a whole. It looks very promising and I hope that it can be accomplished. Italy's high speed rail has been a factor to the bankruptcy and closure of Alitalia and if Amtrak can increase its speed capacities, then I believe it can be a game changer.
The pandemic has been a real shame. I had plans for a month long excursion with a rail pass with amtrak for last may, 15 stops from Orlando to Boston to California and back, with all sorts of stops in between, but of course the Rina ruined that... Nevertheless, im hoping to reconstruct the trip piecemeal over the next few years, and living in Lancaster PA, im hoping to take advantage of the rail along the northeast corridor fairly often!
I have never used Amtrack, but at home here use VIA rail every summer instead of driving. Ottawa to T.O. a nd Montreal. They travel on average 110mph. According to conductors I have asked. I only fly if its too far, US (Vegas).
Amtrak has too many accidents. you are right, though; it was amazing to ride the C&O and B&O and Pennsylvania Pullman cars with all the amenities, fine dining and porters . . . so sad.
10:40 Simply not true. Over their 50 years in service, Amtrak has received Federal subsidies almost every year in operation to the tune of $43,552,000,000 from 1971 up to 2016 (the last year I could find a record of).
i wouldnt count CHSR as a "fit and start." they have begin construction and have finished quite a significant amount of structures and right-of-way, and they don't look poised to give up soon they have a state-mandated deadline to get a train moving at 220mph before 2025, and their most recent business plan states that they will be able to meet that deadline
2021 marks *50 years* since Amtrak has been established back in May 1, 1971. Oh, How the times have changed
I still clearly remember the 40th anniversary from 2011. Dang, I feel old!
It's a big birthday coming up on Saturday!
@@DanielChannel57 bruh you’re like 13 stfu
@@ironmatic1 First off, I'm 26. Second, what you said sounds like someone far less than 13 would say.
@@DanielChannel57 might be the arthritis kicking in.
Amtrak was perfect for college students. Especially during breaks, I remember the Amtrak being full of students traveling between home and school, and this was only a couple years ago. There absolutely is a sweet spot between distance and time that Amtrak meets, I hope it's here to stay. Excited for the Victorville to LV route!
Amtrak is often really expensive compared to carpooling which is a discouraging factor for students, though. Plus, they aren’t really frequent enough riders
It’s okay for some routes. San Diego to Santa Barbara is 80-90$ round trip with student discounts. Which is a little steep given gas costs on a decent car would be 90-120$ round trip
New york to Rochester is GOLD to students like me, who can't make a drive that distant so frequently
Even if flying could be faster, I almost always prefer to just take Amtrak.
Its a lot less of a hassle to book and board and I have never been 'bumped'. I also personally don't mind the longer travel time since I always bring a portable game console so I can keep myself amused.
@@channelantoneon
Took a round trip from Newark NJ to Charlotte NC in an Amtrak roomette (small private room) last February. Had my laptop and my Switch, and the trip took about 12 hours each way. Door closed and locked with little privacy curtains for all the windows, i was in my own little world the whole time and totally isolated at the height of the pandemic.
Absolutely destroyed the experience of commercial flight, no contest... and I look to go by train whenever I travel now!
Edit: didn't even mention the fact that the seats converted to beds and you also have a toilet and sink IN YOUR ROOM!
Just got hired as a conductor for Amtrak. Was previously with CSX. I’m excited for the transition into passenger service.
Congrats. What are the differences between working on freight and passenger service?
@@AR-zq9hq the boxcars talk back
@@kylerbriskey372 lol what do they say?
How’s the RR ?
@@williamerazo3921 never got hired. They said I failed the strength test even tho I’ve been a Class 1 Freight Conductor for 9 years. Makes no sense.
Thank you for this well rounded account. A growth in positive attitudes towards train travel will go a long way to improving our rail service . In the past when I wanted to travel by train ; the trains were sold out for months or they called at the local station at the most inconvenient hours.
When you run long distance overnight sleeper trains on a daily or trice weekly basis, many towns and cities see 3 AM services. Trains routes are linear in nature, they are not like the airlines hopping from one airport to another...
Sad to see that they won’t be running into Tampa Union Station with brightline, that station has been in operation since 1911 and has always been apart of the city. When they stop running trains into Tampa Union I could guess it’d become a museum, but it’ll never be the same. Atleast I’ve had the pleasure of taking a few trains in and out of Tampa Union and visiting during several events, good memories I won’t forget.
Kinda like Omaha's Union Station (Durham Museum) and Burlington Station (Ex. CB&Q) (KETV 7 News Station). Amtrak just built a tiny little thing off to the side, while these two stations already existed right across from each other.
Has the decision about the new station already been taken?
That was closed for years, and now reopened.
@@844SteamFan Boy that is a long story! Do you remember the trailer? And the cement falling from the Burlington Station. When it was closed!
@@Westerner78 No, I don’t even remember when they redid it. I’m guessing in the last 10-ish years.
AMTRAK does a good job of short line routes especially in California. I live in Stockton, CA and have taken the San Joaquin Line from my town to Oakland and to Los Angeles via the Bakersfield bus connection. On top of that the Capitol Corridor and Pacific Surfliner routes are well managed with a good number of the trains on time.
Te return of sleeper trains is a big thing.
With the internet, travel times don't matter as much as most people can do their work on the move with a laptop, so therefore having sleeper trains where the person gets a little cabin to themselves is a great idea.
Even the Shinkansen in Japan has sleeper trains now.
I personally am looking forward to sleeper trains from Europe coming back into the UK, especially if they go up to Edinburgh, I live near the East Coast Mainline so it's not far for me to go to my local station on the line and catch a train. If they end up running something like a "Edinburgh to Milan" or "Edinburgh to Stockholm" sleeper train then I'll definitely book myself on it and go explore Europe via train.
Ive never been on an Amtrak train, but I got weirdly emotional watching this.
I've been on the Sunset Limited between Houston and New Orleans. Very interesting route.
@Kerry Adams easy on the emojis mom
It’s the homosexual in you, it’s okay to come out of the closet.
@@SGTDuckButter how do railroads lead to that?
Jump on ur closest route, or do a day trip to a town or something, you won’t regret it
18:00 HA! Flight Shaming, that's good. That is the kind of advertising Amtrak should be doing, just go all out and call out the roads and airlines for their BS.
Though a little fact-checking here, the Southern would have been more than happy to keep the Crescent, they were still making a profit on it. Unfortunately, that profitability took a hit when one of those trains got involved in an accident and reluctantly the Southern sold the Crescent to Amtrak as a result.
Pretty much. I might go a little more indepth with that in another video. ;)
You should see Amtrak's Facebook, they are always taking a jab to the Airlines Lol!
@@TheBestTrainsAreReal Amtrak's last CEO Richard Anderson came from Delta. He peed off a lot of railfans when he ended charter trains in March 2018, and made it harder for PV owners to move their cars. You can only hook and unhook them at a major terminal now. Some PV owners gave up and sold their cars to maybe a museum or tourist railroad. Also, some steam groups that ran on BNSF were affected by the charter ban, as they used Amtrak for insurance and diesel power for HEP and dynamic braking, and as backup power in case something happened to the steam locomotive en route. You do not want to tie up a busy freight line with an excursion train.
Happy (early) 50th Birthday Amtrak! Great video as always, love learning about some of the backstories and reasons behind how and why Amtrak became, well, Amtrak!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Yep, the northeast corridor railroad went bankrupt due to the termination of their mail contracts. No longer do passenger trains in America have a dozen or more mail cars on the consists. The USPS chose to fly the mail overnight in the air in hours instead of using the trains which took days...
50 years ago today, Amtrak was created. Happy birthday!
And Amtrak has lost $80 billion dollars in those 50 years.
@@johnnyjames7139 Airlines got how many billions in those years? Highways? Think ice breaking for ships in the winter is cheap? The coast guard does that for them. FREE to foreign shipping. Road taxes do not cover the costs of roads. Railroad taxes help make up the difference.
@@Westerner78 Passenger rails made men into tycoons. Rail transport was unsubsidized, cheap and luxurious. Then the government took over.
The rest is Amtrak history.
@@DrCruel Private lines SET UP AMTRAK LAWS AND AGREEMENTS. BECAUSE THEY FAILED. Due to loss of package and MAIL service to trucks. The customers, the taxpaying public demanded trains be saved. So a few lines were saved very few. Amtrak was cut back and underfunded from day one. Yet ridership boomed no matter what lousy service was offered with higher rates. After 50 years it now has a good future.
Happy 50th Anniversary, Amtrak!!!!
I'm in the UK have rode around the US for 6 weeks ny-ny in a ford van and also taken the AMTRAK from NY - LA and I do still prefer the train and am mostly still impressed you have a nationalised rail company.
I live near Jeffersonville, and I’m looking forward to Amtrak returning service to arrive.
I meant to the area.
There have been talks recently that it might with the new investment put into the company recently
I like the rail system here in northern VA, and it's nice to be able to get down to Florida without too much hassle
I'd much rather travel by train, than by car. Far more relaxing than speeding along a highway.
I agree, screw people saying cars represent individual freedom, trains did it first!
Less chance of dying or getting into an accident as well
What I don’t understand is why Amtrak needs to be profitable. Amtrak was created so companies could offload their unprofitable routes, as well as keeping that vital infrastructure. If Amtrak removes long distance routes there is no reason for it to exist and the NEC should be sold off to private companies, removing the need for any kind of government affiliation.
They don't need to be profitable, they just have to stop making engineering disasters.
Profitability is what separates the successful from the unsuccessful. Currently, America has limited investment money. It needs to know who to back and stay away from and profitability can greatly help with that decision.
Don't fear you will still have the airlines to feed.
@@johnpaultan306 No, it’s just that Republicans think you can run the government like a business.
@@johnpaultan306
“Limited investment in money”
They sure have enough to throw at the military, airlines, freeways, I could go on.
I did a few long distance trips on Amtrak trains back in the 90s. The seats were big and comfortable and the dinning car had great food. I recommended the experience to so many people.
Though I still struggle to understand why it took so long to repair the track damage done by Hurricane Katrina along the Gulf Coast and why the Amtrak service between New Orleans and Orlando still has not been reinstated.
I'm a train and I approve this video!!
I've ridden several trains in my life time, including a Amtrack one, and I gotta say.....I wouldn't change it for the world.
18:25 - Where did Kaliningrad go? And why is Liechtenstein so big?
Other than that, you continue to impress with your high-quality railway history videos. Even if I thought I knew all there was to know about something, I always seem to finish the video having learned something new. Well done!
Kaliningrad is reduced to ashes
Liechtenstein decide it doesn't want to be squished between two countries
during the pandemic, the airlines were bailed out with 64$ billion in a combination of grants and loans (the latter which only require 30% repayment) Amtrak only received 2.7$ billion the final (1.7$ billion coming in 2021).
Back in 2009 there was a project for an upgraded line between Chicago and Milwaukee using Talgo equipment (built in Milwaukee), that would run at a maximum speed of 125 MPH and averaging around 85 - 90 MPH when adjusting for stops enroute. The average speed for the Empire Builder (the only train currently serving that route) is about 47 - 48 mph, taking just over 9 hours between the two end points. The new line would have cut that time in nearly half. The entire line could be operating today had it not been for the shortsighted former governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin (though which most of the line passed) who in early 2011 cancelled the first leg of the line from the Wisconsin Illinois line through Milwaukee to the capitol of Madison (another city which lost rail service after Amtrak was formed). The service was to have started with two trains daily each way daily in addition to the Empire Builder as well as current Hiawatha service between Milwaukee and Chicago
HSR makes good sense is corridors of up to 450 miles between major city pairs as this is seen as the best potential market for sustainable passenger volume.
There is a new plan in the works out in the Pacific Northwest for a true HSR that would serve Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver BC. with running time between Portland and Seattle of around an hour. This would be very competitive with if not quicker than air travel between the two cities particularly given the fact that it would be city centre to city centre and not have to deal with the drive to/from the airport, security lines, taxiing holding for takeoff, and weather delays (fog is an issue at SeaTac as it is near wetlands).
I watched one video of a flight that departed Chicago O'Hare where just taxiing (after pushback from the gate) took 21 minutes (about the "in air" flight time to Milwaukee). These are points that opponents of HSR don't take into account when touting that air travel is "better".
Amtrak almost had the Sunset Limited come back to Florida. I remember I watched the inaugural train go by with two heritage units and phase 3 superliners. Then CSX decided to sell the Tallahassee Subdivision to a shortline and the deal was over just as it started.
The agreements signed by L&N in 1971 still stand and they are backed by law. Now they might be backed by funding!~
Learned some new stuff I didn’t know about Amtrak
Great video and I wholeheartedly great there is something about a train that's magic
It really is!
As Argo Guthrie sang, the City of New Orleans is a "magic carpet made of steel" .
@@HighIron It's a place going somewhere
@@haweater1555 That was written when trains had low ridership. If they do today it's because they don't have the cars on them or don't run much. 1971 was different world.
I recently took the NER NY to PHL and I am now a fan!!
even though I have not been on a Amtrak train since 1997, I still feel emotional watching this.
I love how your map of Amtrack's network includes Harrisburg as a major hub. Because its absolutely true.
This video is a perfect representation of why railroads need to be nationalized
When a high-speed line can be established between key points. So travel can be faster than driving and cheaper than flying.
Depends where you live. Downtown to downtown yes, but from suburb to suburb no... Parking can be more expensive in downtowns than at airports...
Excellent explanation! Hope the big trains come back!
Looooove your video, Happy 50 Amtrak & many more to come. 😊👍👍🚅
Fun fact: the Amtrak engine in the photo is the same one I saw an hour ago with 145. What a coincidence!
Excellent and informative. Well done!
Happy 50th Anniversary Of Amtrak!
15:47 There's Victorville to Las Vegas again. Good luck.
Very nice presentation! I was at the Ashland, KY depot on 4/30/1971 (my birthday!) to see the last C&O "George Washington" depart for D.C., we are so fortunate to have the Cardinal! We really need a daily Cardinal with 2 sleepers, and full diner for all passengers! *Cheers!*
Here in Ohio, rail travel is not a serious consideration. The last payout to improve rail service was turned down by our governor and went to California. Since our roads are not overcrowded compared to other states, Ohio residents have little reason to consider alternative transportation. Having used Amtrak in the form of the AutoTrain, one year the rails were nice and smooth. Since the rails used are used primarily used by freight trains, the next year the rails were like riding on speed bumps. The trips served me no useful function other than my love of riding on a train. Passenger travel is very expensive and service is no where near what it used to be. However, east and west coast states seem to make a go of it. To make it cheaper for us railfans, they might consider tacking passenger cars on a freight train, remembering you have to go where the freight goes. Not only would you see some areas not normally accessable to passenger trains, but you might get stuck in a freight yard too.
I took a trip on a Amtrak train once and honestly it was really nice
Coming from Germany, I enjoyed the California Zephyr in 2019 so much that I booked a round trip with Amtrak; four weeks in February 2023: New York, New Haven, Boston, Chicago, Washington, Philadelphia, New York. So relaxed travel and so much to see along the route.
But there was a problem with a blocked route from Chicago to Washington, and the other route is only served three times a week! So I had to go one day earlier which was not really a problem but it gives an interesting spot on the rail travel in the US. Here in Germany the major routes are served every hour so if you miss a train, no big deal, there will be another one soon. On that trip I was at the station an hour before take-off because it would be a real problem to miss the train.
Running a risk here, but if I'm not mistaken there are only 5 MAJOR rail lines in the U.S. BNSF, Union Pacific, CSX, Norfolk Southern and KCS. CN, the old IC, (Canadian) and CP (Canadian) are both vying for KCS. That will leave only 4. They have a ton of leverage when it comes to giving up trackage rights for passenger service. Riding a train can be fun, but if a passenger has a limited amount of time, he or she isn't going to want to give up that time in transit. If it's the journey rather than the destination, then riding a train makes sense.
Sorry all routes had record ridership before the mismanaged Covid emergency. The railroads signed agreements in 1971 that gave Amtrak the right to go any way any time. Now backed by law and if republican's can't stop funding again. Will be backed by funding!
Great video as always!
If I can leave a suggestion for a future one, maybe talk about the SPSF ("Shouldn't Paint So Fast") merger that never happened?
I'm sure we could... ;)
5:16 - What kind of service was that? I don't know if I've ever seen modern Amtrak service that long before. Was it just moving equipment or something? It wouldn't seem like it since it had the 2 Phase III P42 anniversary units.
Amtrak's Autumn Express excursion, 2013 version
@@HighIron Amtrak was required by law to run two of these trips a year. Even if the train could sell out in minutes. They only ran two to obey the law. Nothing lately except on the C&O and it took a Senator to make them do it. Surprise billing after the trip bankrupted the private operator the NRHS Huntington Chapter! Now there is a new operator! Anderson-Trump's railroad. it's going to be great you know.
4:49 California, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and North Carolina
New York MTA: am I a joke to?
Maryland MARC: Welcome to the party, pal
New Jersey NJT: Man this sucks.
He was just giving examples, not telling every state
I used to live in NYC. MTA I know wants another fair hike. From $2.75 to $3.00. Not to mention the the rents are going up. It’s a shame. 😞
I’ve always had a theory that Amtrak would start with diesel and end with steam. Kind of funny!
We need to emphasize rail travel in America more.
During Shoreline freight service in the 60s this curve was a great place to check your train for sticking brakes or hot boxes.
Happy 50th Birthday Amtrak keep up the good work.
Awesome video! Amtrak is our preferred mode of long distance travel but you have to not be in a hurry to get to where you're going.
At 9:51 - Here is some further info about Michigan Intercity passenger rail service that is also provided by Amtrak on a 135-mile state-owned line between Kalamazoo and Dearborn.
Michigan DOT provides capital and operating assistance, technical support and safety oversight of Michigan’s passenger rail system. The department also sponsors three separate intercity passenger rail routes that are operated by Amtrak and serves 22 station communities. All routes are expected to have new equipment by 2022.
In addition, MDOT owns a segment of the accelerated rail corridor that connects Chicago and Detroit/Pontiac and the communities in between. It funds all capital and maintenance work on the segment of the corridor between Kalamazoo and Dearborn.
Currently, efforts are focused on increasing passenger speeds up to 110 mph in this area. Passenger trains have traveled up to 110 mph since 2012 on the Amtrak-owned portion of the accelerated rail corridor between Kalamazoo, Michigan and Porter, Indiana.
www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,4616,7-151-22444_56481---,00.html
www.michigan.gov/documents/mdot/MDOTStateOwnedRail_330121_7.pdf
Very good! Excellent in fact! About time there was a good honest story of this subject, that even Public TV avoids. ( They get Alfred Sloan grants the GM guy and Koch brothers, need I say more?)
To be fair, there is a city of Louisville that pronounces its name LOU-iss -vill, but it is located in Colorado (Ca-luh-RAH-do). The city where the Kentucky Derby is run is pronounced LOO-a-vul.
Very cool video. It definitely makes sense as to grow rail lines in those too long too drive, too short to drive areas such as Chicago and Mattoon
Excellent appraisal. Good informative low-down objectively delivered. Faith in railtravel must not be lost not every car owner sees pleasure in driving more than 150 miles in one go or look forward to making the return journey without seeing other people except in other cars and often getting in each other’s way and what air passenger looks forward to paying a taxi to the town centre or looking dismally out of a bus window to view a road jam-packed with other vehicles? A big advantage of rail over airlines and road traffic is its facility to get passengers right into city centres and that advantage should be maintained, developed and exploited! Keep the faith! Good luck!
"They aren't the greatest heroes... but they're the only ones we've got!"
Extremely well put!!
just recently made a trip from philadelphia to Jacksonville. I Enjoyed it so much that I want to do a caliphornia Zephyr trip in october
Took the Amtrak once about a decade or so ago from Boston to Washington DC. It was definitely an experience but to be honest, it was the same time of travel as driving (roughly 7-8 hours). The reason is actually the entire state of Connecticut where travel speed is about 30mph or so (not entirely sure). If Amtrak can make that section go faster, I am sure it will reduce the travel time by a few hours.
We rode the Amtrak version of the "City of New Orleans" from New Orleans to Memphis, and then Memphis to Houston in 2005. It was slower than flying, but we had a lot more fun. I never rode another train again.
I didn't really understand what we didn't have until visiting Europe. I remembered stories from my parents about taking passenger trains from my home town of Bangor, Maine. But that was in the 50s. Now there's finally a push to bring it back. I'd love to see it, as at least when traveling domestically, it's the way I'd prefer to go. Sadly, as it stands, I only take Amtrak on the occasion I visit NYC from Washington DC. I'd love to go elsewhere, like Chicago or New Orleans, but that's not really a realistic option.
I have started using AMTRAK for all of my travel due to the train is more comfortable and I do not feel like a sardine in a tin can like I do when I used to fly. I have found that all of the car attendants are very accommodating and helpful when passengers require assistance. Although I wish there was more of a choice as far as dining as when you take the train the menus are usually repeated, causing less choices and forcing repeating selections when traveling.
Enjoyed this informative video, let's hope passenger rail in North America can continue I'ts upward progress
The president of the NYC RR made a video in 1960 informing the public that the government was backing the airlines by building airports with taxpayer money, but the railroads for over 100 years had to buy land for their tracks and build their own stations. Now I know many will say that is not true because Pres. Lincoln signed the National railroad act, but that was only for the Union Pacific and Central Pacific RRs. Other RRs signed on, but most went bankrupt or were bought out. The point is the US Govt. was not willing to pass a bill for US RRs, but they established the FAA with far more taxpayer money than the RRs even figuring in 100 years of inflation.
Another point. The RR barons of the 1800s (Vanderbilt etc.) had huge investments that made them the RR millionaires they were. In the 20th century (1950 +) other investors in airlines also did this because Americans prefer faster planes than trains.
As the video pointed out, we hope AMTRAK and other private RR passenger companies become
viable again, and carbon saving may that way if all the RRs electrify as they are doing in India, Europe, and China.
@@ernestimken6969 But you left out GM. Government Motors investments in the railroads for control so your electrics will never roll!
@@Westerner78 They're rolling now. Diesel-battery locomotives are coming on. Don't be surprised if the Milwaukee catenary across the Rockies is operating again with frieght trains.
@@ernestimken6969 That would be a surprise......I-90 pretty much wiped them out.
This is an excellent presentation! Thank you.
Here in Orlando, many companies including the theme parks are worried about track placement for Brightrail interrupting other infrastructure but still want it in some form.
With upgraded trackage and timetable protection, Talgo tilt trains could relieve some of the political hooraw around the cost of true high speed rail. I enjoy Amtrak and understand why I've sometimes spent the whole night on a siding in zero degree weather (I'm looking at you, freight lines), but I'd be even happier doing 120 miles an hour. Walker understood this, which is no doubt why he dismantled the licensed USA factory.
I'm all for rail travel, but what happens once you get to your destination? Cities aren't small enough any more to just walk where you want to go. I would personally rather just drive my car than ride a train and then have to rent one. Now, if I could take my car with me, say in a car hauler, that would be a different matter...
Actually, Amtrak has cars for vehicles so technically, you can take a car with you to your destination. I think it is only available for some routes at certain stations.
It still blew me away that Roanoke, VA one of the biggest railroad cities hadn’t had passenger rail since the 70’s either. I moved there for a few in 2007 and was surprised we had to drive an hour to Lynchburg just to grab the Amtrak until a decade later. 🤣
In order for Amtrak to prosper & survive they must mimic rail travel in Europe, especially the high-speed aspect of passenger train service. You correctly described all of the roadblocks to achieving this goal, especially the lack of track ownership. The fact that freight service owns the bulk of the nation's tracks puts them in charge of who & when will pass through on their tracks. Couple that with the speed of other forms of travel and it is easy to see why Amtrak has a hard time competing. Unless there is a huge investment in new train cars & separate (from freight) high-speed tracks it is basically a lost cause. The bottom line is freight is more lucrative than passenger train service. The Northeast Corridor's Acela line is a money maker because of the relative speed of the service. It is comparable or sometimes even faster than driving a car to the same destination. It is sad to see the richest country in the world with a second-class national train system. It doesn't have to be that way. If you get some of those well off investors to get onboard with the federal government to fund & structure it right, then we could just as easily rival Europe's world-class train service.
That would require taxing the wealthy their fair share, an outrageous idea! 🤭
Pretty well done production! Why doesn't public TV carry programs like this?
The funny part - the Acela Express trains - the power unit is built by Alstom, same company that built the TGV in France. The other funny, even the MBCR in Bostn uses Alstom to maintain its cars.
Thank you for the presentation. Valuable!
What the US federal government in association with state governments is to acquire all major rail infrastructure, signalling and train control from the freight rail companies and operate the national rail infrastructure as an 'open' not for profit operation for any freight, passenger including Amtrak and heritage rail museum operator/s and treat the network as tax payer owned national strategic 'steel highway' asset.
0:29 are those steam engines on the keystone corridor or on the northeast corridor？
Keystone Corridor; Paradise, PA to be precise.
Ok
Houston also doesn't have service north without a bus ride to Dallas. There's the route east along the Gulf (along the I10 corridor) but going most other places isn't possible on just rail.
the day the goverment starts subsidizing rail travel the way they do with road travel the US whould have a wold class network...
At last, an informed view of the balance between highway and rail support!
@@ruffian2952 Yes I thought it was a excellent report.
Always remember this… every time we pump fuel in to our cars trucks and suvs we are paying state and federal on road taxes per gallon and every time we buy an airline ticket we pay airport taxes… hell…many times the airport taxes are more than the airfare itself!
@@Pisca-kk5cs yet the cars are still not paying for the actual cost of the roads
@@Mira_linn true.. but a car will not go anywhere without fuel ⛽️…now here is the kicker..these electric cars now out there and guess what.. local and feds are not getting that fuel tax… so the DOT is trying to pass a use tax or per mile tax..
Muy buen video, una historia muy bien narrada, gracias .
The “Night Owl” has recently been restored but I don’t think it’s called that.
A trackage in Northern Michigan, not owned or operated by Amtrak due to it being in rural most areas is being used for commuter service. Because Amtrak is not there, they don't want another failure like Louisville (equivalent kinda deal). However, the Class II railroad of MI, The Great Lakes Central have taken action using refurbished 1960s double decker seated cars and repaired Ann Arbor and C&O trackage to make the trek to north most areas. The line is good for 60 MPH trains and was only able to be done with help of the state and ownership of existing tracks. Most tracks actually being industrial spurs leading to Ex-C&O stations now used by the GLC. Even without the help of Amtrak, they are able to do excursion runs and greatly profit off them too, just can't wait to see how the commuter service comes to life in the coming year.
Mail must return to passenger rail. It not faster nor cheaper by truck. But the Postmaster De Joy has a major position in ownership in the competition. One of his holdings is XPO trucking! He is a De Jerk that must be fired he is doing to the Post Office what they have done to passenger rail for 50 years. It must be stopped. It's just a matter of time till Northern Michigan has Amtrak.
@@Westerner78 I wouldn't say Amtrak will be going up north anytime soon because the trackage managed for the new commuters is owned by MDOT themselves and has only partnered with the most well equipped railroad in Michigan for passenger service, but I would like to see a slight return in mail transportation as intakes a bit too long for mail and other packages to be moved from warehouses to their destination. The packages could sit for months at a time, but with specified mail trains, UPS or FedEx wouldn't require to drive or fly 100s of miles for small packages. They could be delivered to the big cities along the us by train, then shipped by truck/car to the final destination. If it came back, it would be a bit more efficient overall for the isolated regions of Michigan where mail facilities could have packages sit for a few days at a time only a few miles away is their destination.
@@hjmiller2689 The issue is very powerful people want to make CENTS, not SENSE. Our Postmaster De Joy is fully invested in non rail companies that truck everything. it's a very profitable huge operation for them and HIM . But notice how last holiday season either Fed Ex or UPS could handle it all. In fact they dumped tons of packages on the Post Office De Jerk, is working to ruin! This was after Oct when Amtrak dropped it's package express business completely after the railroads forced them to buy NEW cars!
I would really enjoy to be able to take a trip from Troy to Cadillac for a weekend, guess that would require Amtrak to extend from Pontiac to Durand, or GLC to do the opposite. GLC does go to Durand doesn't it?
Great video!
Hey mr. High iron,
I love your knowledge of trains and it got me wondering. Could you do a video on if you ran a railroad what would be the history and what locomotives would you use, especially on the passenger trains? I would definitely send $50 for such an unique video, if nobody else asked before.
I rode on Amtrak from Charlottesville to Chicago about 3 years ago. It was just about the only time I have _ever_ seen train tickets go for cheaper than airline tickets (and I did fly from Chicago to Denver for that exact reason). I was very lucky, because I had planned to meet up with a friend and spend the day in Chicago, however the train wound up running _8 hours_ late because we wound up sitting on the tracks waiting for some freight trains to do some switching. So, yeah, the freight railroad companies don't give half a shit about whether or not passenger trains are remotely on schedule. If I hadn't have planned to stay in Chicago, I probably would've wound up missing my flight. That probably would have left me stranded there, seeing as how I was absolutely broke at that time, and I doubt the airlines would comp me a ticket because the train was late.
It will change when they know the government cares again.
10:23 the amtrak is passing through byers canyon on its way to granby colorado
LET'S GO!! A new video!!! :)
Good, informative, well done.
This video should have mentioned Amtrak's chronic equipment shortage. Every daily long distance train west of Chicago requires at least SEVEN sets of equipment -- one for each day until the first train returns to Chicago, plus one "protection" set in case of emergency.
Long term leases offered to private investors would have them build the cars. Like the railroads did for a hundred years. This is against the Amtrak law. So they have to depend on the government. That highway lobbies can control.
I would like to see a study on an overnight LA to SJ and SF train. It would not need a diner and the tracks have basically nothing but passenger trains on them now, as freight goes over Tehachapi Loop.
A similar plan is actually in the California State rail plan. I think this project isn't receiving enough attention among other state priorities. However, effectively marketing the overnight train -- let's call it the "Lark" after the SP train that ran this route from 1910-1968 -- to business travelers as an alternative to spending a day driving or flying between NorCal and SoCal would be a challenge.
Bypass the Loop. Make it owned by the State, and charge high fees for the new faster bypass for the freight companies to use.
@@AVeryRandomPerson - Remember that California High Speed Rail includes a passenger-only high speed line up through the Tehachapi Pass and then through the San Gabriel mountains into the San Fernando Valley. When that gets built, there won't be a need to put passenger trains on the Loop. Don't forget that the current Tehachapi Loop / Soledad Canyon route is bad for passenger trains anyhow. The old "Owl" overnight train took a whopping 13.5 hours from Los Angeles to Oakland, hours longer than the current Coast Starlight. Using buses from Bakersfield into Southern California save a lot of time over alternatives.
www.streamlinerschedules.com/concourse/track7/owl195707.html
Just use the coast line.
@@Westerner78 That's right, the Coast Line. Even in the glory days when the SP Daylight was the most popular train on the Continent, the Coast route has never taken less than 9h 45m, or much slower than the existing Amtrak rail-bus service through Bakersfield. However, an overnight train could leave one city after work and arrive plenty early for business travelers. The biggest challenge would be scheduling it to run when Metrolink and CalTrain are running their peak-time services.
I saw my local station at timestamp 12:03
Nice little cameo
I only ever rode Amtrak once, from Anaheim to San Diego just after a trip to Disneyland
My favorite railroad amtrak I have the Amtrak diner budd car. Now u don't see them anymore with the Arrow Schemes. N new logo Amtrak Heritage budd diner car's
Like - Well told • Cheers from the Detroit & Mackinac Railway 🚂
16:10
If these railway routes that you show are actually implemented, I will be very hopeful for the future of not only Amtrak, but rail travel as a flying alternative as a whole. It looks very promising and I hope that it can be accomplished. Italy's high speed rail has been a factor to the bankruptcy and closure of Alitalia and if Amtrak can increase its speed capacities, then I believe it can be a game changer.
The pandemic has been a real shame. I had plans for a month long excursion with a rail pass with amtrak for last may, 15 stops from Orlando to Boston to California and back, with all sorts of stops in between, but of course the Rina ruined that...
Nevertheless, im hoping to reconstruct the trip piecemeal over the next few years, and living in Lancaster PA, im hoping to take advantage of the rail along the northeast corridor fairly often!
I have never used Amtrack, but at home here use VIA rail every summer instead of driving. Ottawa to T.O. a nd Montreal. They travel on average 110mph. According to conductors I have asked. I only fly if its too far, US (Vegas).
Amtrak has too many accidents. you are right, though; it was amazing to ride the C&O and B&O and Pennsylvania Pullman cars with all the amenities, fine dining and porters . . . so sad.
Very informative video
10:40 Simply not true. Over their 50 years in service, Amtrak has received Federal subsidies almost every year in operation to the tune of $43,552,000,000 from 1971 up to 2016 (the last year I could find a record of).
I'd like to see Amtrak bring back the old E class locomotives. Or at least the looks
i wouldnt count CHSR as a "fit and start." they have begin construction and have finished quite a significant amount of structures and right-of-way, and they don't look poised to give up soon
they have a state-mandated deadline to get a train moving at 220mph before 2025, and their most recent business plan states that they will be able to meet that deadline
They have already met it with their "Fuxing" service.