Five Things To Understand About Amtrak
Вставка
- Опубліковано 27 кві 2021
- Amtrak has been the United State's national passenger rail carrier for fifty years, and to this day still gets treated like an underdog compared to airlines and roadways. How have they endured it all for so long, and how exactly does the outside world influence its operation?
To continue to see updates, photos, and new videos from High Iron, including San Juan Branch Line, follow us at these links:
Patreon: / highironvideos
Facebook: / highironvideos - Авто та транспорт
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.
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!
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.
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!
@@intercityrailpal 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.
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
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.
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.
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".
Happy 50th Anniversary, Amtrak!!!!
I'm a train and I approve this video!!
Learned some new stuff I didn’t know about Amtrak
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 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
Fun fact: the Amtrak engine in the photo is the same one I saw an hour ago with 145. What a coincidence!
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.
@@intercityrailpal 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 Of Amtrak!
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.
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...
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!~
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.
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 love how your map of Amtrack's network includes Harrisburg as a major hub. Because its absolutely true.
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...
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.
I’ve always had a theory that Amtrak would start with diesel and end with steam. Kind of funny!
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
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'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
Excellent explanation! Hope the big trains come back!
We need to emphasize rail travel in America more.
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... ;)
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 and informative. Well done!
Looooove your video, Happy 50 Amtrak & many more to come. 😊👍👍🚅
even though I have not been on a Amtrak train since 1997, I still feel emotional watching this.
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.
Extremely well put!!
I recently took the NER NY to PHL and I am now a fan!!
15:47 There's Victorville to Las Vegas again. Good luck.
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
Thank you for the presentation. Valuable!
This is an excellent presentation! Thank you.
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 took a trip on a Amtrak train once and honestly it was really nice
"They aren't the greatest heroes... but they're the only ones we've got!"
Muy buen video, una historia muy bien narrada, gracias .
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!*
Great video!
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.
Very informative video
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!
@@intercityrailpal 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.
Happy 50th Birthday Amtrak keep up the good work.
Good, informative, well done.
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.
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.
LET'S GO!! A new video!!! :)
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!
During Shoreline freight service in the 60s this curve was a great place to check your train for sticking brakes or hot boxes.
The “Night Owl” has recently been restored but I don’t think it’s called that.
Enjoyed this informative video, let's hope passenger rail in North America can continue I'ts upward progress
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!
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?)
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.
Like - Well told • Cheers from the Detroit & Mackinac Railway 🚂
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
Nice video.
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.
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.
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.
This video is a perfect representation of why railroads need to be nationalized
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. 🤣
Nice good work
Definitely going in my favorites playlist👏👏👏👏👏👌 Mwah!
Thanks for watching!
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.
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'd like to see Amtrak bring back the old E class locomotives. Or at least the looks
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.
Pretty well done production! Why doesn't public TV carry programs like this?
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! 🤭
16:31 Amtrak 69 nice.
Nice catch
haha funny number 69 chungus keanu reddit 100
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
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
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.
Oh how I wish Amtrak or some form of Rail Passenger Service could come to South Dakota.
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
My favorite train is Union p something and I really like how trains work
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.
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.
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!
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 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).
Woooo A new vid
At about 20-30 million, The Smithsonian (which is free) and Amtrak have about the same number of “visitor/riders”. I think both should be taxpayer funded to provide a superb product. They both certainly are about America. For coach and sleeper bring back fine, community dining - that former CEO Richard Anderson deleted. DON’T THROW THE CHEF FROM THE TRAIN.
Many of the recent downgrades will be reversed. Thosands of managers were laid off or bought out by the Anderson-Trump railroad. Cause the plan was to shut down the national system this fall.
@@intercityrailpal --- - things hopefully will get better with Biden’s $80B shot in the arm. However Anderson’s replacement Flynn has doubts of dining service. Community seating - per CEO Flynn will be out. Not right. Community seating - a table made full in the dining car - sometimes seating strangers - is fun way: ua-cam.com/video/h5nhyFFSweU/v-deo.html
@@robertmcglinchey3347 Well we have to get the 80 billion first! Republicans have already sent threatening letters to Biden to warn against ANY money for rail! By the way New York Central would have sometimes two diners on trains. Amtrak did this on the California Zephyr in the summer on 5-25-35 It had a Denver diner. All those cars are on the Autotrain now. They got rid of the western services. Because Auto Train was not running when the Superliners were ordered in 1979. The year of the big cuts to Amtrak.
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.
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 Federal government had developed an outright hostility toward the railroads by 1900. Strict regulation was a mainstay of the Progressive movement. The handicapping regulation by the lethargic Interstate Commerce Commission was aggravated by large subsidies to airlines and roads.
Amtrack proudly runs through my city