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It would be interesting if the folks at NCDOT got a chance and rode the brightline trains and were impressed enough to take the plunge, so to speak, and begin to re-equip their trains. I wonder if this order will be simply tacked on to the midwest Siemens order? Would it include cab control cars for...

Keep in mind one point: the Palmetto, along with Auto Train, are the two LD trains that come the closest to breaking even. We need more Palmetto type trains, not less.

The best bet for SC would be Charlotte to Atlanta thru the upstate, maybe a Palmetto type service on the S line serving Columbia. In SC The powers that be tend to look at rail as freight, period. The Carolina Special, or as the locals called it the Carolina Creeper, made its last run in October 1962...

Reading the attached white paper, Mr. Singer raises a topic that was brought up before about Amtrak shedding the NEC infrastructure to the FRA. If they were freed of this albatross, would the corridor trains then become truly profitable?

Upgrading service on Auto train is something long overdue. This train and the Palmetto are the two LD trains that come the closest to breaking even. Although I have yet to ride AT, I hope to do so in the future after I retire at the end of this year. With more and better marketing, AT could operate ...

Regarding funding, or lack thereof, concerning the NEC, as long as the politics remain so dysfunctional between Congress and the White House, maybe it is time for the folks in this region to take the initiative. Two thoughts come to mind. 1. Perhaps a maintenance surcharge of one dollar be added to ...

I am reminded of a comment that James J. Hill made concerning his legacy as the empire builder. "I have made my mark on the world and they cannot take it off!" Mr. Skoropowski and others who were there in the beginning of this enterprise can now take justifiable pride in what they have don...

One potential danger lurking out there is that the current regime at Amtrak has alienated some of their traditional allies over private cars and excursions that this has led some to say to hell with Amtrak.

According to the DC to RVA plan, the line from SAY to AM is to be triple tracked and have crossovers at both ends. The S line from there south will be upgraded and rebuilt all the way to Raleigh as part of the Southeast High Speed Rail project.

Re-routing the LD trains from Doswell to RVM then the Bellwood sub has two serious problems: 1. It means bypassing Staples Mill Rd. station and the considerable ridership that stop generates. 2. Auto train with its superliners and auto carriers cannot clear the triple crossing restrictions on cars o...

Some other possible sources of money Amtrak could pursue: 1. A one dollar maintenance surcharge added to the price of every ticket, Amtrak or commuter, that would be devoted only to infrastructure of the NEC. 2. A full court press on real estate development that would yield another stream of income....

Since the VA trains operate in the black financially, how is this surplus divided up, if at all?

If Amtrak was adventurous, some of these retired units could be stripped out and converted to LNG fuel tenders for FEC type operations, a sort of an ABA type consist. This depends on the price of natural gas.

With the proposal to develop the air rights over the station tracks for the planned Burnham center, how much revenue from this would Amtrak receive on an ongoing basis?

You can add the palmetto as a LD train using only one locomotive.