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Amtrak Profit Center- Auto Train

Discussion related to Amtrak also known as the National Railroad Passenger Corp.

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Re: Amtrak Profit Center- Auto Train

 #1605017  by west point
 
Auto carriers do not clear 1st street tunnel. SLs do clear. Virginia Avenue (CSX ust replaced will not clear auto carriers with CAT. Then you have 30th street station in PHL. Will not clear SLd except for the area that was once track 9 7 10. Auto carriers NO. Would have to use PHL highline (CSX)







auto A

Re: Amtrak Profit Center- Auto Train

 #1605019  by eolesen
 
There's really no compelling reason to run on the NEC or via Lorton if another routing is more practical and can accommodate auto carriers today.

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Re: Amtrak Profit Center- Auto Train

 #1605036  by Gilbert B Norman
 
From Imlauer Pitter Hotel Salzburg--

You know, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".

While I realize that traffic on the 95 has grown manifold, (it was just two lanes from The District to "rural" Lorton in '71), but AT can command a feed of passengers, say, East of Harrisburg and Syracuse. Any passengers coming from those areas would not exactly relish driving into the NY area to get the AT.

So, for probably the only commercial success amtrak has away from the Corridor, just leave it be.

Re: Amtrak Profit Center- Auto Train

 #1605058  by Greg Moore
 
What Mr. Norman said. I really don't think, short of pulling billions into a new route, there's going to be a better route on the east coast. Hence why I'm curious if there's a way of growing the existing service somehow.

Re: Amtrak Profit Center- Auto Train

 #1605074  by ExCon90
 
As a side note, if you use the High Line to avoid 30th Street there's no way to get back onto the NEC -- you'd have to stay on CSX the rest of the way. And as Mr. Norman points out above, you might be better off putting the terminal well away from the New York metro area altogether, and maybe find cheaper land for it.

Re: Amtrak Profit Center- Auto Train

 #1605078  by gprimr1
 
It's hard to tell elevation from satellite photos, but it does look like the High line runs parallel to a track that connects to the unused leg of Zoo wye. It looks like there is room to install a switch.

I agree though, negotiating to run via CSX would be simpler and open up a huge market I think for NY/CT based travelers.

Re: Amtrak Profit Center- Auto Train

 #1605094  by STrRedWolf
 
gprimr1 wrote: ↑Sun Aug 21, 2022 10:17 pm It's hard to tell elevation from satellite photos, but it does look like the High line runs parallel to a track that connects to the unused leg of Zoo wye. It looks like there is room to install a switch.

I agree though, negotiating to run via CSX would be simpler and open up a huge market I think for NY/CT based travelers.
...if CSX will even let you do it once they get a whiff of "you're hauling autos." I was thinking of this just now, and was able to find CSX's Clearance maps. Once of them is for hauling auto racks. Now, I'm assuming Amtrak's using 16'-ish auto racks and not 18'-ish racks like CSX does... but CSX would still classify it as an 18'-ish rack size.

The issue is between Philadelpia Field and Twin Oaks... and there's just a ton of bridges in the way.

Re: Amtrak Profit Center- Auto Train

 #1605100  by west point
 
west point wrote: ↑Sat Aug 20, 2022 11:24 pm Auto carriers do not clear 1st street tunnel. SLs do clear. Virginia Avenue (CSX just replaced will not clear auto carriers with CAT. Then you have 30th street station in PHL. Will not clear SLs except for the area that was once track 9 & 10. Auto carriers NO. Would have to use PHL highline (CSX)







auto A

Re: Amtrak Profit Center- Auto Train

 #1605104  by scratchyX1
 
STrRedWolf wrote: ↑Mon Aug 22, 2022 9:41 am
gprimr1 wrote: ↑Sun Aug 21, 2022 10:17 pm It's hard to tell elevation from satellite photos, but it does look like the High line runs parallel to a track that connects to the unused leg of Zoo wye. It looks like there is room to install a switch.

I agree though, negotiating to run via CSX would be simpler and open up a huge market I think for NY/CT based travelers.
...if CSX will even let you do it once they get a whiff of "you're hauling autos." I was thinking of this just now, and was able to find CSX's Clearance maps. Once of them is for hauling auto racks. Now, I'm assuming Amtrak's using 16'-ish auto racks and not 18'-ish racks like CSX does... but CSX would still classify it as an 18'-ish rack size.

The issue is between Philadelpia Field and Twin Oaks... and there's just a ton of bridges in the way.
Aren't those bridges in the plan to be replaced, so the line can run doublestacks?

Re: Amtrak Profit Center- Auto Train

 #1605111  by Arborwayfan
 
If we're spinning dreams here, someplace in the Hudson Valley would be a good northern terminal for a longer Auto Train route. From a Boston/Mass/northern NE perspective someplace around Albany would be great--the Mass Pike is a much nicer drive than I-95 even before you get to NYC itself, and maybe from the Albany area the train could get down past DC on inland tracks that already have the clearance, don't have catenary, and might be fairly welcoming for one daily pair of trains that don't need to be very fast and that don't have any scheduled stops so they are easier to fit into the flow of freights.

Even people from CT, RI, and greater NYC might be willing, even eager, to start their drive to FL by driving a little ways north, since it would get them around the worst traffic region in the country.

But I kind of doubt that it would pay to buy/lease a site and set up all loading/unloading facilities, unless there's a disused auto-loading facility in about the right place that could be put into service with minor tweaks.

Re: Amtrak Profit Center- Auto Train

 #1605116  by Greg Moore
 
Well, if you're spinning fantasies like that I've got the place for you:
Selkirk yards. Plenty of room and direct access to the route you probably most likely want to take.
Fairly easy access from I-90 from the west and I-87 to the north and even more trivial access from I-90 to the East.

And CSX trains are already running doublestacks down the west side of the Hudson.

But, that said, really your bigger catchment basin is NYC metro area and I doubt you'd get folks driving 2 miles north to save driving south, even if it saved them time and effort in the long run.

Re: Amtrak Profit Center- Auto Train

 #1605117  by Vincent
 
The Fantasy West Coast Auto Train

Northern terminus: somewhere near Portland, ideally south of the Steel Bridge
Southern terminus: somewhere near Bakersfield or closer to LA (open to suggestions)
Portland is within one day's drive of Vancouver BC and all of WA. Bakersfield is within one day's drive of southern CA, numerous national parks, Las Vegas, Palm Spring and much of AZ.

Route: Shasta between Portland and Sacramento, San Joaquin south of Sacramento to Bakersfield
Service: 2-3 time per week in each direction.

I'm sure UP would demand billions for Shasta improvements, but any improvements would also greatly benefit the Coast Starlight and EUG-PDX Cascades trains.

Re: Amtrak Profit Center- Auto Train

 #1605121  by eolesen
 
Greg Moore wrote: ↑Mon Aug 22, 2022 2:42 pm But, that said, really your bigger catchment basin is NYC metro area and I doubt you'd get folks driving 2 miles north to save driving south, even if it saved them time and effort in the long run.
What about Port of Newark? Are there any brownfield sites in the area of the port?

Re: Amtrak Profit Center- Auto Train

 #1605124  by Greg Moore
 
eolesen wrote: ↑Mon Aug 22, 2022 3:45 pm What about Port of Newark? Are there any brownfield sites in the area of the port?
Are there any that aren't :-)
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