FRA Enhanced Long Distance Network Map

ryanwc wrote: ↑Fri Feb 23, 2024 2:31 pm To be fair to the FRA staff, they're writing the report Congress told them to write, not the report they'd like to write.

I'm not 100pct disagreeing with you, but is there a source for that? Or are they writing this report on speculation that it might be a boon to the FRA funding over the next ten years? There might be some proviso in their enabling legislation that says something like "stay on top of trends and provide congress with forecasts and potential business models for future mass transportation trends". While that doesn't say "write me a book about passenger trains", I could see how the FRA gets there.

Honestly curious what the genesis of the effort was.

Edit- would also be nice to see the brief that kicked this off. "Draw lines from MSP to PHX and similar" is much less useful than "Take $5bn funding and tell us how to capture 5pct of intercity travel and/or cut N hydrocarbon emissions".

You’ll find your answer to this report when you find the legislative foamer staffer who wrote this section. I have to wonder if any congresscritter read it?

RandallW wrote: ↑Fri Feb 23, 2024 6:12 pm I don't think the FRA is going above and beyond, but are following the instructions in paragraph (c).

SEC. 22214. AMTRAK DAILY LONG-DISTANCE SERVICE STUDY.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall conduct a study to evaluate the restoration of daily intercity rail passenger service along—
(1) any Amtrak long-distance routes that, as of the date of enactment of this Act, were discontinued; and
(2) any Amtrak long-distance routes that, as of the date of enactment of this Act, occur on a nondaily basis.
(b) INCLUSIONS.—The study under subsection (a) shall—
(1) evaluate all options for restoring or enhancing to daily- basis intercity rail passenger service along each Amtrak route described in that subsection;
(2) select a preferred option for restoring or enhancing the service described in paragraph (1);
(3) develop a prioritized inventory of capital projects and other actions that are required to restore or enhance the service described in paragraph (1), including cost estimates for those projects and actions;
(4) develop recommendations for methods by which Amtrak could work with local communities and organizations to develop activities and programs to continuously improve public use of intercity passenger rail service along each route; and
(5) identify Federal and non-Federal funding sources required to restore or enhance the service described in paragraph (1), including—
(A) increased Federal funding for Amtrak based on applicable reductions or discontinuations in service; and
(B) options for entering into public-private partnerships to restore that service.
(c) OTHER FACTORS WHEN CONSIDERING EXPANSIONS.—In evaluating intercity passenger rail routes under this section, the Secretary may evaluate potential new Amtrak long-distance routes, including with specific attention provided to routes in service as of April 1971 but not continued by Amtrak, taking into consideration whether those new routes would—
(1) link and serve large and small communities as part of a regional rail network;
(2) advance the economic and social well-being of rural areas of the United States;
(3) provide enhanced connectivity for the national long- distance passenger rail system; and
(4) reflect public engagement and local and regional support for restored passenger rail service.

(Sorry it's not indented correct, but I couldn't figure it out.)

So basically they want to re-start the 1921 map of passenger trains. Great. Are we pretending that polio is still a thing and maybe have iron lungs on the trains? ADA and all, gotta comply. Also we can skip any cities like Phoenix and Charlotte that were not much in 1921.

No! You missed why this report was made in the first place. Congress passed a law in 2021 for the FRA, not Amtrak, to make a report for returning to service long distance trains Amtrak had killed since 1971, when Amtrak was started, and future routes the FRA found might be started. This report is the FRA answering Congress' mandate, nothing more.
It does not mean any more steps will be taken to return to service any of these trains. Funding to do so will of course be at the wishes of any new Congress.
It appears that later this year when more Superliners are refurbished and returned to service, that the Sunset Limited west of New Orleans will return to a daily service. One Senator from Arizona is reportedly already taking credit for this. Whether this will happen will be verified later this year when and if it actually happens.

Tampa feels left out: TampaBay.com

Specifically, the FRA's routes from Chicago or Dallas to Miami. Interestingly, it seems the Dallas route traverses the FEC.

Could Tampa miss out on a new Amtrak service?
...
Despite the growing ridership and recent investments from the city, state and Amtrak to update the historic station, it could miss out on expanded rail service, according to preliminary proposals from the Federal Railroad Administration.
...
A proposed Chicago–Florida passenger rail route bypasses Tampa, instead servicing Miami, Orlando and Jacksonville, with stops in Georgia and Tennessee before reaching the Midwest.
...

...
A proposed preferred route between Dallas-Fort Worth and Florida included in the same study also bypasses Tampa, but includes five other Florida stops: Pensacola, Tallahassee, Jacksonville, Daytona Beach and Miami.
...

Jeff Smith wrote: ↑Wed Mar 06, 2024 10:54 am Tampa feels left out: TampaBay.com

Specifically, the FRA's routes from Chicago or Dallas to Miami. Interestingly, it seems the Dallas route traverses the FEC.

Wanna bet the FEC has capacity for Amtrak and CSX isn't budging? They just recently double-tracked after all.

Wanna bet that 1) it's way too early to look at that level of specificity (Tampa vs not-Tampa), 2) Tampa is a long way down a dead-end line, and 3) Brightline will be serving them long before any equipment moves under this map?

electricron wrote: ↑Tue Feb 27, 2024 3:18 pm No! You missed why this report was made in the first place. Congress passed a law in 2021 for the FRA, not Amtrak, to make a report for returning to service long distance trains Amtrak had killed since 1971, when Amtrak was started, and future routes the FRA found might be started.

I hate to tell you this, the Carter DOT made those cuts in the 70s, and other cuts were made because the trains were money pits.

Weren't the Carter Cuts part of the compromise to help secure funding for the AmFleets and Superliners?

Sent from my SM-S911U using Tapatalk

Mr. Olesen, the Superliner I order was placed during the Ford administration, so I doubt if there was any correlation between the two events.

All I know is that when the order was announced, the washrooms walls at the CUS offices heard "oh God, we're going to be stuck with those trains for another thirty years".

Funny how thirty is now pushing sixty. I can only reiterate, from likely now as the only one around here employed in the industry on A-Day, the LD's in the so-called Basic System were to be a five year "ease the pain" transition after which they would be discontinued in an orderly manner - as distinct from an "every man for himself" resulting in the NY-Chicago train (Broadway Limited at the time) being discontinued before its Western connections.

GBN, having heard from Cate Kratville-Wrinn that her Dad (William Kratville) and Arthur Dubin were part of the idea team for Railpax, someone forgot to tell them about the basic rule of bureaucracy…the first task of any newly created agency is to establish its permanence.

John_Perkowski wrote: ↑Fri Mar 08, 2024 12:43 am

electricron wrote: ↑Tue Feb 27, 2024 3:18 pm No! You missed why this report was made in the first place. Congress passed a law in 2021 for the FRA, not Amtrak, to make a report for returning to service long distance trains Amtrak had killed since 1971, when Amtrak was started, and future routes the FRA found might be started.

I hate to tell you this, the Carter DOT made those cuts in the 70s, and other cuts were made because the trains were money pits.

Did President Carter years predate 1971?

John_Perkowski wrote: ↑Fri Mar 08, 2024 9:02 pm GBN, having heard from Cate Kratville-Wrinn that her Dad (William Kratville) and Arthur Dubin were part of the idea team for Railpax, someone forgot to tell them about the basic rule of bureaucracy…the first task of any newly created agency is to establish its permanence.

By and large, on the mark, Colonel.

Now it is true that RPSA70 called for a National system, but, if someone such as a future Administration, chose to interpret that to be rid of the LD's, they could still justify their elimination that under what became known as Section 403(b), but has been amended by subsequent legislation, Amtrak stands ready to support with its infrastructure, any Local intercity passenger train agency operating, or desiring to do so, intercity passenger trains. This even includes the "hairbrained ones" such as the Southern tier Montana (ready to hear from you, Mr. Meyer) or even more so, the South Dakota one.

But with the funding they got, I guess the aerophobic railfan contingent at the FRA will continue to play with dots on the map and 1950's Guides to come up with more nonsense. Of one thing I'm certain; The Late Randy Resor (Nellie Bly), who I knew face to face and was with the FRA when he passed, railfan as he was, would have had no use for all of that.