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| Amtrak, CSX agree on Hoosier State schedule changes (1507837) | |
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| (1507837) | |
Amtrak, CSX agree on Hoosier State schedule changes |
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Posted by Union Tpke on Fri Mar 22 12:35:35 2019 Amtrak and CSX have reached a mutual understanding to improve the schedules of two Amtrak Hoosier State trains that operate between Indianapolis and Chicago. Amtrak plans to begin offering the new schedules next month. CSX owns all of the Hoosier State’s route in Indiana. Although details haven't been finalized, a northbound train likely will leave Indianapolis later than the current 6 a.m. departure time, Amtrak officials said in a press release. A southbound train will return to Indianapolis earlier than the current 11:39 p.m. arrival, and times at all intermediate stops will change, they said. Running through Crawfordsville, Lafayette, Rensselaer and Dyer, Indiana, the Hoosier State is operated by Amtrak on Sundays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays under a contract with the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT). The schedule reduction will save more than $72,000 in annual operating costs to the state, Amtrak officials said. "Together, these trains carried more than 60,000 customers last year and provide daily service on an important Amtrak Midwest route, one with great potential that we look forward to developing with our partners at INDOT and CSX," said Joe McHugh, Amtrak’s vice president for state-supported services. "As partners, we can further improve the financial performance, reduce trip times and offer a still better option than driving I-65." |
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| (1507840) | |
Re: Amtrak, CSX agree on Hoosier State schedule changes |
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Posted by Steamdriven on Fri Mar 22 13:06:12 2019, in response to Amtrak, CSX agree on Hoosier State schedule changes, posted by Union Tpke on Fri Mar 22 12:35:35 2019. It seems like freight and passenger rail don't mix well. Perhaps passenger rail will really work only whereA. Freight traffic is so sparse that revenue from passenger trains is beneficial to amortize fixed costs or B. There's enough passenger traffic and ROW margin to lay a separate set of tracks. That also prevents most passenger/freight collisions. I'd rather take a train than a bus or today's miserable flying conditions, but mixed operations seem to be a money loser that disrupts the main function of the national rail network. If anything we should be focused on taking more trucks off the road, with, say, a RoadRailer 2.0 going to population centers. |
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| (1507850) | |
Re: Amtrak, CSX agree on Hoosier State schedule changes |
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Posted by Jackson Park B Train on Fri Mar 22 14:19:29 2019, in response to Re: Amtrak, CSX agree on Hoosier State schedule changes, posted by Steamdriven on Fri Mar 22 13:06:12 2019. The RRs which regularly stiff Amtrak do it as policy. The issue is what it has been from Amtrak day one. A competent and cooperative RR, in 'normal' weather conditions is capable of moving a priority train on a schedule--they do it for UPS et al.Some of the ROW issues are deliberate removal of passing sidings, and running freights which are too long for ANY passing siding on a given division. Given that courtesy of the Staggers Act the class Is are all coining money, pushing them to better behavior is in order |
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| (1507863) | |
Re: Amtrak, CSX agree on Hoosier State schedule changes |
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Posted by Steamdriven on Fri Mar 22 17:13:53 2019, in response to Re: Amtrak, CSX agree on Hoosier State schedule changes, posted by Jackson Park B Train on Fri Mar 22 14:19:29 2019. Yeah, the details make all the difference. If all it takes is adding back a few adequately long sidings and paying for priority routing (like a UPS train) then it should be done.I wonder though, with freight now being mostly heavy, slow moving stuff and passenger wanting to get back to the old speeds (100mph was reached in the '30s) are the RRs really compatible with passenger service? I don't know enough about railroads to know if this is an issue or not. |
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| (1507866) | |
Re: Amtrak, CSX agree on Hoosier State schedule changes |
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Posted by kp5308 on Fri Mar 22 17:29:57 2019, in response to Re: Amtrak, CSX agree on Hoosier State schedule changes, posted by Steamdriven on Fri Mar 22 17:13:53 2019. IMO people actually like riding trains if they are clean, comfortable & run professionally. Ask Reading & Northern :o) |
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Re: Amtrak, CSX agree on Hoosier State schedule changes |
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Posted by Alan Follett on Fri Mar 22 17:45:28 2019, in response to Amtrak, CSX agree on Hoosier State schedule changes, posted by Union Tpke on Fri Mar 22 12:35:35 2019. I wonder if the Cardinal's schedule will also change, so as to provide the same Chicago-Indianapolis schedule regardless of day. Also, is Indiana still proposing to de-fund (and so almost certainly kill) the Hoosier State?Alan Follett South San Francisco, CA |
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Re: Amtrak, CSX agree on Hoosier State schedule changes |
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Posted by Joe V on Fri Mar 22 18:17:44 2019, in response to Amtrak, CSX agree on Hoosier State schedule changes, posted by Union Tpke on Fri Mar 22 12:35:35 2019. It's all academic. The Hoosier State is likely to be gone by July 1 as Indiana is cutting off funding. |
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Re: Amtrak, CSX agree on Hoosier State schedule changes |
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Posted by Joe V on Fri Mar 22 18:19:59 2019, in response to Re: Amtrak, CSX agree on Hoosier State schedule changes, posted by Alan Follett on Fri Mar 22 17:45:28 2019. Yes they are. |
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| (1507877) | |
Re: Amtrak, CSX agree on Hoosier State schedule changes |
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Posted by Olog-hai on Fri Mar 22 18:46:15 2019, in response to Re: Amtrak, CSX agree on Hoosier State schedule changes, posted by Steamdriven on Fri Mar 22 13:06:12 2019. Freight and passenger mixed just fine in the past, and not only was there a lot more of both but the average speeds of both were far faster than today. |
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| (1507918) | |
Re: Amtrak, CSX agree on Hoosier State schedule changes |
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Posted by nasadowsk on Sat Mar 23 10:54:20 2019, in response to Amtrak, CSX agree on Hoosier State schedule changes, posted by Union Tpke on Fri Mar 22 12:35:35 2019. 60,000 a year ridership, 5 hour trip time, costs at least 4 million a year (last numbers I could find - 2013).The question isn't how to save this train (the answers are simple - it's too fucking slow), the question is why?. Unless you get a step change reduction in travel times, i.e. going from 5 hours down to something realistic, like 2:00 to 2:30, and can do so without insane costs (Oh wait, it's the US, and transit is a workfare program, not a transportation one...), the better answer is to just kill the line off. Chopping an hour off the schedule won't do shit, chopping 2 might help. But until you're approaching driving speeds, ridership is going to suck. |
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| (1507928) | |
Re: Amtrak, CSX agree on Hoosier State schedule changes |
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Posted by Joe V on Sat Mar 23 11:33:05 2019, in response to Re: Amtrak, CSX agree on Hoosier State schedule changes, posted by nasadowsk on Sat Mar 23 10:54:20 2019. An hour off would help a great deal. I-64 and the Dan Ryan are pure hell, even if faster. Rerouting onto the IC/CN would help, but Amtrak is suing them, and they are difficult to deal with anyway, even if you get them inebriated. |
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| (1508006) | |
Re: Amtrak, CSX agree on Hoosier State schedule changes |
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Posted by Jersey Mike on Sat Mar 23 23:02:06 2019, in response to Re: Amtrak, CSX agree on Hoosier State schedule changes, posted by nasadowsk on Sat Mar 23 10:54:20 2019. Once it goes away one will never have the opportunity to have a 2 hour faster schedule.Also the schedule doesn't matter because train time is productive time and auto time isn't. When self-driving cars are a thing we can re-visit the topic. |
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| (1508008) | |
Re: Amtrak, CSX agree on Hoosier State schedule changes |
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Posted by Jersey Mike on Sat Mar 23 23:04:06 2019, in response to Re: Amtrak, CSX agree on Hoosier State schedule changes, posted by Joe V on Sat Mar 23 11:33:05 2019. Sometime around 2005 CSX downgraded the Monon route from Class 4 to Class 3, aka 80mph to 60mph. That added a half hour right there. Then there's about 20-30 minutes of padding needed to escape the Chicago Terminal area. On time trains will sit at Dyre for a while to burn it off. |
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| (1508083) | |
Re: Amtrak, CSX agree on Hoosier State schedule changes |
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Posted by AEM-7AC #901 on Sun Mar 24 13:44:01 2019, in response to Re: Amtrak, CSX agree on Hoosier State schedule changes, posted by Jersey Mike on Sat Mar 23 23:02:06 2019. Also the schedule doesn't matter because train time is productive time and auto time isn'tExcept we're dealing with a once a day train where if I wake up late, I'd still beat the train to the terminal with time to spare. Hell, the big corporate guys will pay for the dinky little flight, and with TSA Pre, you kinda can show up an hour before some flights and still beat Amtrak. The slow service and inflexible schedules simply make this train the domain of leisure travel. It's better than nothing, but it's never going to move the needle. |
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