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As I've discussed elsewhere, I currently live in Costa Rica, a country with a small rail system that I have used as much as possible. In my thread talking about Costa Rica, I talked about the difference in size between Costa Rica and the US---Costa Rica is roughly the size of West Virginia. I've...

This actually might deserve a thread of its own "What countries are the closest transit peers to the United States?"

It isn't that Costa Rica is so small---it is just that the US is so big! Costa Rica is small in terms of the US, but compared to European countries, it is larger than Slovakia, Estonia, Denmark, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Moldova, Belgium, Albania, North Macedonia, Slovenia or...

One of the reasons I went for the walk by Tibas on Wednesday is so I could see the terminal, because I was planning a trip on Friday! This video shows the three hour bus journey between San Jose and Limon---or at least an encapsulated version of it. Before starting the journey, I was a bit...

Here is a trip I took on Wednesday. This video ended up being pretty long, since I was just walking around town! I walk out of central San Jose to the Canton of Tibas, passing the Grand Terminal of the Caribbean, and on to Tibas. In Tibas, I find the railroad platform and then take the short (by...

Outside of the NEC, I don't believe any Amtrak routes make a profit, and I think that for many of them, 40-60% farebox recovery is a good rate. Of course, part of this is that as a public agency, Amtrak provides service in places where it provides a public good, even when it is not financially...

Okay, I apologize, we were talking about different things. So basically you are saying that freight railroads could run heritage/excursion railroads for tourists, as publicity, even if it was at a loss? I think they could, but I don't think there is a compelling reason for them to do so, and I...

Maybe we are talking about different things. Are you just saying this is something that freight railroads could do, or are you saying that they actually have a business model where they could make a profit?

You don't. I was talking about building new tracks as one example of something. Many freight railroads connect places that are important for freight, but might not currently be population centers. I don't know every freight railroad line in the country, but at least in some places, I imagine...

I am a bit unclear about whether this question is because the economics of passenger rail is something you don't know about, or whether this is some sort of Socratic or rhetorical question.

I was trying to be succinct and witty, but if needed, I can expand on what I meant. One thing I am assuming about a freight railroad starting passenger service is that they wouldn't just take a freight route (either with or without Amtrak service) and put some stations out and start passenger...

Oh, these are two separate jobs, I am assuming. At first, I was wondering why trackwork near Kelso was changing service in Eugene!

Years, ago, I read a joke in the book "A Harvard Education in a Book". "It is a myth that the ostrich can't fly. An ostrich can fly, all it needs is a running start, a take-off ramp, rocket assist, good luck, and the body of an entirely different bird" From this discussion, it is possible that...

If they are saying 45 and giving you 20, that sounds a lot better than the reverse. Did they make up for lost speed? What was the final result at the destination?

And here is another one, even further off the subject of train travel, but indirectly related: On Friday I went to "Patio de Agua" (and none of the Spanish speakers I talked to could tell me what that means, either). This is where the bus service ends, in a small rural outpost at over 6000...

This is a short video that is just about a walk around my neighborhood, but I visit a park that lies along both sides of the railroad tracks, and where it is easy to see trains coming in (and going out) There are two main things to see from a train infrastructure point of view. The first is...

Interesting! I watched the whole thing, and commented on the video (for the algorithm), but I will ask the same question here: It looks very luxurious, and the scenery is beautiful, but how is spending so much time on one train? Even the longest US routes right now are about 2 days, and when...

(That was the joke :) )

If I add in Sandpoint, I would have to add in every station in Idaho! I will add a date after I've decided whether this is the best format for the map.

Related to another thread about the ownership of Amtrak stations, I made a map showing the stations of Oregon and Washington, by ownership, including the Amtrak Cascades, as well as the Coast Starlight and Empire Builder. As is often the case, the graphic design is in its first draft. I was...