Could the EB Get Axed Like the SSL... PERMANENTLY?

[user 1215]

From THIS article:

With Amtraks Empire Builder suspended passenger rail service through North Dakota entering its second consecutive weekend because of flooding in the Devils Lake Basin, a meeting is planned in Washington next week to discuss the threatened lines future.

The rationale being...

Service along the line between Grand Forks, Devils Lake and Rugby has been suspended several times since April because of flooding in the Devils Lake Basin.

I realize that the Topic Title seems harsh, but I don't think anyone expected the SSL to never return. That, and Boardman's disdain of long distance travel makes this worth thinking about.

 

[Tumbleweed]

The dismantling of America.......

 

[Mackensen]

Alarmist, anybody? I'm pretty sure full-on discontinuance isn't on the cards. Re-route over the KO sub? Maybe. Blackmailing the Feds into bankrolling the rebuild of the Devils Lake sub? Maybe. Killing it off? Hardly.

 

[Ryan]

I think you're taking that the wrong way.

I think that the meeting is for Amtrak to explain to the officials what the problems are and what Amtrak is doing to provide service. I don't think that a cancellation is in the cards at all.

 

[jis]

If the Republicans in Congress have their way you can rest quite assured that there will be no Amtrak LD service next year. None. Take a look at the budget proposal that the House is putting together. OTOH, they will also have consider shutting down some segments of the Interstate system too.

 

[Ryan]

If the Republicans in Congress have their way, pigs will fly. No way that a budget doing that will get through the Senate and get signed by the President.

 

[PRR 60]

The "future" being discussed by the group going to Washington is what to do about the problem with the line though Grand Forks and the Devils Lake flooding. The North Dakota reps want to get federal funding to raise the track elevation above the expected future Devils Lake elevation in order to ensure continued service through Grand Forks. If that effort fails, the fall-back option is the permanent rerouting of the Empire Builder on the direct route between Fargo and Minot bypassing Grand Forks. The elimination of the Empire Builder is not an option being discussed.

 

[jis]

The "future" being discussed by the group going to Washington is what to do about the problem with the line though Grand Forks and the Devils Lake flooding. The North Dakota reps want to get federal funding to raise the track elevation above the expected future Devils Lake elevation in order to ensure continued service through Grand Forks. If that effort fails, the fall-back option is the permanent rerouting of the Empire Builder on the direct route between Fargo and Minot bypassing Grand Forks. The elimination of the Empire Builder is not an option being discussed.

Exactly. Not in that set of discussions. But there are other set of discussions that may have a similar effect, though I don;t believe Senate will pass such a bill nor Obama will sign one.

It would still be interesting to see where the North Dakotans find the money from within the mess that is the federal budget.

BTW, the Transportation Subcommittee is apparently also calling for a 40% (effective) reduction in money that can be spent on highways. I can see this bill coming out of that committee not going anywhere very fast or at all.

So absent any truly perverse unforeseen development, I don't expect to see EB or too many other LD train cut until 2014.

 

[Notelvis]

Actually when the reports of the damage to railroad infrastructure (including station facilities) started rolling in after Hurricane Katrina, I thought at that time "The Sunset Limited won't operate east of New Orleans again."

I am surprised that they haven't called a spade and spade, opting instead for an indefinate 'suspension' but I'm not surprised that the Sunset East hasn't returned.

 

[had8ley]

I learned one very good lesson in 30 plus years of RR'ing...never say never on the RR! We had conductors that would have bet their first born that cabooses would never be in museums and that's where they are today...

 

[Devil's Advocate]

If the Republicans in Congress have their way, pigs will fly. No way that a budget doing that will get through the Senate and get signed by the President.

That might depend on which specific President we're talking about.

 

[Ryan]

What a bunch of maroons.... (in the picture, not you guys!)

Valid point, I was only confining my remarks to the current President and the 111th Congress.

 

[saxman]

There have been plenty of other times when a LD train was shut down for a few weeks and then came back. A couple times the Coast Starlight was shutdown for a few weeks because of mudslides in Southern California. They ran a stub train from EMY to SEA. It also got shutdown because of that big landslide in the Cascade range in Oregon. That was when Amtrak decided to "revamp" the Coast Starlight by enhancing service on the route.

 

[alang]

It is popular to talk about cuts; however, most cuts will lead to being voted out of office. (Try cutting or even discussing cutting Medicare again.) Amtrak may not get any more funding but it will survive. At some point taxes will have to be raised because we Americans are all for cuts as long as they do not directly impact us. (Leaving nothing left to cut.) The politicians know this, pay a little lip service to cutting spending and in America, life goes on. Never forget that our Senators and Representatives want to keep their jobs more than they want to cut spending (including the Republicans.) I for one am tired of the scare tactics.

 

[PRR 60]

What a bunch of maroons.... (in the picture, not you guys!)

Valid point, I was only confining my remarks to the current President and the 111th Congress.

I normally care more about ideas than spelling or grammer, but since you're into calling people idiots simply because you disagree with them, maybe spelling the word "moron" correctly would be a nice touch. Unless you, in fact, meant to say that the group was lost somewhere, as in marooned on a desert island.

 

[WhoozOn1st]

If the Republicans in Congress have their way, pigs will fly. No way that a budget doing that will get through the Senate and get signed by the President.

That might depend on which specific President we're talking about.

I'm not overly concerned that any of these Seven Dwarfs will be our next president. And maroons they are; different from morons, which they are not.

 

[PRR 60]

I'm not overly concerned that any of these Seven Dwarfs will be our next president. And maroons they are; different from morons, which they are not.

I don't think they are all short, but I get the idea.

 

[Bob Dylan]

If the Republicans in Congress have their way, pigs will fly. No way that a budget doing that will get through the Senate and get signed by the President.

That might depend on which specific President we're talking about.

I'm not overly concerned that any of these Seven Dwarfs will be our next president. And maroons they are; different from morons, which they are not.

Missing is Snow White (aka Sister Sarah!) Also our Governor for Life, Gov. Goodhair of Texas can out Cliche any of these Clowns, and have to say that Michelle Bachman IS a Moron, she makes Sister Sarah sound like Thomas Jefferson! :wacko: Think Ill give the Pizza Guy a chance, the Repubs always like to have a token Minority in the Picture! Keep hoping that Amtrak Joe comes through for Our Side, the Prez seems to be MIA or playing the "Me Too! game!! :help: ! :help: :help:

 

[JayPea]

If calling a group of people "maroons" was good enough for Bugs Bunny, it's good enough for me!!!!! :lol: I don't think President Obama has much to worry about from any of the Republican candidates in the 2012 election.

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

The Empire Builder is not going to go away anytime soon-there is PLENTY of good railroad across the Northern Tier States.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Does maroon refer to these folks?

 

[Ryan]

If calling a group of people "maroons" was good enough for Bugs Bunny, it's good enough for me!!!!!

I'm glad someone got the joke.

And I'm not calling them idiots because I disagree with them, I'm calling them idiots because they are, in fact, idiots that don't have the first idea how to govern in a competent manner.

 

[user 1215]

What gives you the authority or experience to make such a blanket statement? Our current President had absolutely NO governing experience prior to taking office.

 

[Ryan]

A brain, the ability to read the news and think for myself?

I like how you blindly assume that because I do not support the current bunch of Republican candidates that I must feel a certain way about our current President.

 

[user 1215]

Wow. Seriously?

Sorry if the predisposition of assuming you fall into the category of "You must be a liberal to love trains" category is inaccurate. But to make a blanket statement about 7 individuals hardly seems to be thinking on one's own. I'm sure that if there were 7 democrats on a stage, I wouldn't just just call them all maroons because they enjoy spending my money.