Interesting US Passenger Rail Service Visualization Maps

[jis]

From the Rail Passenger Association:

Noah Kahan, our former intern and current Master in Urban Planning Candidate at Harvard, has created this outstanding map resource to help visualize the possible future of passenger rail in the United States.

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/083f0e59127c4c4baef59bd802a1eada

 

[slasher-fun]

No more Sunset Limited to Florida, only as far east as Mobile?
No more Vermonter to Montréal?

 

[jis]

No more Sunset Limited to Florida, only as far east as Mobile?
No more Vermonter to Montréal?

Sunset Limited terminates in NOL. It does not and will never go to Mobile. The NOL - MOB service is a Regional Service that is in the works.There has not been a plan to extend the Sunset back to Florida for more than ten years. It is very very unlikely to be extended. The local people on the NOL - JAX route prefer a separate train not connected with an unreliable cross country train, so they would have a train more likely to run on time.

Vermonter may go to Montreal if Montreal ever builds an international terminal. Currently it has exactly $0 funding. It is something that Montreal and Quebec Province have to do, and their interest appears to be lukewarm at best. So probably not happening any time soon.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Speaking of possibilities is there a map of routes most likely to be suspended/abandoned in the next round of funding battles? I realize zero-budget proposals have a low chance of passing but it seems unlikely that current funding levels will last and anything that can be clawed back might be at risk.

 

[jis]

Speaking of possibilities is there a map of routes most likely to be suspended/abandoned in the next round of funding battles? I realize zero-budget proposals have a low chance of passing but it seems unlikely that current funding levels will last and anything that can be clawed back is likely to be at risk.

It is possible that Amtrak has contingency plans, and it is unlikely that they will share those even under FOIA because they would be considered to be corporate secrets, at least until any significant defunding actually happens.

But as a simple spitballing I'd imagine that service will be maintained in areas where there is political support as opposed to where there is not. Sec 209 was an attempt to institutionalize such for short to medium range service. As for LD service if past experience is any guide, there will be some amount of service cutback to three times a week on several routes, and perhaps discontinuance of a few of the weakest routes. In a conversation with a past Amtrak CEO the impression I got is that they will cut back service even to weekly before discontinuing anything just to maintain a foothold on the route.

 

[joelkfla]

Why is JAX-TPA-MIA shown as New Conventional Rail?

 

[jis]

Why is JAX-TPA-MIA shown as New Conventional Rail?

It is a ConnectID partially state funded regional route under consideration. It is not an LD thing.

 

[Metra Electric Rider]

Thanks for posting that, Jis! Fascinating maps. Really great network. My guess, if it happens, there would be a huge demand for additional 'local' infill in state supported and local/regional routes to connect and commute with. I'd quibble that there are a few places that, at that point, would need connection, but who knows what the future will bring with these suggestions.