Silver Service changes?

[west point]

Max speed auto train is 70 MPH. Silvers 79 MPH =That is some of the difference. Servicing stop at Florence seems to be longer than Meteor and Palmetto. Finally appears Amtrak want Auto Train to be on time or early for bragging rights.

 

[Sauve850]

Florence is the crew change I believe for Auto Train. Dont know if its the same for Meteor and Palmetto.

 

[McIntyre2K7]

Thanks for merging my question with the existing thread. For some reason I couldn't find the other even though I searched.

Seems pretty stupid that Tampa and The central Carolinas are served 3 days in a row and not for 4 days in a row.

I wonder if the Silver Star will stop at Jesup, because it's actually on both routes but only serviced by the Meteor because of the demand and the timing.

If they want to give us a twice a day train from Tampa to Miami and Tampa to Orlando service I wouldn't mind..

 

[railiner]

Except real food.

Okay...but for one hot dinner, is it worth all that hassle?
It's a moot point anyway, because Amtrak simply does not want any passenger's on that train that are not 'attached' to an accompanying auto...

 

[crescent-zephyr]

Except real food.

1 meal.

 

[Tom in PA]

Except real food.

The AT diners are pretty good!

 

[Seaboard92]

Florence is the crew change I believe for Auto Train. Dont know if its the same for Meteor and Palmetto.

It's a crew change for all three.

Going north the Conductors go to Washington, DC, and Engineers go to Richmond, VA. Going south Conductors go to Jacksonville, FL I believe, and Engineers go to Savannah, GA.

 

[Dakota 400]

The AT diners are pretty good!

I enjoyed my dinner and I enjoyed a very pleasant HH in the Lounge Car with a very competent and friendly LSA.

 

[Qapla]

On more than one occasion I have seen the AT stopped in JAX ... not sure why -

 

[Cho Cho Charlie]

Why would anyone want to transfer twice between the northeast and south florida just to ride the Auto Train, which would not save them any time, probably cost more, and doesn't really offer anything notable as an enticement?

Because it is better than walking?

I was just thinking of a way for cutting back on LD trains, without totally abandoning LD service. If Amtrak had just one "bulk" train covering the East Coast, the Auto Train seems like the logical choice. I was exploring possible answers to the questions of, how do I get to/from the NE and Lorton, and how do I get to/from mid/southern/west cost of Florida and Sanford. There might be other answers too.

 

[user 1215]

I tried to talk to a stain attendant to see if I could get any sort of close why they did the 4/3 schedule as opposed to every other day switching between the Silvers. I know station attendants aren't privy to corporate decisions, but I hoped he may have heard office gossip.

Nope. He just started going on about the efforts to defund Amtrak...

Sigh

 

[cocojacoby]

I was just thinking of a way for cutting back on LD trains, without totally abandoning LD service. If Amtrak had just one "bulk" train covering the East Coast, the Auto Train seems like the logical choice. I was exploring possible answers to the questions of, how do I get to/from the NE and Lorton, and how do I get to/from mid/southern/west cost of Florida and Sanford. There might be other answers too.

You want a one bulk train idea? Here you go:

Eliminate all of the Silver Service and the Auto Train. Add the autocarriers to the Capitol Limited. Open an auto loading terminal in the midwest somewhere (see Research - Florida tourist originating numbers). Run the Capitol Limited through D.C. and extend it to Florida splitting at Orlando with half going to Tampa and the other half to Miami. Make the busiest stops and add/remove car carriers at Lorton and Sanford.

Run a separate coach train between Miami and Tampa until Brightline comes on board. Provide easy across-the-platform transfer in D.C. from a NEC regional that provides through baggage service from Boston.

There's one bulk train for you.

 

[railiner]

You want a one bulk train idea? Here you go:

Eliminate all of the Silver Service and the Auto Train. Add the autocarriers to the Capitol Limited. Open an auto loading terminal in the midwest somewhere (see Research - Florida tourist originating numbers). Run the Capitol Limited through D.C. and extend it to Florida splitting at Orlando with half going to Tampa and the other half to Miami. Make the busiest stops and add/remove car carriers at Lorton and Sanford.

Run a separate coach train between Miami and Tampa until Brightline comes on board. Provide easy across-the-platform transfer in D.C. from a NEC regional that provides through baggage service from Boston.

There's one bulk train for you.

Run auto carrier's thru Washington Union Station? Ouch!

 

[cocojacoby]

Run auto carrier's thru Washington Union Station? Ouch!

Where's your sense of adventure?

 

[RichieRich]

You want a one bulk train idea? Here you go:
Eliminate all of the Silver Service and the Auto Train. Add the autocarriers to the Capitol Limited. Open an auto loading terminal in the midwest somewhere ...

You've watched one too many episodes of Snowpiercer

 

[Seaboard92]

Run auto carrier's thru Washington Union Station? Ouch!

It actually isn't hard to avoid Union Station. You turn north at Ivy City onto the Camden line just south of Riverdale. And CSX just upped the clearance on that line.

 

[Exvalley]

It actually isn't hard to avoid Union Station. You turn north at Ivy City onto the Camden line just south of Riverdale. And CSX just upped the clearance on that line.

Do the passengers traveling to Washington, DC get a vote?

 

[joelkfla]

Run a separate coach train between Miami and Tampa until Brightline comes on board.

That's nearly forever. Service to Orlando is at least 2 years out. The extension to Tampa is still "under discussion."

 

[me_little_me]

That's nearly forever. Service to Orlando is at least 2 years out. The extension to Tampa is still "under discussion."

But isn't that what Amtrak has been pushing? More coach trains and fewer LDs. Yet, when they have an opportunity to run the two Silvers such that no more than one runs once a day, they make no attempt to keep that part of the Star busy with coach runs on the days it doesn't run to give Tampa-Miami and possibly Tampa-Orlando a train that will have fewer chances of delays and that could "prove" their point that overnight LD is not needed and that daytime coach can replace it. Wasn't that Anderson's dream?
And if Brightline never comes through, possibly that route can be developed into something more particularly if a future Florida governor come up with some bucks to build tracks to divert that train to stop at WDW. I would think Anderson could be foaming at the mouth saying "What if the virus had come earlier when I was president?"

 

[crescent-zephyr]

It would be possible for brightline to operate trains from Orlando to Tampa on existing right of way correct?

Like if the state wanted to make it happen...

 

[brianpmcdonnell17]

But isn't that what Amtrak has been pushing? More coach trains and fewer LDs. Yet, when they have an opportunity to run the two Silvers such that no more than one runs once a day, they make no attempt to keep that part of the Star busy with coach runs on the days it doesn't run to give Tampa-Miami and possibly Tampa-Orlando a train that will have fewer chances of delays and that could "prove" their point that overnight LD is not needed and that daytime coach can replace it. Wasn't that Anderson's dream?
And if Brightline never comes through, possibly that route can be developed into something more particularly if a future Florida governor come up with some bucks to build tracks to divert that train to stop at WDW. I would think Anderson could be foaming at the mouth saying "What if the virus had come earlier when I was president?"

It's not as simple as just running a shorter route. As such a route would be under 750 miles, state funding would be necessary. In addition, servicing facilities would need to be available at the terminals. If Amtrak is honestly cutting back frequencies to save money, then such a train would still not be profitable so introducing a new corridor train wouldn't make sense in the current conditions. Even if you believe the cuts are part of a plan to eliminate or downsize the LD network, now would still not be the time to introduce new corridor routes, as they would be unlikely to prove successful until ridership picks up again.

 

[Qapla]

A train running between Tampa and Miami could run in both directions in a single day - about 6 hours each way. They already have service facilities in Miami and the train already turns in Tampa using a wye - it would not need service at both ends.

Funding and scheduling with the freights may be more of a problem ...

 

[cocojacoby]

It would be possible for brightline to operate trains from Orlando to Tampa on existing right of way correct?

Like if the state wanted to make it happen...

Possible but not from their Airport Station so the line would not be connected.

 

[crescent-zephyr]

Possible but not from their Airport Station so the line would not be connected.

The airport station won’t connect to any other rail lines? I guess it wouldn’t need to...

 

[west point]

The airport station won’t connect to any other rail lines? I guess it wouldn’t need to...

That will not be correct for the future however it is not now connected until the rail connection is made to the power plant spur. It is all in the construction plans for the Brightline servicing facility.