NativeSon5859
Conductor
Not that it will do any good, but I just concluded an intense writing campaign, sending off the below email to state Senators as well as local news stations in New Orleans and...for the hell of it...the DOT.
"I am writing today to complain about the status of Amtrak's Sunset Limited service between New Orleans and Orlando. As you may or may not know, the Sunset Limited, prior to Hurricane Katrina, was operating from Los Angeles to Orlando, via New Orleans. Ever since Katrina, Amtrak has not operated the New Orleans to Orlando segment. Initially...for well over a year...they blamed the service disruption on the hurricane. Indeed, the hurricane did destroy the tracks between New Orleans and Bay St. Louis, MS. The problem is, those were re-built in less than six months. Still, as the months progressed, Amtrak still used the same excuse.
I believe that Amtrak is required by law to provide a 180 day "train off" notice for communities along a route or a portion of a route which it is discontinuing service to. Thus far...nearly three years after the service east of New Orleans was cancelled...there has been no such notice. All of the stations between New Orleans and Orlando are still listed in the Amtrak national timetable (although no times are listed next to them), and the N.O-Orlando route is still listed on the national route map.
In my opinion, Amtrak is not being honest with the public here, and I expect more from them. Every time I contact them...generally every month...I get the same response every time: the service is currently suspended. And that's all. I'm sorry, but I have never heard of a three year "suspension" before.
From what I have read recently, the Amtrak CEO has said that the service is gone unless the states along the route (LA, MS, AL, and FL) step up and fund it; yet, before the storm, this portion of the route was not state supported. I cannot understand why such demands are being made now.
I personally feel that Amtrak is still using the hurricane as an excuse to keep the service suspended, and I would love to see Amtrak be held accountable for this. If they do not intend on bringing back the service for whatever reason, they need to step up to the plate and let the public know. By keeping the service listed as "suspended", it keeps all of the cities along the route...including Biloxi, Mobile, Pensacola, and Tallahassee...held in limbo. The way I see it, they are just keeping the service listed as "suspended" so that they don't lose the traffic rights to operate over the CSX railroad if they ever decide to operate a portion of the route again down the road.
I personally think this service should be started again as soon as possible. Amtrak President Alex Kummant said in a recent hearing that "there is no budget for it". That is interesting, because there was a budget for it before Katrina. I guess Mr. Kummant feels that the Gulf Coast is still in shambles and doesn't have the population base to support the service, which of course is utterly ridiculous. The Gulf Coast needs more transportation options, not less.
Anyway, thank you for your time in reading this. I hope this issue finds an outcome at some point. Amtrak service is vitally important for the New Orleans area, and it's a shame when our national railroad can't make up its mind...after three years...on what to do about this. I suppose Amtrak doesn't really consider the Gulf Coast region to be a vital market anymore, which is a shame. As a tax payer, I expect a lot more from them. "
"I am writing today to complain about the status of Amtrak's Sunset Limited service between New Orleans and Orlando. As you may or may not know, the Sunset Limited, prior to Hurricane Katrina, was operating from Los Angeles to Orlando, via New Orleans. Ever since Katrina, Amtrak has not operated the New Orleans to Orlando segment. Initially...for well over a year...they blamed the service disruption on the hurricane. Indeed, the hurricane did destroy the tracks between New Orleans and Bay St. Louis, MS. The problem is, those were re-built in less than six months. Still, as the months progressed, Amtrak still used the same excuse.
I believe that Amtrak is required by law to provide a 180 day "train off" notice for communities along a route or a portion of a route which it is discontinuing service to. Thus far...nearly three years after the service east of New Orleans was cancelled...there has been no such notice. All of the stations between New Orleans and Orlando are still listed in the Amtrak national timetable (although no times are listed next to them), and the N.O-Orlando route is still listed on the national route map.
In my opinion, Amtrak is not being honest with the public here, and I expect more from them. Every time I contact them...generally every month...I get the same response every time: the service is currently suspended. And that's all. I'm sorry, but I have never heard of a three year "suspension" before.
From what I have read recently, the Amtrak CEO has said that the service is gone unless the states along the route (LA, MS, AL, and FL) step up and fund it; yet, before the storm, this portion of the route was not state supported. I cannot understand why such demands are being made now.
I personally feel that Amtrak is still using the hurricane as an excuse to keep the service suspended, and I would love to see Amtrak be held accountable for this. If they do not intend on bringing back the service for whatever reason, they need to step up to the plate and let the public know. By keeping the service listed as "suspended", it keeps all of the cities along the route...including Biloxi, Mobile, Pensacola, and Tallahassee...held in limbo. The way I see it, they are just keeping the service listed as "suspended" so that they don't lose the traffic rights to operate over the CSX railroad if they ever decide to operate a portion of the route again down the road.
I personally think this service should be started again as soon as possible. Amtrak President Alex Kummant said in a recent hearing that "there is no budget for it". That is interesting, because there was a budget for it before Katrina. I guess Mr. Kummant feels that the Gulf Coast is still in shambles and doesn't have the population base to support the service, which of course is utterly ridiculous. The Gulf Coast needs more transportation options, not less.
Anyway, thank you for your time in reading this. I hope this issue finds an outcome at some point. Amtrak service is vitally important for the New Orleans area, and it's a shame when our national railroad can't make up its mind...after three years...on what to do about this. I suppose Amtrak doesn't really consider the Gulf Coast region to be a vital market anymore, which is a shame. As a tax payer, I expect a lot more from them. "