Should Amtrak restart route through Jacksonville to New Orleans?

[thelakelander]

By LARRY HANNAN, The Times-Union

An Amtrak route that goes through Jacksonville on the way to New Orleans may return next year.

Or Amtrak could spend $1 million that Congress gave it for a study of the route - and then do nothing.

The Sunset Limited Route from Orlando to New Orleans was abandoned after Hurricane Katrina damaged CSX train tracks in 2005. The route still runs from New Orleans to Los Angeles.

Those damaged tracks have been repaired, and CSX says it has no objections to starting the route again.

Amtrak has been reluctant to restart the route, though, because of low ridership before Katrina hit. About 81,000 people rode the Sunset Limited in 2005, down 16 percent from 96,426 in 2004.

But U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown, D-Fla., who chairs a rail subcommittee, has insisted that Amtrak look into re-establishing the route. Brown was able to back up her insistence by putting a requirement in recent Amtrak legislation that mandated the rail agency come up with a plan for re-establishing service by next summer.

full article: http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/111708/met_356819987.shtml

[reednavy]

Of course, no brainer.

[JaxByDefault]

I encourage everyone to click over to the T-U article and vote in their CyberSurvey on whether or not you would ride a train from Jacksonville to New Orleans. Let's show our support for adding more Amtrak service to Jacksonville.

Right now, "Totally, That Would Be Awesome" has over 80% of the vote, while "No" only has 2%. ("I'd Consider It" has 15%.)

[ProjectMaximus]

I encourage everyone to click over to the T-U article and vote in their CyberSurvey on whether or not you would ride a train from Jacksonville to New Orleans. Let's show our support for adding more Amtrak service to Jacksonville.

Right now, "Totally, That Would Be Awesome" has over 80% of the vote

I voted like a teen-aged girl...like, totally.

[Jason]

^ Dude...

[ProjectMaximus]

oh, i just read my post from earlier. I think it came off poorly, my apologies. 

I meant that I did vote for the positive response, but wish they had made the option a simple affirmative. Instead, they forced me to sound like a teenybopper.

[Ocklawaha]

Well I voted for it, but I don't like it!

The hair-brained idea to take that train South of Jacksonville to anywhere is insane. The North South Amtrak routes through Amtrak could easily move back up from 2 trains each way a day, to more like 12 each way per day. As Amtrak plans it (which is how God must have intended it as he blessed us with Union Terminal) those 12 will more like 30 from Jacksonville - Southward, as each train will split into sections taking one of 3 routes southward.

With all this acitivity it woujld be STUPID to send the Sunset down to Sanford because they have a passenger terminal and "we don't".

1. We sure as hell do if the prime was moved out.

So why not do what the railroads have always done before, make the 2 New Orleans trains, run on a 12 hour flip schedule. One covers the line from AM to PM daily, the other from PM to AM daily. Either one could take through cars off the "Sunset" but would not be held hostage to it. The orders would be something like "HOLD GULF WIND - UP TO 45 MINUTES FOR CONNECTIONS TO/FROM SUNSET."

On arrival in Jacksonville Terminal, any number of Sunset - or - Gulf Wind cars could continue South to Tampa, Orlando, Miami via one of the many connecting trains.

This is the only way to serve the Panhandle and Gulf Coast without making them a stepchild to the schedule needs of MICKEY - JAX and the BIG EASY.

OCKLAWAHA

[ProjectMaximus]

Well I voted for it, but I don't like it!

The hair-brained idea to take that train South of Jacksonville to anywhere is insane. The North South Amtrak routes through Amtrak could easily move back up from 2 trains each way a day, to more like 12 each way per day. As Amtrak plans it (which is how God must have intended it as he blessed us with Union Terminal) those 12 will more like 30 from Jacksonville - Southward, as each train will split into sections taking one of 3 routes southward.

With all this acitivity it woujld be STUPID to send the Sunset down to Sanford because they have a passenger terminal and "we don't".

1. We sure as hell do if the prime was moved out.

So why not do what the railroads have always done before, make the 2 New Orleans trains, run on a 12 hour flip schedule. One covers the line from AM to PM daily, the other from PM to AM daily. Either one could take through cars off the "Sunset" but would not be held hostage to it. The orders would be something like "HOLD GULF WIND - UP TO 45 MINUTES FOR CONNECTIONS TO/FROM SUNSET."

On arrival in Jacksonville Terminal, any number of Sunset - or - Gulf Wind cars could continue South to Tampa, Orlando, Miami via one of the many connecting trains.

This is the only way to serve the Panhandle and Gulf Coast without making them a stepchild to the schedule needs of MICKEY - JAX and the BIG EASY.

OCKLAWAHA

See? That should've TOTALLY been one of the options to vote for. Do you have a voice at Amtrak, Ock?

[GatorShane]

With major North-South and East-West routs, the new transportation center could one day become a major hub.

[Ocklawaha]

See? That should've TOTALLY been one of the options to vote for. Do you have a voice at Amtrak, Ock?

Not like I once had. Though John Mica is still close as my telephone. You just gotta love John, but he still needs some reality checks with Amtrak "cost" vs Highway "investments".

OCKLAWAHA

[Coolyfett]

But U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown, D-Fla., who chairs a rail subcommittee, has insisted that Amtrak look into re-establishing the route. Brown was able to back up her insistence by putting a requirement in recent Amtrak legislation that mandated the rail agency come up with a plan for re-establishing service by next summer.[/quote

Corrine Brown for some sort of progress???

(Flavor Flav voice)

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!

Not only is it a good thing for Jacksonville, but good for the rest of Florida, New Orleans & California.  Everyone benefits.

[Coolyfett]

With major North-South and East-West routs, the new transportation center could one day become a major hub.

Co Sign...No other station would have that many routes in Florida. North, South & West.

[Jason]

oh, i just read my post from earlier. I think it came off poorly, my apologies. 

I meant that I did vote for the positive response, but wish they had made the option a simple affirmative. Instead, they forced me to sound like a teenybopper.

Just messing with you.   

With major North-South and East-West routs, the new transportation center could one day become a major hub.

To have the original granduer of Union Station return would be absolutely amazing.