Passenger Trains > How are the passenger loadings in Williston ND?

The Wall Street Journal has an article about the boom in air traffic in Williston and Minot ND. The towns are seeing incredible growth due to the Bakken oil boom, Williston's air traffic volume is up 254% in two years, while Minot's has tripled in three years. Oil workers coming in and going out on their two weeks on, two weeks off schedules.

Together, Delta and United run eight flights a day out of Williston (to Denver and Minneapolis) and 12 daily out of Minot. Minot handled 220,000 people last year, with some of the highest per mile fees in the business. One guy paid $1,000 for a one way ticket from Williston to northern Michigan. United gets a daily armored car visit to haul away all the cash.

In contrast, Amtrak offers a coach seat for $38 between Minot and Williston ($22 if you sit with the Portland crowd), or $322 if you want a private Portland room, But, you can have a Seattle room for $122. There's probably a logic in that, somewhere. Williston to Minot this Saturday, one room available in each section.

Airline ridership is up because the airlines have improved service. Meanwhile, our buddy Amtrak offers degraded service -- not only were no trains added, but the existing train is extremely unreliable, and of limited utility to an oil service worker needing to get to far-flung destinations, like Houston or Las Vegas, quickly.

Few want to travel to Malta or Sandpoint -- even if they knew when the train might show up. Nonetheless, a rising tide raises all boats, including a sinking one, and it would be reasonable to expect Amtrak ridership in Williston and Minot to be up 20%.


More:


"In Minot, N.D., a two-hour-plus drive from Williston, airport-passenger traffic has more than tripled in three years. Four airlines -- Delta, United, Frontier and Allegiant -- serve that small airport with up to 15 flights a day. Last year, Dickinson, N.D., saw its airport-passenger traffic skyrocket 76%. And here in Williston, Delta has four flights a day to Minneapolis, while United has four flights a day to Denver and will add a daily flight to Houston on Aug. 19. Planes are leaving with, on average, 85% of seats filled, the airport says.

"It's a huge number we're trying to shove through a tiny terminal," said Steven Kjergaard, Williston's 29-year-old airport manager. He moved to Williston three years ago from a job at the Teterboro, N.J., airport, a very busy private-jet field.

Airports in the oil boomtowns cater to a rough-and-tumble crowd of oil workers who typically work 14 days straight then get extended breaks to fly home or head to a vacation spot like Las Vegas. When flights get delayed or canceled, officials at Minot International Airport end up calling the police to break up heated arguments at least once a week, especially in winter when delays are more frequent, said Andy Solsvig, the airport's director.

"Sometimes they get antsy and start throwing bags and stuff," said Glenn Tepler, who runs the snack shop. Mr. Tepler says his best-selling item is a 16-ounce beer for $5.25."

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> Amtrak offers a coach seat for $38 between Minot and Williston ($22 if you sit with
> the Portland crowd)...


Williston to Minot for $38 or $22 is not what's going on here. Someone commuting
for the 120 miles between those cities is going to drive, anyway.

These oil workers come from far away (many from farther than the Michigan example
given). They come from their homes to work in North Dakota for two weeks, then
go back for time off. The time it takes to take the train to and from their homes
cuts into their time off.

Railfans may see time on the train differently ("Who cares if it's late, the
longer my ride for no added fare, the better.") from real people who use the
train for back-and-forth utility transportation every two weeks.

Many commuting between North Dakota and Minnesota or Chicago, a long day
trip, probably DO take the Empire Builder. Ridership IS up.

When I was a travel agent, I had a passenger rail fan customer who took two Amtrak
Deluxe Bedroom sleeping car trips a year, generally one transcontinental and back,
and the other at least from the West Coast to the Midwest. For his work, he
commuted from the San Francisco Bay Area to Seattle for three weeks of work,
then back for two weeks off. He could not, despite being a railfan, justify
the time it took to take the train. Time to take the Starlight could not be
taken from his work time; only from his at-home time and the sacrifice wasn't
worth it. He did reduce his airfare by interlocking round trip airline
segments...something the airlines don't like, but because there are multiple
airlines flying the route, he could intermix them and they never knew the
difference. After a few years, his assignment changed to Juneau, Alaska, taking
the train totally out of consideration.

There was even an Amtrak vice-president who, as a condition of employment,
got Amtrak to foot the bill for him to commute back and forth between Washington
DC and the West Coast. Did he ride the Capitol and the Zephyr? No. He flew.



Edited 6 time(s). Last edit at 07/31/14 14:38 by GenePoon.

Williston handled 51,076 (FY 2013), 54,324 (FY 2012), and 29,920 (FY2011) passengers in those respective years, thus amounting to daily ons/offs of 140, 149, and 82, respectively, and is the busiest station in North Dakota.

Minot handled 41,615 (FY 2013), 37,169 (FY 2012), and 29,179 (FY 2011) in those respective years, thus amounting to daily ons/offs of 114, 102, and 80, respectively.

Ridership at Williston is about what ridership is at stations like Jackson, Mississippi (48,327 in FYv 2013) or Birmingham, Alabama (48,759 in HY 2013).

Ridership at Minot could be compared to ridership at Flagstaff (40,390 in FY 2013).

Certainly respectable growth and overall numbers for these communities. Consider ridership at Garden City, Kansas, which is only 7,735 (FY 2013) or Topeka (10,571 in FY 2013), or 21 ons and offs total for both trains each day (GCY) and 29 (TPK).

A 2012 article detailed some of the new business heading to ND on Amtrak:

http://mtprnews.wordpress.com/2012/09/27/bakken-boom-increasing-amtrak-ridership-on-empire-builder/


Excerpt:

Clarkston, Washington resident Jeff Port is building an RV park south of Williston. He’s been driving and flying back and forth sometimes twice a week.

“A buddy of mine goes ‘you know man you can take an Amtrak for $106 bucks, and I’d been flying for sometimes up to $1000 dollars,” he said.

This, right here, is his first ride on a train–ever.

“I’m 50 years old and like I was doing cartwheels yesterday thinking I’m gonna ride a train for the first time,” Port said.

He’s loving this, taking a nap and having some drinks.

“I’m jumpin up and down inside right now talking to you about how cool this train is, seriously,” he laughed.

Lead Service Attendant Ken Homko is prepping down in the café car for his busiest stop of the day, comin’ up soon.

“We get these chickens on from Havre,” he said. “It’s a local restaurant in Havre, they bring em fresh to the train.”



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 07/31/14 15:04 by reindeerflame.

GenePoon Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Lackawanna484 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
>
> > Amtrak offers a coach seat for $38 between Minot
> and Williston ($22 if you sit with
> > the Portland crowd)...
>
>
> Williston to Minot for $38 or $22 is not what's
> going on here. (snip)

Actually, I think it's pretty interesting that the front end of the train is significantly cheaper than the back end. Unless you're a hedge fund manager or an oil worker, a hundred bucks for a room is a meaningful amount of money.

I thought the On Board Service and T&E workers weren't allowed to talk with the media unless authorized by Amtrak. Guess they are changing the culture at Amtrak. Good for them. I bet the other passengers traveling through would rather not have the oil workers on if they are a loud, obnoxious, drinking, and ill mannered bunch. If so, not many second time riders, especially since Amtrak has no cops onboard.

reindeerflame Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Williston handled 51,076 (FY 2013), 54,324 (FY
> 2012), and 29,920 (FY2011) passengers in those
> respective years, thus amounting to daily ons/offs
> of 140, 149, and 82, respectively, and is the
> busiest station in North Dakota.
>
> Minot handled 41,615 (FY 2013), 37,169 (FY 2012),
> and 29,179 (FY 2011) in those respective years,
> thus amounting to daily ons/offs of 114, 102, and
> 80, respectively.
>
> Ridership at Williston is about what ridership is
> at stations like Jackson, Mississippi (48,327 in
> FYv 2013) or Birmingham, Alabama (48,759 in HY
> 2013).
>
> Ridership at Minot could be compared to ridership
> at Flagstaff (40,390 in FY 2013).
>
> Certainly respectable growth and overall numbers
> for these communities. Consider ridership at
> Garden City, Kansas, which is only 7,735 (FY 2013)
> or Topeka (10,571 in FY 2013), or 21 ons and offs
> total for both trains each day (GCY) and 29
> (TPK).
>
> A 2012 article detailed some of the new business
> heading to ND on Amtrak:
>
> http://mtprnews.wordpress.com/2012/09/27/bakken-bo
> om-increasing-amtrak-ridership-on-empire-builder/
>
>
> Excerpt:
>
> Clarkston, Washington resident Jeff Port is
> building an RV park south of Williston. He’s
> been driving and flying back and forth sometimes
> twice a week.
>
> “A buddy of mine goes ‘you know man you can
> take an Amtrak for $106 bucks, and I’d been
> flying for sometimes up to $1000 dollars,” he
> said.
>
> This, right here, is his first ride on a
> train–ever.
>
> “I’m 50 years old and like I was doing
> cartwheels yesterday thinking I’m gonna ride a
> train for the first time,” Port said.
>
> He’s loving this, taking a nap and having some
> drinks.
>
> “I’m jumpin up and down inside right now
> talking to you about how cool this train is,
> seriously,” he laughed.
>
> Lead Service Attendant Ken Homko is prepping down
> in the café car for his busiest stop of the day,
> comin’ up soon.
>
> “We get these chickens on from Havre,” he
> said. “It’s a local restaurant in Havre, they
> bring em fresh to the train.”