Passenger Trains > Charleston WV Mayor Wants 7 Day Amtrak Service

Wowk13 Charleston had a news story last night about wanting and requesting a 7 day Amtrak service for the tri-state area. Would the Hoosier and its equipment be up to a route like this on Cardinal off days? The mayor of Charleston WV was the one pushing it but with the help of the Transportation Secretary nominee Elaine L. Chao who's husband is Kentucky senator and majority Senate leader, this would help Kentucky, Ohio and west Virginia by allowing the Hoosier to make round trips from Chicago, do a Wye in Charleston and head back to Chicago.

One other odd thing I noticed, go to your phone app for the Cardinal and if you do a check on service offered for stations the App shows service for the Cardinal/Hoosier as routes served by all the stations from Chicago to Montgomery WV (but not past Montgomery) which is the next stop past Charleston! Think there is anything to that?

http://www.tristateupdate.com/story/33831268/push-is-on-for-more-amtrak-train-service-in-west-virginia



 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/01/16 08:49 by AKYtrainNut.

In my experience, Mitch McConnell - the new secretary's husband - is anti public transit of any kind. He would not care if folks in Maysville or South Portsmouth or environs had to drive to Cincinnati, Lexington or Ashland to catch the ever-diminishing Greyhound bus or the "here today, maybe tomorrow" Megabus. He is owned by the auto industry and highway interests.

timecruncher

I just wonder what Charleston's biggest o-d pairs are for travel demand in the range from 100 - 500 miles?
 

I wonder how much the mayor is willing to kick in for daily service.  

Referring to the 2010 PIP, and assuming no discontinuance of the Hoosier State, which is a cost avoidance the PIP assumed at the time, daily service between NY and Chicago of 4 more trans per week would cost an additional $10 Million in operating subsides per year.

Since 2010 the Cardinal's revenue has improved with the addition of the second summer sleeper and business class. I would expect the required subsidy to be lower now.

Posted from Android

2nd sleeper would likely disappear with daily service, so 7 sleeper car lines per week rather than 6., unless they added VL-II's.
Biz class is only 18 seats, and it meant disappearance of 4th 60 seat coach in the summer. So likely a revenue loss in the summer, slight gain the rest of the year, overall, a wash.
 

timecruncher Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> In my experience, Mitch McConnell - the new
> secretary's husband - is anti public transit of
> any kind. He would not care if folks in Maysville
> or South Portsmouth or environs had to drive to
> Cincinnati, Lexington or Ashland to catch the
> ever-diminishing Greyhound bus or the "here today,
> maybe tomorrow" Megabus. He is owned by the auto
> industry and highway interests.
>
> timecruncher

And a disgrace to the Commonweatlh of Kentucky.....

All politicians, Republican or Democrat respond to their constituents.  If the mayors of the Cardinals cities say they want daily service, that is a LOUD voice.  Yes, the organized voices of the people count for something.  Look at the NRA.  They have terrified many in Congress, because they regularly write their representatives and speak clearly about what they want. 

Mike Pence found out that people in Indiana liked the train service.  He found a way to bring service.  If Pence thought no one cared, he would abolish the train tomorrow. 

Problem is, this not a compact little PRIAA train in one state. It is a LD train for which there is little interest outside of West Virginia and southern Virginia. Charlottesville would be just as happy with a similarly timed Lynchburg Regional train. It has far more people wanting to head north than head west.  

NRA brings a lot of money and political blackmail to the table.
A bunch of small city mayors whining brings nothing to the table.

Pence is also forcing every city/town served along the Hooiser State route to pay a contribution to the subsidy.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/01/16 14:51 by joemvcnj.

I would expect nothing to happen.  If we're lucky, the existing Cardinal will continue to run.  That's it.

bluesboyst Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> timecruncher Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > In my experience, Mitch McConnell - the new
> > secretary's husband - is anti public transit of
> > any kind. He would not care if folks in
> Maysville
> > or South Portsmouth or environs had to drive to
> > Cincinnati, Lexington or Ashland to catch the
> > ever-diminishing Greyhound bus or the "here
> today,
> > maybe tomorrow" Megabus. He is owned by the
> auto
> > industry and highway interests.
> >
> > timecruncher
>
> And a disgrace to the Commonweatlh of
> Kentucky.....

The people of Kentucky have reelected him for about a hundred years. Somebody must like his work.

Posted from Android

• Lackawanna484 Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------
> bluesboyst Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > timecruncher Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > In my experience, Mitch McConnell - the new
> > > secretary's husband - is anti public transit
> of
> > > any kind. He would not care if folks in
> > Maysville
> > > or South Portsmouth or environs had to drive
> to
> > > Cincinnati, Lexington or Ashland to catch the
> > > ever-diminishing Greyhound bus or the "here
> > today,
> > > maybe tomorrow" Megabus. He is owned by the
> > auto
> > > industry and highway interests.
> > >
> > > timecruncher
> >
> > And a disgrace to the Commonweatlh of
> > Kentucky.....
>
> The people of Kentucky have reelected him for
> about a hundred years. Somebody must like his
> work.
>
> Posted from Android

Can't understand why..

MEKoch Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> All politicians, Republican or Democrat respond to
> their constituents. 

​Well, sort of.  To take this statement at face value is a bit of a stretch. 

As the character played by Louis Gossett, Jr., said, "My grandmother wants to fly jets!"

This  will be  a  multi  city effort. Hope  we are just getting  started.  Amtrak  very supportative.  No  HOOSIER directly into Beech Grove shops  really crimps their ability to ship promptly. Crews all out of place and in hotels on a  3 times a week train.   Example would  be Huntington to Charlottesville on a  Sunday. No return train until  Wed.!!  Do  crews  get per -diem? I think so.. but often drive home!!  Who wouldn't!!

I think you would find the second sleeper filled even if a daily train because the Cardinal is serving a lot of different city pairs where overnight service overlaps to help fill the sleepers. Even during the Heritage sleeper years, it operated with two sleepers of various types. 
 

It comes down to money, where the money comes from, scrounging up another trainset, and turning it around and servicing it in SSY between 10PM (at best) and 6am. 
Deadheading a crew is a minor cost, an expense already taken into account in the PIP. Amtrak is fine with one Beech Grove move per week, or they can pay IHP to do it if they wished.