Passenger Trains > Passenger Cars in New Orleans

I was just down at the New Orleans Amtrak station, and saw a number of Amfleet cars sitting in the station. What are those there for? Didn't look like they were being used, and I doubt they are used for the Sunset, Crescent or CONO.

FEMA paid Amtrak to keep the spare Amfleet I's there in case they are needed for an evacuation train. Although hurricane season is over, they cars are still there.

We should further note those cars are "out of COTS date"; they cannot be used in revenue service absent an FRA waiver owing to an emergency.

This is indicative of how Amtrak is "nickel and diming' their entire operation today.

Wouldn't take all that much to get them back in service. Amtrak needs a reason.

If Trent Lott is such a good friend of passenger rail, how come he hasn't earmarked some of the millions in Hurricane relief money for Baton-Rouge-N.O.-Mississippi Coast-Mobile corrdor service? Seems like the perfect opportunity to expand rail and improve the Gulf Coast's transportation infrastructure.

Dave

DavidP Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If Trent Lott is such a good friend of passenger
> rail, how come he hasn't earmarked some of the
> millions in Hurricane relief money for
> Baton-Rouge-N.O.-Mississippi Coast-Mobile corrdor
> service? Seems like the perfect opportunity to
> expand rail and improve the Gulf Coast's
> transportation infrastructure.
>
> Dave

You missed the fact that he wanted to move the CSX through Mississippi away from the coast to build a new highway for the casinos.

Trent Lott is a friend of many things. That doesn't mean that he is a good friend.

He's probably as good a friend of rail passenger service as Robert Byrd of WV, which is enough to get you triweekly service, with no hope or aspiration for more. Lott already has that, and more, so he needn't exert himself unnecessarily.

It's an example of "me too" politics...if the other guy has a train, I want one too. The corollary is "if he gives up his train, I can live without one".

More or less.