Passenger Trains > No service cuts for Illinois Amtrak

http://thesouthern.com/news/local/idot-amtrak-reach-agreement-on-train-service-fares-will-not/article_ddf592c8-b667-5b68-af0e-698c538c5e50.html

It appears after a long, mutual staredown, Rauner blinked.
("cost of $38.3 million to the state. In the previous fiscal year, IDOT paid $42 million")



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/06/16 03:58 by joemvcnj.

joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> http://thesouthern.com/news/local/idot-amtrak-reac
> h-agreement-on-train-service-fares-will-not/articl
> e_ddf592c8-b667-5b68-af0e-698c538c5e50.html
>
> It appears after a long, mutual staredown, Rauner
> blinked.
> ("cost of $38.3 million to the state. In the
> previous fiscal year, IDOT paid $42 million")

It seems Illinois negotiated a  better price and we don't know how much Amtrak originally asked so you can say blinked or
negotiated a "better" if not good deal.  It is my understanding Rauner has "down lifestyled" and spends a lot of time in Springfied
and is seen at local places regular. 

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2015/01/26/rauner-making-himself-at-home-in-springfield/

Not sure his status now but Blog and Quinn were part time in Springfield jetting back to Chicago everyday they actually  were there.

One mystery to me is why Illinois maintains such a large presence of offices in Chicago including their now
rundown and fucntionally obsolete "tear down" office building.

Bob Jordan

robj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> joemvcnj Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> >
> http://thesouthern.com/news/local/idot-amtrak-reac
>
> >
> h-agreement-on-train-service-fares-will-not/articl
>
> > e_ddf592c8-b667-5b68-af0e-698c538c5e50.html
> >
> > It appears after a long, mutual staredown,
> Rauner
> > blinked.
> > ("cost of $38.3 million to the state. In the
> > previous fiscal year, IDOT paid $42 million")
>
> It seems Illinois negotiated a  better price and
> we don't know how much Amtrak originally asked so
> you can say blinked or
> negotiated a "better" if not good deal.  It is my
> understanding Rauner has "down lifestyled" and
> spends a lot of time in Springfied
> and is seen at local places regular. 
>
> http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2015/01/26/rauner-maki
> ng-himself-at-home-in-springfield/
>
> Not sure his status now but Blog and Quinn were
> part time in Springfield jetting back to Chicago
> everyday they actually  were there.
>
> One mystery to me is why Illinois maintains such a
> large presence of offices in Chicago including
> their now
> rundown and fucntionally obsolete "tear down"
> office building.
>
> Bob Jordan

The governor found out how popular, perhaps important, rail service is to the area.  He heard lots of noise from mayors and universities.  If this would happen more in other locales, perhaps rail service would improve over what it is now.

sip my quote:
>
> The governor found out how popular, perhaps
> important, rail service is to the area.  He heard
> lots of noise from mayors and universities.  If
> this would happen more in other locales, perhaps
> rail service would improve over what it is now.

Local support is always important but so is negotiating.  I wouldn't assume that he is so uninformed that he did not know there was local support for train service.
There was probably some subtle political back and forth when local leaders came to the governors office.

We often read that UP got the better of the deal of the line upgrade.  Not sure of the deal but they get the construction work and many of the benefits.
Perhaps that was not negotiated so wisely???
One tone I get on these forums is that rail passenger service loses money so any amount is acceptable?
It is a service but also a business, maybe not a money making business but should be run in a business like fashion.
Negotiating for service like other states are doing is good business. 

Bob


 

Wow, ridership is down, and negotiated payments will be down. That’s all on the heels of an Amtrak $100 million shortfall..

Damn the torpedoes!

PC1974 Wrote:
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> Wow, ridership is down, and negotiated payments
> will be down. That’s all on the heels of an
> Amtrak $100 million shortfall..
>
> Damn the torpedoes!

Right but when you take out all the state trains what do you have.  Skeletal LD service and NE corridor and.....???

Bob

I believe part of the subsidy reduction came from negotiating out the price of the second engine on the STL route.  Seems now all STL trains will run with just one engine...

Amtrak negotiates based on its needs, and gets what it can.. it highballed the demands for Pennsylvania 42/43 and took about 30% less.

I think the governor and Amtrak both did OK. But I hope a quality of service penalty found its way into the final draft..

Posted from Android

Wasn't Rauner's original number $24 Million ? We feared 4 trains would go. Yes, Rauner blinked.

In Penn DOT's case, it was Amtrak who blinked. Penn DOT pointed out the feeder business between the Pennsylvanian and Capitol Ltd, and that Amtrak would lose a million or two more on the CL if the Pennsylvanian went away, hence they chose not to spite their nose to cut their face. 

Drop Amtrak from Illinois intrastate service and let Metra takeover the routes.  One carrier Illinois state controlled.

Then what do you do with the Missouri and Hiawatha trains which are to some extent dependent on Illionois ?

joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Wasn't Rauner's original number $24 Million ? We
> feared 4 trains would go. Yes, Rauner blinked.
>
> In Penn DOT's case, it was Amtrak who blinked.
> Penn DOT pointed out the feeder business between
> the Pennsylvanian and Capitol Ltd, and that Amtrak
> would lose a million or two more on the CL if the
> Pennsylvanian went away, hence they chose not to
> spite their nose to cut their face. 

Rauner lowballed Amtrak...he never expected to get it down to $24 million but was telling Amtrak, "you aren't worth what you are asking" and by such a large margin that in the end he got a little better deal.  If there are no service cuts, and if ridership stays as it is, he is getting 4% less transportation...ridership is down 4%...but will be paying Amtrak about 8% less.  

Hiawatha to Metra and Missouri to Amtrak.  Wisconsin can help Metra on Hiawatha service as it is that state whose citizens are the beneficiaries of that service.  It isn't a perfect solution but it could work.

PennPlat Wrote:
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> Hiawatha to Metra and Missouri to Amtrak. 
> Wisconsin can help Metra on Hiawatha service as it
> is that state whose citizens are the beneficiaries
> of that service.  It isn't a perfect solution but
> it could work.

Who's the U.S. congressman for that part of Wisconsin?

He might have a few $$$ laying around

Posted from Android

Actually, the last state-approved budget was $26 million, but Amtrak raised the price to $38 million to account for the "Section 209" costs.  Quinn sought approval for the increase, but I can't find that the legislature approved it.  See  http://www.pantagraph.com/news/state-and-regional/illinois/government-and-politics/budget-illinois-to-spend-more-on-amtrak/article_71fa08a0-8842-11e2-b4a1-001a4bcf887a.html   So I would say the $38 million is a victory for Amtrak, which has continued to run the trains in the interim without an approved number.

Joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Wasn't Rauner's original number $24 Million ? We
> feared 4 trains would go. Yes, Rauner blinked.
>
> In Penn DOT's case, it was Amtrak who blinked.
> Penn DOT pointed out the feeder business between
> the Pennsylvanian and Capitol Ltd, and that Amtrak
> would lose a million or two more on the CL if the
> Pennsylvanian went away, hence they chose not to
> spite their nose to cut their face. 

Dist 1  guy named Paul Ryan, that district is from IIl border to just S. of Milwaukee where it becomes Dist 4 a lady named Gwen Moore,  which is mostly Milwaukee.  Most of the line is in Dist 1. 

PennPlat Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Dist 1  guy named Paul Ryan, that district is
> from IIl border to just S. of Milwaukee where it
> becomes Dist 4 a lady named Gwen Moore,  which is
> mostly Milwaukee.  Most of the line is in Dist
> 1. 

Thanks.

Hopefully he'll be as helpful as Denny Hastert was when Denny had the purse.

Posted from Android

Had high hopes for the St. Louis - Chicago corridor back 8 years ago, with all the talk of 110 mph running and big bucks being spent on the UP allegedly to help passenger service.
Sadly what there is today is not any faster or safer than it was then.  Freight train interference just as bad or worse, and Amtrak interferes with each other since promised sidings were not built, or built in the wrong places.
The one little section of higher speed now downgraded back to what it was before all the money was spent.
The promised new cars seem to have evaporated.
What about the promised new locomotives, are they up in smoke or gone to California or elsewhere? 

NewRiverGeorge Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Had high hopes for the St. Louis - Chicago
> corridor back 8 years ago, with all the talk of
> 110 mph running and big bucks being spent on the
> UP allegedly to help passenger service.
> Sadly what there is today is not any faster or
> safer than it was then.  Freight train
> interference just as bad or worse, and Amtrak
> interferes with each other since promised sidings
> were not built, or built in the wrong places.
> The one little section of higher speed now
> downgraded back to what it was before all the
> money was spent.
> The promised new cars seem to have evaporated.
> What about the promised new locomotives, are they
> up in smoke or gone to California or elsewhere? 

It may not be any faster or safer (yet), but north of Springfield it's a brand new railroad from the sub-grade up. New roadbed, ballast, ties, rail, switches, grade crossings, 4 quadrant gates, fenced-off right of way in cities, signal system. At present a multitude of new "sidings" are either finished or in various stages of construction (I hestitate to call them "sidings" because some of them are several miles long and Amtrak is permitted 79 mph on them). These big bucks have accomplished much already. Keep in mind, higher speed limits and shorter trip times are the very last thing that will happen on this line, after all the preparatory work has been completed.

9900 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I believe part of the subsidy reduction came from
> negotiating out the price of the second engine on
> the STL route.  Seems now all STL trains will run
> with just one engine...

​and with that they won't be running at 110mph where they can

PennPlat Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Drop Amtrak from Illinois intrastate service and
> let Metra takeover the routes.  One carrier
> Illinois state controlled.

​except there's a congressional mandated law which formed a passenger rail system in May 1971 stating interstate passenger service will not be run by commuter agencies