Passenger Trains > Could you compete against Amtrak?

If (big if) there was a corporation that wanted to compete against Amtrak for long distance trains, could they? Is there a Federal law against this?

Posted from iPhone

I suppose. It would be about as easy as competing against welfare.

But seriously, I wish all the freight roads would demand there passenger trains back and provide top-notch service AND provide excellent meals! :)

Yes, Amtrak's charter forbids it unless it agrees to it. Other operator's can connect to it though. Otherwise it would be like owning a McD's and then allowing BK to sell food there.

even IF there was a law that would allow it, i sure would not do it.

-you would have to pay the host railroads HUGE amounts of money for capacity increases/improvements so your trains would not see any color and get to their destinations as quickly as POSSIBLE.

-you would have to spend HUGE amounts of money for new locomotives and equipment to be a RELIABLE mode of transportation.

-if you wanted to have food served on l.d. trains could you do it profitably?

-you would have to compete with the airlines and vehicles.

after that, no thanks........

66

Anyone know it will never work though? Look what happened to Iowa Pacific, we haven't heard from EEE since they eliminated their contract to run the Hoosier State last year!

Remember, I said Big IF.....

Posted from iPhone

CPRR Wrote:
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> Remember, I said Big IF.....
>
> Posted from iPhone

Maybe in another country.

Iowa Pacific came close to "competing" with Amtrak - the try at the Ski Train in Denver, which Amtrak now operates, the Pullman Service, and the Hoosier State. I think the jury is in, and the answer is no.

Actually Iowa Pacific's Hoosier State was also operated by Amtrak, with Iowa Pacific providing OBS and equipment. The T&E crew was always Amtrak, and that is why Amtrak pocketed all the bonuses accruing for better OTP etc.

It never ceases to amaze me that Iowa Pacific ever signed on to that deal. They must have had a death wish to start with.

Jishnu Wrote:
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> Actually Iowa Pacific's Hoosier State was also
> operated by Amtrak, with Iowa Pacific providing
> OBS and equipment. The T&E crew was always Amtrak,
> and that is why Amtrak pocketed all the bonuses
> accruing for better OTP etc.
>
> It never ceases to amaze me that Iowa Pacific ever
> signed on to that deal. They must have had a death
> wish to start with.

Only eee can answer that question, but it seems if Amtrak's intent was to pocket the bonus instead of giving Iowa Pacific a lending hand to grow passenger rail, then it smells like Amtrak wants to KILL any potential competitors, even if it wasn't competition. I'll never forget how Amtrak seemed to have pulled the rug under Iowa Pacific's Ski Train, but few years later, they decided to operate the train instead. FYI, I'm trying not to let Iowa Pacific's current financial troubles distort what I observed back then.

No, a non-governmental company/corporation will not succeed for one basic reason: The infrastructure it has to use is owned by corporations trying to run their own trains.

The entire railroad infrastructure needs to be owned, maintained, operated and dispatched by the government so that ALL possible trains have equal access and a chance to succeed according to market.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/18/18 10:33 by jst3751.

jst3751 Wrote:
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> No, a non-governmental company/corporation will
> not succeed for one basic reason: The
> infrastructure it has to use is owned by
> corporations trying to run their own trains.

By this reasoning, no privately owned railroad has ever provided good passenger service in the U. S..

> The entire railroad infrastructure needs to be
> owned, maintained, operated and dispatched by the
> government so that ALL possible trains have equal
> access and a chance to succeed according to
> market.

By this reasoning, government can be trusted to do a better job at providing infrastructure than free market competition among privately owned railroads.
Politicians use government as a special privilege machine. They sell special privileges such as, bailouts, competition strangling regulations and monopoly's in exchange for political power and personal enrichment. They make laws which prevent free market competition.
Trust government? Ask an Indian.