Passenger Trains > Amtrak's Hoosier State - Last Day of Operation Will Be June 30th

The Governor did not include the $3 million in his proposed budget and the budget has moved from the House to the Senate without the $3 million in funds for the Hoosier State. At this point it is highly unlikely the Hoosier State will survive the budget session, which closes in late April.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/15ycbGCJBdpIOH4xWFN2SZxlBfnn-UDQW/view?usp=sharing

Excerpt from Trains Magazine article:

Amtrak did up its game from its previous coach-only service by adding a cafe car and business class after Iowa Pacific exited, but Barton says Amtrak "never goes above and beyond or does themselves any favors." A recent case in point: the company could have operated the Cardinal as far as Indianapolis on Jan. 19, but chose to cancel it, even though the snowstorms that prompted cancellation were in West Virginia.

That's my Amtrak!

Update: More good news, 51(13) arriving IND early this morning and left nearly 4 hours late for CHI account PTC issues on E/46... No plan to swap out unit with fresh one from BEE until train arrived and outbound contacted CNOC for instructions.. Outbound cut off single unit and made side trip to The Grove and got their own outbound unit after departure time had passed. Why wasn't a fresh unit available prior to departure time? Another case of see no evil, hear no evil, say no evil??



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/14/19 09:04 by PC1974.

> Excerpt from Trains Magazine article:
>
> Amtrak did up its game from its previous
> coach-only service by adding a cafe car and
> business class after Iowa Pacific exited, but
> Barton says Amtrak "never goes above and beyond or
> does themselves any favors." A recent case in
> point: the company could have operated the
> Cardinal as far as Indianapolis on Jan. 19, but
> chose to cancel it, even though the snowstorms
> that prompted cancellation were in West Virginia.

Further proof Amtrak's rhetoric on supporting corridors is fake. 

Amtrak is its own worst enemy. You're never going to get Hoosiers who love their automobiles onto trains unless you treat them like royalty. Amtrak doesn't treat anyone royally, so its safe to assume their end game is similer to Penn Central's: Make the service so lousey and inconvenient no one in their right mind would want to use it. They have done this well.

Steve Thorpe

Ummm I thought they we’re adding corridor trains not eliminating them. LOL.
Yes, the route wasn’t ideal but this was an example how AMTRAK and the state failed. It was more than the individual cities (grassroots funding) could handle on their own. Ed Ellis didn’t have the infrastructure/government contract knowledge to properly operate the train but he knew how to run and market the train to get butts in the seats. A dedicated website, interesting bar drinks, WiFi. Forget the full service diner the other amenities and friendly employees in crisp white uniforms were more than enough. Those are things Amtrak has no desire to do. Corridors will never work in our current political environment, especially run buy Amtrak’s current semi criminal clowns. Period the end.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/14/19 07:45 by Flyer92122.

Corridors will never work in brain-dead states like Indiana and Ohio (where I live).   Although I am a conservative on many values, the Republican legislatures of Indiana and Ohio are stuck in 1955, and public transit does not even register on their radar. 

Things will only move ahead in such states when broad coalitions of the public, such as Lafayette & Crawfordsville, Indiana get organized and pressure the state legislature to act.  When the local legislatures realize that there is broad public interest in rail passenger service, they will respond with learning and enlightenment about such services.  

These states have rural mindsets, where the cities in their states do not have control of the state legislature.  Most of the state legislators have never ridden on a train, bus, or any public transit system. 

MEKoch Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Corridors will never work in brain-dead states
> like Indiana and Ohio (where I live).   Although
> I am a conservative on many values, the Republican
> legislatures of Indiana and Ohio are stuck in
> 1955, and public transit does not even register on
> their radar. 
>
> Things will only move ahead in such states when
> broad coalitions of the public, such as Lafayette
> & Crawfordsville, Indiana get organized and
> pressure the state legislature to act.  When the
> local legislatures realize that there is broad
> public interest in rail passenger service, they
> will respond with learning and enlightenment about
> such services.  
>
> These states have rural mindsets, where the cities
> in their states do not have control of the state
> legislature.  Most of the state legislators have
> never ridden on a train, bus, or any public
> transit system. 


In 1955 public transit and passenger rail were far more popular than today. Not seeing your logic.

Green New Deal will put those flyover country deplorable hicks in their place.

Indiana at least supports NICTD, and is about to construct expansion to Dyer, though that is based on Chicago as a major destination. 
Ohio has no equivalent.

So train schedule time if on time is about 5 hours. Driving time according to Google Maps is 3:44. In fairness, add an hour for traffic delays. So still an hour less than Amtrak. Thus not sure why anyone would consider using the train excepting those who cannot drive or don't own a vehicle which I would think is a small amount of total ridership. Corridor trains need to be at lease comparable to driving and flying times (including trips to airports and security etc.)  to be effective. 

Just about every route Amtrak operates takes longer than driving.

Posted from Android

TWC Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> The Hoosier State is also used by a lot of
> students, passengers changing Amtrak trains in
> Chicago, and passengers making connections to
> Metra or walking to their final destination in the
> Loop..


"a lot" meaning "tiny fraction of the total number of people traveling between points A and B".

cabsignaldrop Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Just about every route Amtrak operates takes
> longer than driving.
>
> Posted from Android

LInk to 1963 NYC timetable. See page 10
http://www.canadasouthern.com/caso/ptt/images/tt-1063.pdf

Link to 1958 Monon Timetable
https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,4307833,4307833#msg-4307833



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/14/19 10:52 by Englewood.

andersonb109 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> So train schedule time if on time is about 5
> hours. Driving time according to Google Maps is
> 3:44. In fairness, add an hour for traffic delays.
> So still an hour less than Amtrak. Thus not sure
> why anyone would consider using the train
> excepting those who cannot drive or don't own a
> vehicle which I would think is a small amount of
> total ridership. Corridor trains need to be at
> lease comparable to driving and flying times
> (including trips to airports and security etc.) 
> to be effective. 

Pardon?  3:44 plus one hour equals 4:44.  Very close to 5 hours, no?  That is not one hour less for driving than taking the train.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/14/19 10:51 by 4489.

Duna Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> MEKoch Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Corridors will never work in brain-dead states
> > like Indiana and Ohio (where I live).  
> Although
> > I am a conservative on many values, the
> Republican
> > legislatures of Indiana and Ohio are stuck in
> > 1955, and public transit does not even register
> on
> > their radar. 
> >
> > Things will only move ahead in such states when
> > broad coalitions of the public, such as
> Lafayette
> > & Crawfordsville, Indiana get organized and
> > pressure the state legislature to act.  When
> the
> > local legislatures realize that there is broad
> > public interest in rail passenger service, they
> > will respond with learning and enlightenment
> about
> > such services.  
> >
> > These states have rural mindsets, where the
> cities
> > in their states do not have control of the
> state
> > legislature.  Most of the state legislators
> have
> > never ridden on a train, bus, or any public
> > transit system. 
>
>
> In 1955 public transit and passenger rail were far
> more popular than today. Not seeing your logic.
>
> Green New Deal will put those flyover country
> deplorable hicks in their place.

That Green New Deal is a bunch of crap!

Posted from Android

Flyer92122 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Ummm I thought they we’re adding corridor trains
> not eliminating them. LOL.

Sure

Corridor trains = states pay AMTK to run trains. (good)

Long distance trains = AMTK runs trains with their own funds (bad)

TAW

 

MEKoch Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Corridors will never work in brain-dead states
> like Indiana and Ohio (where I live).   Although
> I am a conservative on many values, the Republican
> legislatures of Indiana and Ohio are stuck in
> 1955, and public transit does not even register on
> their radar. 

Conservative and supporting subsidies for your own pet projects? Mmmm. A lot of twisting required for that pose. 
>
> Things will only move ahead in such states when
> broad coalitions of the public, such as Lafayette
> & Crawfordsville, Indiana get organized and
> pressure the state legislature to act.  When the
> local legislatures realize that there is broad
> public interest in rail passenger service, they
> will respond with learning and enlightenment about
> such services.  

If there is broad interest in your State for such programs, then Republican would not control the executive and legistative branches. (Ohio)
>
> These states have rural mindsets, where the cities
> in their states do not have control of the state
> legislature.  Most of the state legislators have
> never ridden on a train, bus, or any public
> transit system. 

And most never will if they continue to return the same ones back to the Statehouse. 

Want better Amtrak services? Go with Dems or stop complaining. 

ATSF3751 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> Want better Amtrak services? Go with Dems or stop
> complaining. 

Or find a different R. The guy who started the Washington State passenger program (Cascades) was an R. Some of the opponents have been D.

TAW

Want better Amtrak service? Demand better Amtrak management or at least not one that has an agenda to destroy it.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/14/19 13:21 by Flyer92122.

Englewood Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> cabsignaldrop Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Just about every route Amtrak operates takes
> > longer than driving.
> >
> > Posted from Android
>
> LInk to 1963 NYC timetable. See page 10
> http://www.canadasouthern.com/caso/ptt/images/tt-1
> 063.pdf
>
> Link to 1958 Monon Timetable
> https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11
> ,4307833,4307833#msg-4307833

In 1963 there was no I-65. What was the drive time on US 52/41?
What if the money the government subsequently used to build I-65 was used to upgrade the Monon or NYC instead? Would we still have a fast rail schedule instead of much of those routes abandoned? BSB

Posted from iPhone

TWC Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> andersonb109 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > So train schedule time if on time is about 5
> > hours. Driving time according to Google Maps is
> > 3:44. In fairness, add an hour for traffic
> delays.
> > So still an hour less than Amtrak. Thus not
> sure
> > why anyone would consider using the train
> > excepting those who cannot drive or don't own a
> > vehicle which I would think is a small amount
> of
> > total ridership. Corridor trains need to be at
> > lease comparable to driving and flying times
> > (including trips to airports and security
> etc.) 
> > to be effective. 
>
> The Hoosier State is also used by a lot of
> students, passengers changing Amtrak trains in
> Chicago, and passengers making connections to
> Metra or walking to their final destination in the
> Loop. Ridership is light from Indy because the
> train isn't competitive from Indy. However, the
> train really does earn its keep connecting other
> en-route communities to Chicago.

Anybody missing work or school due to no train?  Probably not.

Back in the wicked old IPH days, there was an active coalition of the colleges and several counties, promoting the train.

Did that wither away?

Sometimes, you need enough critical mass to make the political class aware that there's a need.  A million years ago, two NJ groups put the heat to NJ state government.  Rebuilding the Lackawanna and Jersey Shore lines came out of that.  Hundreds, then thousands, of commuters decided that the bs had to stop. And put the heat to town councls and other elected groups.

But, you need people to be in front of town councils, county freeloaders. state representatives.  Enough people, angry enough to vote out people who aren't getting the job done.