Passenger Trains > Amtrak System Expansion Committee

Amtrak posted an announcement on its website of the formation of a System Expansion Committee on its website.  Several directors on the commitee and it appears that this was a development rolled out at the most recent board meeting. Committee membership is reported to be: 

• Robert Gleason, chair
• Elaine Clegg, vice chair
• Joel Szabat
• Chris Koos
• A designated U.S. Department of Transportation secretary representative.

Reference is made to the succeess of the Borealis and the Mardi Gras, noting one year anniversary of the Mardi Gras. 
Has anyone seen, read or heard any specifics? anything else from this board meeting 

Before they expand their late running outdated equipment and inconsistent customer experience, they should redefine what they are as a product for the traveller.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/02/26 14:15 by Peter_Hawtrey.

Engines? Cars?

Something has to be done about PRIIA Section 209 before anything beyond a tiny trickle of long-term Amtrak expansion outside the Northeast Corridor will be possible.

All just talk about state-supported corridors - as long as some entity than Amtrak pays for it and nothing to run over 750 miles, or legislate to significantly reduce that threshold. 
They won't even hold a state train for 10 minutes for a late LD train. Witness Pittsburgh and Kansas City. I am sure this committee won't go into the weeds with that. 

Let's see Gleason haul out the PIP for the Capitol Ltd / Pennsylvanian. 

I'l bet their motive is to head off another Metra/Rockford situation with IDOT while the Midwest Corridors collapse with Siemens SC-44 junk. 
 

observer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Engines? Cars?


Track, willing host RR’s, depots/facilities?

This is just more political hay being made and consultant fees being paid.

Amjoke can’t even run the RR they have now in a reliable and efficient way.

Regards

Posted from iPhone

Was Amtrak a strong proponent of Mardi Gra

Posted from Android

The new generation of equipment now under construction should provide Amtrak with enough rolling stock and motive power for some short and intermediate route and state-supported services to expand---but only after years of the host railroads demanding and getting huge public funding for infrastructure improvements.

This occurred with Borealis and Mardi Gras, and with the upcoming second Pennsylvanian roundtrip.  Surely the freight railroads know they can get major infrastructure upgrades on the public dime by taking part in some minor Amtrak route and frequency expansion. But it will, of course, take years and years.

I've been watching rail passenger service evolutions for 75 years; I know I won't live long enough to see the next round of expanded routes and frequencies.

Art House



Edited 6 time(s). Last edit at 09/03/26 08:20 by aehouse.

I think a much wiser investment of time and money would be to start a committee on how to run the scheduled trains they have now. Anything else at this point is pure fantasy.

I love the irony of noting that Amtrak would be better served by establishing a committee to figure out how Amtrak can do what it should have doing all along!

Posted from iPhone

irhoghead Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I think a much wiser investment of time and money would be to start a committee on how to run the
> scheduled trains they have now. Anything else at this point is pure fantasy.

Fantasies make good press releases and get positive press coverage.  Admitting in publc that your organization is performing poorly just creates bad news, if it creates any news at all.  The only way a performance improvement committee will be announced with fanfare is if the politicians start complaining and Amtrak has to show it's "doing something".

Still, perhaps we should not be so pessimistic, though I, too, am reaching the age where certan things won't happen in my lifetime.

.

---

well probably just pursuing the network growth strategy we have covered in the past, state sponsored  growth corridors.

dan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> well probably just pursuing the network growth
> strategy we have covered in the past, state
> sponsored  growth corridors.

If that's their only mindsaet, like when that crappy map showed up a few years ago on their 'expansion' they're missing the main point on what Amtrak has done way back when, expanding both sides and see the results, they just stick with corridors only, sorry that's not gonna cut it on the long run when they want the states to pay for 90% of it!

Exactly

Peter_Hawtrey Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Before they expand their late running outdated
> equipment and inconsistent customer experience,
> they should redefine what they are as a product
> for the traveller.