@tvdan1043
A little more than 10 years ago, Virginia got passenger service back to Norfolk for the first time since Amtrak's founding. It was one of those imperfect steps. The train left once a day at 4:50am. It had to leave so early because of track conditions along the route, slowing the train to a crawl in places. So after a couple of years of ridership growing slowly despite the early departure, the state gave the freight railroads (CSX and Norfolk Southern) money to fix the offending stretch of rail so Amtrak could run at higher speeds. The departure time moved to 6am and ridership grew so much so quickly that they added a 9am departure in 2019 (suspended during the pandemic, returned in late 2021) and a 1pm departure in 2022. That imperfect step a decade or so ago made possible the service we have today. But if we had to wait for it to be perfect, it would have never happened.
@piemadd
For those wondering, Amtrak's plans for new trains is called Connects US. It is a list of routes less than 750 miles in length, those which require state funding, which can be setup and run in a fairly short time frame. If all of the routes in this plan are created, Amtrak's daily trains will approximately double. A small step towards a much better rail system. Additionally, the FRA has created Corridor ID/Connect ID, a inquiry into new routes, some of which are in Connects US, which will be eligible for federal funding for startup costs. Those startup costs are most of the costs involved, so having those covered essentially guarantees a route will happen.
@geisaune793
That opening line: "Imagine an America where you could just go anywhere by train." For me, that's less something I imagine and more something I dream about. And then that further line, "This America existed." And that's where the pain sets in.
@johnboy20xx
As someone from Kentucky who has lived in Louisville for the past 6 years, it sucks to know that we used to have passenger rail service to the city but it shut down in 2003. If we got service again, I would no doubt use it to take trips to Indianapolis, Cincinnati, and Chicago for weekend trips, concerts, etc instead of having to drive. Literally a dream of mine, really hoping that Amtrak's plans get through.
@kaladin783
I’ve taken Amtrak from winter park Colorado to Glenwood springs, and while the train was horrifically behind schedule, we weren’t in a hurry and the ride was almost luxurious. The seats were massive and much less cramped than an airplane, there were dedicated cars with massive windows for viewing the beautiful nature we traveled through, snack bars on the lower decks of some cars, plenty of room for everyone to move around, etc. Overall a much more pleasant experience than flying and I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
@ConWolfDoubleO7
Everyone along the Colorado front range has been begging for a train for years. I have not met a single person who said they would prefer to drive to Denver over a train. Palmer saw this exact vision when he placed Colorado Springs back in the 1870s and the fact that we back tracked is ridiculous. The whole town is there because of the railroad.
@Histwith_theCom
Some freight Railroads give priority to Amtrak like CSX which registers Amtrak trains like the Cardinal as P051 and P050 P designating priority my source is renowned railfan, distant signal productions
@amandac.s.9452
Very timely. My own Amtrak trip last week was delayed 40 minutes FROM ITS STARTING STATION due to a freight train. Ended up being more than an hour late to our destination and completely obliterated our plans for connections home
@Mullheimer
In The Netherlands people are really upset because 95% on time became 91%. Note: over 3 minutes will count as a delay. On the less busy stations the connecting trains will often wait.
@nyc90
I wish this video talked more about how this Amtrak dream across America EXISTS in the northeast where Amtrak owns the tracks. I live in NYC, don’t have a car, and take trains everyday. Whether it’s the subway to get to work, commuter rail to visit friends in New Jersey and Connecticut, and Amtrak Acela when heading to Philly or Boston or DC, the American rail dream exists here and it’s amazing. I just wish the rest of America got to experience it as well.
@robderiche
As a frequent Amtrak rider since the 1970s, the delays certainly are frustrating but the train remains a more dignified way to travel and it’s one of the few shared spaces where people seem to retain the capacity to engage with strangers in an open and friendly way. I’ve had so many great encounters and conversations in the lounge, dining, and observation cars.
@NotJustBikes
Canada, too. 😢 It sucks so much to have to wait for a freight train. I wonder how much better the US and Canada would be if they had spent trillions on rail and public transit over the past 70 years, instead of only stroads and highways.
@jackchen5290
My single data point anecdote: there’s a ski train from Denver to winter park, Colorado during weekends in the winter. Most passenger takes it to do day trips to to skiing at winter park resort. We’re supposed to depart Denver a 7am and arrived at winter park resort at 9am, and get our full day of skiing before leaving the resort at 4:30. This is very convenient and high value, since it saves the passengers from a sometimes difficult drive across the continental divide. My one time taking that train was about 20 years ago. We ended up stuck behind a coal train and a 2 hour journey turned into 4 hours, and our 7 hour ski day shrank to less than 5. The whole time we were waiting for that coat train to pass, all I heard was people saying the coal has been i the ground for millions of years, surely it can wait a few more hours. I and my family have never taken that ski train again after that.
@Mr.Unacceptable
In B.C. Canada they had BC rail. 23 bucks could take you all the way north in a day. The cars were near full every time I took the trip. Views you can not see any other way than to walk. Then they started charging $500 for the same trip and people stopped taking it. Then they said there is no support for passenger rail in BC. Now there is no rail or bus travel in B.C. There is no public transportation in BC outside cities.
@wingfanner
The thing I like about amtrak is that despite being a corporation, they really do seem to understand that their role is to provide a public service to their customers. As someone who semi-regularly uses their high-speed Acela, I have to say that while service and reliability are far from perfect, they're at least trying with the limited resources they have.
@TheSadDuck
As an avid Train rider, I wholeheartedly agree. THANK YOU for taking up this issue and making a video about it. I have traveled more rail miles than everyone I know put together, and I can tell you that a part of this is the lack of easy and convenient routes, as well as the ABHORRENT delays from freight conflicts. Cheers!
@Arlecchino_Gatto
A few years ago, I rode the Empire Builder route from St Paul Minnesota, to Seattle Washington. After a few days in Seattle I rode it back again. It was a two day trip each way. It was a wonderful experience! The views i saw from the train were breathtaking at times.
@shizzle7642
With the nightmare that flying and airports have become, I hope trains make a huge comeback and upgrade the dated passenger trains
@tcook2235
Very interesting and informative video. One thing you didn't mention is that the railroads pay taxes on existing trackage which is an incentive for the railroads to abandon unused lines. Also, eliminating double tracking allows for easing curves and reduces maintenance and labor costs. Taking Amtrak from Baltimore to Cincinnati takes 22 hours. Driving takes 9 hours. Flying is just a one and a half hour flight. We love riding the trains, but it is not practical when you want to get there in a timely fashion. Thanks for the video.
@QueenetBowie