From: sfsmith@mail.sas.upenn.edu (Sandy F. Smith, Jr.)
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: Re: New York <-> Washington DC: air shuttle was better
Date: 16 Dec 92 21:56:33 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: University of Pennsylvania

In article <Bz9FrL.8LK@cmcl2.nyu.edu>, mckenney@gauss.cims.nyu.edu
 (Alan M. McKenney) wrote about the tribulations of taking Amtrak from
Westchester County to Washington:
> 
> 
[opening deleted]

>     A second problem is that little attempt has been made to
> provide direct public transportation to AMTRAK stations.  A lot
> of towns, suburbs, etc., have limousines to the nearest major
> airport.  So, even though the airport may be less centrally
> located, it is practical to get there with all your excess
> luggage, even without a car (and without using a taxi.)

Perhaps the solution to this problem is to encourage the limousine 
services (many of which are private) to provide train station service
similar to that offered to the airport.  Presumably, if enough travelers
demand such service, *someone* will arrange to provide it.  Or are all the
limo services in Westchester County subsidized by the county?

> By contrast, I have never heard of any public transportation to an
> AMTRAK station beyond what would have gone there in the absence
> of the station.  And none of it is set up for people with much
> luggage.  [remainder of paragraph deleted]

This last part is abundantly true, and troublesome.  But I don't understand
what is meant by the first sentence.  The subway, elevated, and light rail
systems in most of our large cities provide direct connections with the major 
central train stations, as do many city bus routes in cities without rail 
transit.  Again, the way our suburbs have developed makes provision of such
service from distant points difficult, but (again) perhaps some enterprising
outfit (see above) could establish service from central locations such as
shopping malls or suburban hotels to commuter stations, where trains to the
central station could be caught.

> 
>     A third problem is related to one of the touted advantages
> of the train: that the stops are in the middle of town, not
> on the fringes.  The problem is parking, and automobile access.
> The AMTRAK stations nearest to us -- Newark, New York Penn Sta.,
> Yonkers, Croton, and New Rochelle -- have little or no provision for
> parking for AMTRAK customers,[...a]nd Croton is the only one of those
> stations that you can find without a detailed local map.  (The sign for
> the exit from US 9 says "Croton-Harmon Station".  Of course, you can
> *see* the station, and the parking lot, and the road from the exit to
> the station, before you get to the sign...)
> 
>     This last point is not peculiar to the NYC area, either.  I
> often drive through Hartford and up the Connecticutt, and I have
> never seen signs directing you to an AMTRAK station, despite the
> fact that you can *see* the Hartford and Windsor Locks stations
> from the highway, and the Springfield station is just off I-91.
> (I do believe that the freeway exits near the New Haven and the
> Albany/Renssalaer stations are marked.)  Compare this with the
> highway approaches to *any* airport in the USA with commercial
> service, and even many *without* commercial service.

Chalk this up to anti-rail prejudice on the part of state highway officials,
which has only recently been reversed.  The degree to which this bias has been
overcome varies from state to state: I'm surprised there's no sign on I-91
indicating the Springfield station, as Massachusetts is generally quite good
when it comes to directing highway users to rail facilities.  Delaware also
rates highly, with the Wilmington-area rail stations well-marked on the local
expressways.
 
>     A final complaint: every commercial airport has a car rental
> on-site, that is pretty much open whenever the planes are flying.
> So far, only in Washington have I found a car rental at a train
> station.  If you are going to a city where you won't be picked
> up, and your destination isn't right near the train station, this
> totally eliminates AMTRAK as an option.
> 
Several people have already responded to this last complaint, suggesting
there's a potential market the car-rental companies have yet to tap.  In
Philadelphia, they have: both Hertz and Avis maintain counters *inside*
30th Street Station, with fleets of cars available on the premises.  Btw,
the station redesign added more long-term parking underground, and expanded
the short-term parking area (although the new payment system, with booth
attendants replacing the old parking meters, is more cumbersome).  You
can't imagine how good I feel knowing that Philly finally has *one* first-
class transportation terminal.
__________________________________________________________________________
Sandy F. Smith, Jr. ___________________________ sfsmith@mail.sas.upenn.edu
Graduate Division, School of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania
16 College Hall, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6378.  (Opinions mine, not Penn's)

Making a token contribution to SEPTA's survival every day.
Newsgroups: rec.railroad