From: schumann@msus1.msus.edu
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: New Amtrak Routes
Date: 20 Aug 92 18:56:17 GMT
Organization: Minnesota State University System

The publication _News from the National Association of Railroad
Passengers_ for July 1992 has an article titled "Amtrak Releases New
Routes Study."  It reports that Amtrak has issued a new 121 page
report that examines possible new routes.  The routes covered in this
report include the following:

Vancouver-Los Angeles:  a second "Coast Starlight" with a Vancouver
     extension running 12 hours apart from the existing train.

Vancouver-Portland:  one round-trip studied.

Chicago-Seattle/Portland:  via Fargo-Bismark-Billings-Helena-Spokane
     (the old "North Coast Limited"); train would be combined with
     the current "Empire Builder" Chicago-Fargo.

Seattle/Portland-Denver:  via Spokane-Missoula-Helena-Laurel-Casper-
     Cheyenne; train would be combined with the current "Empire
     Builder" Seattle/Portland-Spokane.

Denver-Dallas: via La Junta-Newton-Oklahoma City.

Twin Cities-Kansas City:  via Albert Lea-Mason City-Des Moines-
     Chariton.

Kansas City-Omaha:  via Falls City-Plattsmouth; train would be an
     extension of the current St. Louis-Kansas City "Mules."

Chicago-Green Bay:  via Milwaukee-Duplainville-Fond du Lac-Oshkosh-
     Neenah-Appleton; two round trips studied along with an extra
     Chicago-Milwaukee round trip.

Chicago-Madison:  via Milwaukee; two round trips studied; trains
     would be combined with the Green Bay trains for Chicago-
     Milwaukee.

New York-Harrisburg:  via Plainfield-Allentown (i.e., the Conrail
     freight mainline); would require dual-mode locomotives for
     faster running times into Penn Station.

Cincinnati-Cleveland:  via Columbus; train would connect with the
     "Lake Shore" for service east of Cleveland.

New York-Atlanta:  via Washington, D.C.-Lynchburg-Roanoke-Bristol-
     Knoxville-Chattanooga; train would operate overnight.

New York-Florida:  via Charlotte-Columbia; a third NY-Florida train;
     train would use the "Meteor's" route pattern in Florida except
     that the Miami section would run via Daytona Beach (Florida East
     Coast); the current "Star" would be moved off its present
     Raleigh-Columbia route to the "Meteor's" coastal route.

The study includes estimates of the short-term avoidable profit or
loss per passenger mile, the annual long-term avoidable profit or
loss, and the incremental equipment costs for each of the proposed
new routes.


In addition to these new routes, Amtrak continues to consider new
routes that were examined in previous studies:

Jacksonville-New Orleans.

"Pioneer" and "Desert Wind" via Wyoming (Union Pacific) and central
     Iowa (Chicago & North Western).

"Texas Chief".

Chicago-Florida:  several alternative routings studied.

Boston-Portland.
--
   Paul L. Schumann, Ph.D.           |  VAX:  IN%"schumann@MSUS1.MSUS.EDU"
   Professor of Management           |  Office Phone:       (507) 389-5349
   Mankato State University          |  Secretary's Phone:  (507) 389-2966
   Mankato, MN   56002-8400          |  Fax Number:         (507) 389-5497
Xref: sparky rec.railroad:6480 dc.general:1869