What are the chances of the ATL getting more Amtrak service? (Atlanta: storage, to move)

[arjay57]

What they say is that Amtrak makes a bundle on its lines in the northeast and on the west coast, which they use to subsidize routes elsewhere. The thing is, the states that have the unprofitable lines don't want to give them up because they are important for transportation and, I would guess, for prestige.

[fourthwarden]

It seems that the 2017 Omnibus spending bill, negotiated between President Obama and congress, roughly maintains current Amtrak funding. 2018 is still somewhat in the air, but for now things are mostly status quo... so not that great.

CTA, Metra, Amtrak fare well in budget deal

There are no cuts in Amtrak operations. Trump had talked about eliminating all long-distance trains outside of the Northeast Corridor, a move that would have whacked Chicago-based train service. And overall, routine "formula" appropriations for roads and transit are in the amounts that the past Congress enacted as part of a five-year funding package, according to CMAP.

[Tarzanman]

Slim and none; and Slim just left town.

[Iconographer]

Originally Posted by Tarzanman

Slim and none; and Slim just left town.

And not on Amtrak, either!

[primaltech]

What do we need more Amtrak for? I can Uber to the Atlanta Amtrak station if I want to ride. The problem is that I don't want to ride. It takes forever to get to other cities (a lot longer than driving), and it's expensive (more expensive than driving.) So... fix Amtrak, then connect us on new lines and new stations.

[fourthwarden]

Originally Posted by primaltech

What do we need more Amtrak for? I can Uber to the Atlanta Amtrak station if I want to ride. The problem is that I don't want to ride. It takes forever to get to other cities (a lot longer than driving), and it's expensive (more expensive than driving.) So... fix Amtrak, then connect us on new lines and new stations.

Part of fixing it is providing more service. Hense more Amtrak.

You may not want to ride it, but more trains a day, to more cities, mean more options and opportunities for people to use the system.

[primaltech]

Originally Posted by fourthwarden

Part of fixing it is providing more service. Hense more Amtrak.

You may not want to ride it, but more trains a day, to more cities, mean more options and opportunities for people to use the system.

Oh I most definitely want to ride Amtrak, like crazy. I just need the train to go faster and/or be less expensive, before it makes any sense for me. Lack of lines to where I want to go won't be the issue until that happens.

And until all of the above happens, the fact that there's only one station in Atlanta is irrelevant. That's not the issue.

[fourthwarden]

Originally Posted by primaltech

Oh I most definitely want to ride Amtrak, like crazy. I just need the train to go faster and/or be less expensive, before it makes any sense for me. Lack of lines to where I want to go won't be the issue until that happens.

And until all of the above happens, the fact that there's only one station in Atlanta is irrelevant. That's not the issue.

It is part of the issue, though. People other than you could very well justify the expense and / or the time (I have in the not so distant past) for their given life if offered the options to board in more places, and to travel to more places.

More trains and routes provide, if nothing else, an opening for additional improvements further down the line.

[0nyxStation]

Originally Posted by arjay57

I know this has been discussed in the past, but what if we had more stations? Would that help the ridership here?

I'm taking some of our grandkids on a train trip next month and hopefully they will enjoy it.

Here's a pretty cool interactive map that shows Amtrak ridership in various cities. It seems like the cities with more stations have a lot more riders.

https://www.brookings.edu/interactiv...ail-ridership/

More Stations? Atlanta Amtrak just needs another line. A line from Chicago to Florida going through Atlanta would be nice.

[0nyxStation]

Originally Posted by primaltech

What do we need more Amtrak for? I can Uber to the Atlanta Amtrak station if I want to ride. The problem is that I don't want to ride. It takes forever to get to other cities (a lot longer than driving), and it's expensive (more expensive than driving.) So... fix Amtrak, then connect us on new lines and new stations.

I have always wanted to try Amtrak, from my days in Florida, but it always seemed it was cheaper to drive and faster to fly. I always wonder why the smaller cities never took advantage of Amtrak in their town that connects to bigger cities.