What are the chances of the ATL getting more Amtrak service? (Atlanta: middle-class, construction)

[cqholt]

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.

Amtrak is true ride sharing.

[brianpmcdonnell17]

The main issues with Amtrak in Atlanta are its lack of frequency and the existence of only one line. By looking at the cities with many stations in the suburbs, it is noticeable that the frequencies in those areas are generally far greater than Atlanta. I think the best ways to improve Amtrak in Atlanta are to open a Chicago-Florida line via Atlanta, construct a replacement station downtown with a MARTA connection, and increase frequencies. Once there are multiple trains a day, it would make more sense to add a few suburban stops. However, I think the best idea would be to build a commuter rail line along the Amtrak route. This would primarily serve people commuting to or visiting the city but could also allow people travelling on Amtrak to board a commuter line in smaller suburbs and connect to Amtrak in Gainesville or Atlanta. A good example of such a system at present is the interconnectedness of Amtrak and Metra lines in the Chicago area. Chicago also has service to all areas of the country (except the Southeast) and multiple frequencies per day on almost every line.

[NY2ATL2NY]

I rode amtrak out of atlanta to nyc last summer...It was a fun and COLD trip lol The AC was pumpin thee entire trip...Cudnt wait till DC to get out and warmup and have a smoke. As far as the ride itself tho I have to admit that you could feel the upgrade in Locomotive pulling power...We Quickly Accelerated and decelarated into and out of stations and Actually Ended up gettin into new york about 15 mins Early!! As far as frequencies Atlanta could definitely use a second train and a chicago-Miami routing twice daily thru atlanta totaling 4 trains...Thru a nice central station in downtown atl by 5 points. I would never take it to Nola though...somebody said it takes 11 hours to reach from atl what are they doin like 10mph??? Lol

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by NY2ATL2NY

I rode amtrak out of atlanta to nyc last summer...It was a fun and COLD trip lol The AC was pumpin thee entire trip...Cudnt wait till DC to get out and warmup and have a smoke. As far as the ride itself tho I have to admit that you could feel the upgrade in Locomotive pulling power...We Quickly Accelerated and decelarated into and out of stations and Actually Ended up gettin into new york about 15 mins Early!! As far as frequencies Atlanta could definitely use a second train and a chicago-Miami routing twice daily thru atlanta totaling 4 trains...Thru a nice central station in downtown atl by 5 points. I would never take it to Nola though...somebody said it takes 11 hours to reach from atl what are they doin like 10mph??? Lol

MegaBus is the best option to NOLA.

[fourthwarden]

Originally Posted by brianpmcdonnell17

The main issues with Amtrak in Atlanta are its lack of frequency and the existence of only one line. By looking at the cities with many stations in the suburbs, it is noticeable that the frequencies in those areas are generally far greater than Atlanta. I think the best ways to improve Amtrak in Atlanta are to open a Chicago-Florida line via Atlanta, construct a replacement station downtown with a MARTA connection, and increase frequencies. Once there are multiple trains a day, it would make more sense to add a few suburban stops. However, I think the best idea would be to build a commuter rail line along the Amtrak route. This would primarily serve people commuting to or visiting the city but could also allow people travelling on Amtrak to board a commuter line in smaller suburbs and connect to Amtrak in Gainesville or Atlanta. A good example of such a system at present is the interconnectedness of Amtrak and Metra lines in the Chicago area. Chicago also has service to all areas of the country (except the Southeast) and multiple frequencies per day on almost every line.

You're spot on about the interconnectiveness. Sharing important stations in the region between local, commuter, regionall, state, and interstate trains will greatly help the appeal of all involved.

[aries4118]

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/

All that anyone who is participating on this thread needs to read is right here:

Track Twenty-Nine: Envisioning a New Rail Hub for Atlanta: Part III



Enjoy!

[MattCW]

Any Amtrak expansion for Atlanta will require a new station. Amtrak has flat out said that.

Originally Posted by aries4118

All that anyone who is participating on this thread needs to read is right here:

Track Twenty-Nine: Envisioning a New Rail Hub for Atlanta: Part III



Enjoy!

I've been over this one before. This particular plan simply won't work. The platforms proposed, and the space left for midday/overnight storage simply isn't long enough. The platform length maxes out at about 5 cars, or 4 and a locomotive. That's not nearly long enough for the Crescent (9 cars plus 2 engines) nor for long-term commuter rail growth (8-cars minimum, 12 is preferable). Additionally, this plan brings extra traffic through Howell Junction which is overly-congested as-is, while alternatives exist for passenger service to Downtown.

[cjagr6]

Amtrak will be lucky to survive Trumps first term, and i would be certain it would not survive his 2nd. Class I railroads that are forced to share trackage with passenger trains hate it. It is troublesome to dispatch (which i do) Amtrak through major terminals (such as here in ATL). The track must be maintained to a much higher standard than non-passenger train rail. Shared track is not the answer if we want to grow freight rail service, which alleviates truck traffic.
So, pick your poison.

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by MattCW

Any Amtrak expansion for Atlanta will require a new station. Amtrak has flat out said that.


I've been over this one before. This particular plan simply won't work. The platforms proposed, and the space left for midday/overnight storage simply isn't long enough. The platform length maxes out at about 5 cars, or 4 and a locomotive. That's not nearly long enough for the Crescent (9 cars plus 2 engines) nor for long-term commuter rail growth (8-cars minimum, 12 is preferable). Additionally, this plan brings extra traffic through Howell Junction which is overly-congested as-is, while alternatives exist for passenger service to Downtown.

This plan could work. Dare to imagine/think outside the box.



Alternatively, I always envision a second major train station at Armour called Armour Valley Station to complement Grand Five Points Station in Downtown. Armour Valley could be Atlanta's Amtrak Station...if, like you said, having Amtrak go to Grand Five Points becomes too complicated.

[toll_booth]

1. Isn't there a proposal to move the current station to Doraville? That would let people long-term, something they can't do at the current station, which might increase ridership.

2. I would love to see a route that runs south to Florida via Macon, and north to Chattanooga, Nashville, and ultimately Chicago. Not having a direct connection to the Midwest is a big missing link on our current setup.