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| Amtrak's Secret Business |
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| Amtrak's Secret Business | ||
| Amtrak operates (or has operated) commuter trains for several local/regional transportation authorities, but they don't publicize this at all. Find out more about this profitable operation in a time when Amtrak looses all kinds of money. | ||
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In March, 2006, we received a question from
WONDIR: "What are the 8 commuter railroads operated by Amtrak?" K.C. Jones answered: I only count 7 Amtrak was created to provide long-distance rail service. It has (did) operated commuter service on a contract basis: Metrolink in Southern California MBTA in Boston San Diego Coaster Caltrain (San Francisco) Seattle Commuter Rail (Sounder) MARC (Maryland) VRE (Virginia Railway Express) Many of its "State Corridor" projects (funded by individual states) are really commuter operations. Their annual report for 2005 shows $119,354,000 income from "commuter", but they don't talk much about this elsewhere on their site. |
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Then we discovered (remembered) that Amtrak has operated
Shore Line East
under an agreement with the Connecticut DOT since the service started in 1990.
The Shore Line East starts at Union Station in New Haven and takes commuters to Old Saybrook. It operates four weekday trains that carry passengers between Stamford and Old Saybrook, but most Metro North commuters not taking the Shore Line trains must transfer at the New Haven station to go farther east. |
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This WebPage is maintained for historical articles only. For an up-to-date listing of North American Commuter Rail and Transit Systems, please visit our TRANSIT WebPage www.ominousweather.com/Transit.html |
| See KC Jones BLOG about Railroad History |
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The JWH EDI Services Electronic Commerce Messaging System may be a right for you if you already have an EDI translator, EDI personnel, or do your own mapping and only need EDI VAN communication.
The power of our global EDI network is available on your server, your cloud platform or your application.
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| Metrolink in Southern California | ||
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Metrolink is a regional rail system that serves the Southern California
region, including commuter and other passenger services.
Metrolink was established in 1991 as the Southern California Regional Rail Authority (SCRRA) and service began the following year. In 2003, it had an operating budget of $103.3 million. Since July 2005, Metrolink has been operated under contract by Connex Railroad, LLC. The contract extends for a period of five years and includes the provision of locomotive engineers and conductors. Prior to July 2005, Metrolink was operated under contract by Amtrak. Metrolink's area of service includes lines to Ventura County, Los Angeles County, San Bernardino County, Riverside County, Orange County, and San Diego County. It connects to the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority's Metro Rail lines at Union Station in Downtown Los Angeles, and to the San Diego Coaster at Oceanside. It also connects at various points to Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner, Coast Starlight, and Southwest Chief services. Metrolink riders can ride most buses in Los Angeles and Orange County, as well as the Metro Rail, for free with their valid ticket or pass, and monthly pass holders in Orange and Ventura Counties can use Amtrak Pacific Surfliner and Thruway Coach services through the Rail 2 Rail program. As of early 2006, it served a total of 56 stations throughout the Greater Los Angeles Area, with its central hub at Los Angeles Union Station. The average weekday ridership for September 2005 was 40,078 boardings. Ridership has grown at 3-4% per year since opening; Orange County ridership grew 30% from 2002 to 2005. The main Metrolink maintenance and storage facility is located on the east bank of the Los Angeles River in the vicinity of the Glendale Narrows, just south of Union Pacific's Taylor Yard. The system covers 511.6 miles (823.3 km) of track, some portions of which were purchased by Metrolink from freight railroads, while other sections are still owned by freight railroads. Both the publicly and privately owned routes share track with freight trains, and many sections are single track, limiting Metrolink's ability to expand service. Delays are particularly common on the Riverside Line, which uses Union Pacific's main transcontinental line--one of the most congested freight rail corridors in the United States. Construction projects to expand capacity have been gradually undertaken since Metrolink began operation. As of December 2003, Metrolink had 38 locomotives and 143 commuter cars. |
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Lines operated are: 91 Line (Union Station - Riverside-Downtown) Antelope Valley Line (Union Station - Lancaster) Inland Empire-Orange County (IEOC) Line (San Bernardino - San Juan Capistrano) Orange County Line (Union Station - Oceanside) Riverside Line (Union Station - Riverside-Downtown) San Bernardino Line (Union Station - San Bernardino/Riverside-Downtown) Ventura County Line (Union Station - Montalvo) San Jacinto Valley Line (future line) Redlands Line (future line) San Gabriel Valley Line (possible future line) |
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Not only can you
search hotels by city, but you can search by
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Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
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| Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority | ||
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MBTA service includes four subway lines, thirteen commuter rail lines,
five boat routes, and 170 bus routes servicing approximately
3,244 square miles. Service is provided to 175 cities and towns which
comprise the MBTA's district in eastern Massachusetts
with over 1.1 million riders each day.
The Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company (MBCR), a joint venture among Connex, Bombardier and Boston’s Alternate Concepts, Inc. (ACI), today signed a $1 billion 5-year contract with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) to provide commuter rail services. This award followed a highly competitive bid process that began last spring. August 2, 2002 After 15 stormy years operating and maintaining the MBTA's commuter rail system, Amtrak will not compete for another contract, officials said yesterday, arguing that new requirements would put the national railroad in jeopardy of violating federal laws, the Boston Globe reported. The new five-year contract offered by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority would require the winning bidder to shoulder liability for passenger injury and equipment damage, as well as the cost of utilities, putting Amtrak "in real danger" of violating laws that prohibit the agency from subsidizing commuter services, Amtrak president David L. Gunn said in a letter to T officials. |
| Seattle Commuter Rail (Sounder) |
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| Sound Transit’s rush-hour trains operate Monday through Friday in the peak direction. There are four morning trips between Tacoma and Seattle northbound with stops in Sumner, Auburn, Puyallup, Kent, Tukwila, and at Seattle's King Street station. In addition, there are two morning trips between Everett, Edmonds and Seattle southbound. In the afternoon there are four trips from Seattle southbound to Tacoma serving all stations, and two trips northbound from Seattle to Edmonds and Everett. Train riders traveling between Everett and Seattle can also take advantage of the RailPlus Program by using their monthly pass on select Amtrak trips. Amenities on Sounder include worktables and computer plug-ins, fully accessible restrooms in each car and cup holders. Ride Sounder to the Seahawks, Mariners baseball, and more. |
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Our HAND TOOL WebSite is intended in aiding you to locate HAND TOOL suppliers. You may search by product or by manufacturer. We add both products and manufacturers, so keep checking back. | In addition we are a full service MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Operational Supplies) supplier. If you are in the construction or farming business, we are your source. |
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FRANCE: NICE WILL OPEN TRAMWAY LINE 2 in YEAR 2016!
In a surprise move, Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi changed his mind about running Line 2 up the Promenade des Anglais and instead went with a plan that provides an 8.6 kilometer "tram/metro" with 3.6 kilometers below ground. It will cost €'450,000,000 and carry 110,000 - 140,000 daily passengers. It will run between Gare de Riquier and new? Gare Multimodal Saint-Augustin. Boulevard Rene Cassin / Avenue Californie at the Champion/Carrefour food market has a tramway in its future. Fifty-three years after the closure of the Tramway de Nice et du Littoral, the Tramway de Nice began to serve its Northern and Eastern sections. 2007 saw the completion of Line 1 serving the North-South needs of the city. Line 2 now addresses the East-West needs. This WebSite will be updated continuously until completion of Line 2 in Year 2016. |
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| Food Distributor for organic and natural products. Wholesale distribution throughout North America. We are a broker for organic and natural products. We specialize in locating organic products you sometimes can't get from your local distributors. We set you up with a relationship with a supplier. Our ORGANIC FOOD WebSite is not everything we can get, just a robust sample. |
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Greenland's ice caps are melting! Find out more about Global Warming at our Ominous Ecology WebSite. |
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Lots of problems in mid-2006 in Boston with collapsing highway tunnels
on the newly-completed "Big Dig".
Add to it a commuter rail system that is on its knees. When the MBTA awarded the commuter rail contract to connex/bombardier in 2003 they said they'd provide far better service than Amtrak. Well they rigged the contract w/ penalties so Amtrak wouldnt bid it. They also failed to mention that Connex (which now goes under the name Veolia) was stripped of its franchise agreement with British Rail one week before they got the MBTA contract. Why, do you ask? Financial malfeasance, poor service, fatalities,etc.... What do we have here w/these jokers running the service: 1.approx. 30 LOCOMOTIVES OUT OF SERVICE 2.APPROX. 80-90 coaches oout of service 3.LOTS OF COACHES W/NO A.C. What a treat!. The only people getting hurt by this contract are the riders and workers. Amtrak wasn't great but at least they had parts in stock to repair equipment. A couple of weeks ago engine 1055 had an hep-turbo fire in the Kingston facility...thank god no one was hurt....$50, 000 dollars for a new Cummins hep motor... Hope Boston can survive these people 2 more years. Key network figures: The Boston area system had been Amtrak's most profitable regional rail network. Fifth largest network in the United States after the three New York region networks (Long Island, Metro North and New Jersey) and the Chicago network. 146,000 passengers a day. 1,042 kilometers of lines. 89 trains 13 destinations 130 stations served 462 departures a day 1,600 employees Connex, the majority partner in the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company (MBCR) consortium, was selected by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) to manage the commuter train network serving the Boston area for five years, beginning on July 1, 2003. This is the first rail network managed by Connex in North America and the first in the United States to be outsourced to a private-sector company. MBCR is the result of a partnership of three leaders in the transportation sector: Connex North America, Bombardier and Alternate Concepts, Inc. MBCR is 60%-owned by Connex's American subsidiary, 20%-owned by the Canadian train manufacturer Bombardier and 20%-owned by the Boston-based transportation firm Alternate Concepts. MBCR stated it would be offering passengers innovative, professional and safe service based on its recognized experience in rail transportation. The contract represents an opportunity for them to demonstrate their strengths and competitive advantages in rail network operation to MBTA, as well as to other cities in the United States. Their permanent objective is to satisfy both passengers and the employees. |
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Victoria Station was a restaurant, not a railroad station. Other railroad-related restaurants in Connecticut: Yankee Silversmith Inn / Restaurant has the "Silversmith Parlour Car", an old coach or dining car which serves as part of the dining room. Right on Rt 5 in Wallingford, off the Wilbur Cross Pkwy. The car at the Yankee Silversmith restaurant in Wallingford CT was originally a Philadelphia & Reading coach. It later was purchased by the Belfast & Moosehead Lake, and from there it came to Wallingford I think during the 1960s. Pizzaworks in Old Saybrook is housed in the former Saybrook freight house (relocated slightly from a different track alignment years ago). They have trains running around and part of the old canopy/platform visible inside. Amtrak station is about 20 feet north of the restaurant and the platforms 20 feet south. Trains go flying by at nearly 100 mph. In Cromwell CT there is a seasonal ice cream stand in an ex Amtrak, exx PC, exxx PRR steel caboose, no number available. Find out more on the train stations (and former stations) of Connecticut. |
| Caltrain (San Francisco) |
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Click on map For full size |
| Caltrain is a commuter rail line on the San Francisco Peninsula and the Santa Clara Valley. It is currently operated under contract by Amtrak and funded jointly by City and County of San Francisco, San Mateo County Transit District, and Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority through Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board. Caltrain's northern terminus is in eastern San Francisco, California, at 4th and King streets, and its southern terminus is in Gilroy, California. Hourly train service is provided year-round, with more frequent service provided during normal weekdays commute hours. As of 2005, Caltrain has 29 regular stops, one football-only stop (Stanford Stadium), and two weekend-only stops (Broadway and Atherton). Weekday ridership in February 2006 was 32,031 boardings. |
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Railroads On The Rebound |
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Over the last 50+ years, railroads have changed a lot. Now they are about to change again.
It is all about a combination of economic factors and climate factors. Since 1950 , railroads have consolidated. Freight moved from a "box car mentality" to a "unit train,mentality". Passenger went from a robust business to a "caretaker" arrangement called AMTRAK. This happened as everybody could drive for free on the Interstate Highway System or fly on an airline system where the government subsidized both airlines and airports. In the meantime, railroad express and railroad post offices went "down the tubes". The old Post Office Department and the Railway Express Agency could not adjust to the new way. UPS and Fex Ex could. |
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Carbon Calculator
What's the most environmentally-friendly way to transport goods? The answer is freight rail. The EPA estimates that every ton-mile of freight that moves by rail instead of by highway reduces greenhouse emissions by two-thirds. But what does that really mean? Our easy-to-use carbon calculator will estimate the amount of carbon dioxide that can be prevented from entering our environment just by using freight rail instead of trucks. We'll even tell you how many seedlings you'd need to plant to have the same effect. |
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| Garbage Trucks |
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April, 2006
A bill gaining momentum in the New York State Assembly would allow Metro-North Railroad to expand its authority in Connecticut beyond the New Haven Line. If the bill passes as expected, the Connecticut Department of Transportation could use Metro-North as an operator for the Shore Line East Railroad and future commuter lines, including one proposed for New Haven to Hartford, state officials said. Sources with knowledge of the bill said it would better connect all the state's commuter railroads after new cars are delivered in 2009. DOT officials, who last week signed a contract extension with Shore Line East operator Amtrak through June 2007, said the New York bill doesn't guarantee anything about future ownership of rail in Connecticut. Connecticut lawmakers pass-ed a similar bill last year, but Connecticut's authority is dependent on New York because Metro-North is owned by New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority,. The bill is spurred by Amtrak's tenuous financial situation. The Bush administration has been threatening to cut federal subsidies to the national long-distance railroad. In 1968, Connecticut and New York reached a deal allowing New York to operate a railroad between Grand Central Terminal and New Haven. Connecticut agreed to fund two-thirds of the rail line, which became the New Haven Line after Metro-North assumed authority in 1983. Amtrak has operated Shore Line East under an agreement with the DOT since the service started in 1990. The two railroads have separate ticket windows and schedules, so a single operator would simplify things for commuters. |
