Comments on: Congressional Group Recommends Restoration Of Gulf Coast Amtrak Service

By: billy

billy — Sat, 22 Jul 2017 05:10:55 +0000

waste of money

By: David Huie Green

David Huie Green — Thu, 20 Jul 2017 21:48:32 +0000

REGARDING:
“Obviously you have never ridden the train!”

I have ridden a few in Europe. They were nice, but they made sense over there where the people are squeezed together and many were using the service.
(Plus you get to meet the most interesting people when trapped with hundreds of strangers.)

AND
“I now live in Alabama and will gladly drive down to ATMORE to catch the train south and maybe even to New Orleans every now and then.”

“Every now and then” is the problem. Everybody has to be paid all the time not just every now and then. I don’t want to take money from others just to finance what I like every now and then.

David for taking pity on others

By: Ex atmore

Ex atmore — Thu, 20 Jul 2017 07:37:57 +0000

RE: hum on July 19th, 2017 10:40 am
Lets make Atmore a place people want to spend time in on their way to New Orleans and Orlando. I can see local businesses profit from this. If people know it is available, they will use it.

Ain’t a thing in Atmore to attract. Nothing but grave diggers. Dead city. Wasted money for ding it there. So glad to be out of it finally

By: Sam

Sam — Wed, 19 Jul 2017 18:29:47 +0000

A waste of taxpayer money. Didnt work before, still won’t.

By: Amtrak Rider

Amtrak Rider — Wed, 19 Jul 2017 16:56:04 +0000

I’ve ridden Amtrak several times across the Mid-West. But, the train doesn’t go from depot to depot like you think. You do get off, take a bus to a depot and catch it again. Or get off and wait in the lobby for another train going your direction. Tracks are not everywhere like highways. It is worth it to see areas of nature you never see in an auto. The dining cars make it a better time to spend with family, friends or other passengers. Play cards and board games while you get a bite to eat. You don’t get this in an auto. I’m sure it takes thousands of riders to justify having this train in service daily. The times I have ridden, the cars were only half full. But those states may can afford to keep the service going. Check it out – Chicago to Los Angeles (train is the Southwest Chief) So I flew to visit relatives in Missouri and took the train from there. It’s about a 24 hour ride including bus rides too. I’m for having Amtrak service here. But if the money and time needed to make this a success isn’t there, then it will just be a temporary rail service. To see the beautiful areas on the Southwest Chief – go to http://www.amtrak.com and choose your destination. The train begins in Chicago – Chicago to Los Angeles. You have many selections of seating and lounging to choose from. For a less expensive ride you can choose St. Louis Missouri to Los Angeles or any stop in between Chicago to Los Angeles. Hope you all get to experience this beautiful way of transportation.

By: Honest John

Honest John — Wed, 19 Jul 2017 16:09:12 +0000

There is a nice one day train trip in Cordele, GA. Inexpensive SAM short line, runs from Cordele to Plains with a nice stop over in Americus, GA.
I believe there is a short train ride in Birmingham, AL.also.

By: hum

hum — Wed, 19 Jul 2017 15:40:18 +0000

Lets make Atmore a place people want to spend time in on their way to New Orleans and Orlando. I can see local businesses profit from this. If people know it is available, they will use it.

By: Jim

Jim — Wed, 19 Jul 2017 14:25:34 +0000

@Nana: Are you willing to cough up whatever it takes to nurse this endeavor along when it fails to be self-sustaining? Are you saying we should take on another publically supported flop for the sake of your “childhood memories”? “Train Nut” is right on the money. If you want to wax nostalgic, there are plenty of short-run train rides available at tourist destinations around the country. Take a road trip and enjoy one of these, but don’t add this burden to my already overblown tax bill because you have fond memories of a childhood train ride.

By: Train Nut

Train Nut — Wed, 19 Jul 2017 14:11:28 +0000

Katrina wasn’t the reason, it was the last straw. This route failed because of declining ridership. No one wanted to be as much as a day late to their destination. No one wants to ride a bus because the train can’t make it on time. If they do reinstate the route there not fixing the problems. Main problem The Amtrak route borrows the tracks from CSX which primarily runs freight. Trains break down, Amtrak can’t easily get around them. This happens more often then you might think. Since the area between Mobile, AL, Pensacola and Tallahassee is single track, Passenger trains have to mix in with freight traffic which often and easily gets backed up. It is cost prohibitive to double track this area. They can’t make the fare cheap enough to deal with the delays. This is why it failed. This is why it will fail again.

By: Biff

Biff — Wed, 19 Jul 2017 13:30:25 +0000

In neworleans where the trai station is smack dap in the middle of the hood. Do you want to sit and wait for a train that is natouriuose for being late at 9 o’clock at night or in Biloxi where you are in a little one room building waiting for a train till midnight I did it for over a year . and this is what the taxpayers pay for sounds a lot like the 4 cent a gallon tax for a bus system 10 people use .I am tired of paying for corporations to exspand the business and using a good for the public excause if they want to expand them let them pay for it .