NEW ORLEANS — Amtrak will apply for a federal grant that, if approved by the Federal Railroad Administration, would pay for 80% of a study of track and station improvements necessary to extend a section of the New York-New Orleans Crescent between Meridian, Miss., and Fort Worth, Texas.
Nicole Bucich, Amtrak’s vice president of network development, acknowledged the encouragement of federal, state, and local officials, and a Louisiana-led Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement grant application, in announcing the company is partnering with the Southern Rail Commission in applying for a Federal-State Partnership Program grant.
“We are very excited about the extension of the Crescent from Meridian to Dallas; you all have been working on this for a very long time,” Bucich told the group. “We feel this is the catalyst for a lot of work by many people in this community — not just the technical work that’s been done, but tremendous outreach that’s been going on.”
She added that the application “is the first step in determining the feasibility of this concept and the benefits and challenges, including federal funding commitments of expanding Amtrak service to the I-20 route.” Bucich admitted, “This all happened very quickly, but sometimes it’s better when things are not so planned out.”
John Robert Smith, the former mayor of Meridian and Amtrak board of directors chairman who is now chairman of Transportation for America, noted at the meeting that efforts to extend a section of the Crescent over the jointly-owned Kansas City Southern-Norfolk Southern Meridian Speedway have been pursued for decades.
Amtrak did a feasibility study in 2015 that projected favorable financial returns before KCS management blocked consideration of any extension at the time. That changed with Canadian Pacific’s impending merger, in which CP officials indicated their willingness to look at passenger service on the corridor [see “Meeting explores prospects for passenger route …,” Trains News Wire, Nov. 4, 2022]. Amtrak has endorsed CP’s merger with KCS.
The Southern Rail Commission’s active engagement with the FRA, as well as the interest of Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), and Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), played a significant role. In statements, Hyde-Smith expressed appreciation of Amtrak’s involvement and Cassidy said, “This is another example of the Infrastructure and Jobs Act paying off for Louisiana.” Cassidy was one of the few Republicans who voted for the Biden administration’s initiative.
Southern Rail Commission Chairman Knox Ross said, “This has the potential to be the first new Amtrak long-distance service in more than 25 years, and it would come in an area that has long been underserved by passenger rail.” Communities such as Monroe and Ruston, La., have already begun exploring station sites.
In other significant developments at today’s Rail Commission meeting:
— New Orleans’ Louis Armstrong International Airport Authority is using an $8 million Federal Aviation Administration grant to begin ground improvements leading to development of a people-mover system to eventually link the airport with a proposed multi-modal rail station on a New Orleans-Baton Rouge, La., rail route. Amtrak officials recently hosted the airport authority’s director of aviation on a visit to Baltimore’s BWI Rail Station.
— Operating crew qualifications are continuing on Norfolk Southern and CSX Transportation tracks in preparation for initiation of two round-trips between New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama “later this year.” Amtrak Government Affairs Director Todd Stennis told the group seven conductor-engineer crews have been making qualification runs, and there has been extensive safety outreach with law enforcement along the route.
The real issues directly impacting any new trains are actually:
1) Given how Amtrak continues to pay for its self-created disastrous decisions by a neophyte corporate management team that continues to plague sufficient T&E, OBS, and maintenance crews impacting schedules, including the cancellation or short consists, how does this “Dream Team” running Amtrak plan on running any new trains without the stewardship of a competent, experienced Board? Where will the consists and crews come from?
2) The perpetual lack of a full complement of Amtrak Board members with the explicit expertise, as required by Railpax enabling legislation, also handicaps Amtrak management from analyzing the data to competently make a correct decision, as witnessed in reaction to the pandemic. In the case of planning new trains, how wise is it for management to contemplate adding new routes? Instead, would a wiser decision be to direct so-called new equipment and power to increase frequencies on current routes?
However, in respect to the reality of Amtrak’s composition of a severe shortage of Board members with the requisite experience; a corporate management lacking the needed historical perspective and vision to properly plan a viable Amtrak, it sadly appears that Amtrak will again come up short with no check and balance oversight, as it did when failing to expand its maintenance facilities for the new, longer “Acelas.”
LMAO Mr. Smith!! The Hwy Trust Fund has been broke since 2008 Congress has siphoned over $100 Billion dollars from the Treasury to keep it solvent. The Federal fuel tax has not been raised since Bill Clinton was President but your “facts” are your Party line “facts”!
Instead of wasting money on “studies”, simply establish funding for the expanded service from the main Crescent Route to Dallas/Ft Worth. Advanced promotions online and on television would alert the travel market of the imminent new service. The train separated from/added to the New 0rleans section may consist of two sleeping cars, two coaches, a baggage car and a locomotive. With advanced reservations, the deployment of equipment would be adjusted for adequate accommodations.
Highways do not lose money. They are infrastructure paid for by American motorists for the most part.
Approximately 92 percent of Americans over 18 have a driver’s license. Most of them live in households that pay taxes. Ultimately, they pay for the roadways that they use.
According to the CBO, fuel taxes, tolls, and excise taxes on motoring products and services cover approximately 40 to 45% of the cost of building and maintaining the nation’s roadways. The difference is made up from property taxes, sales and use taxes, and transfers from the general fund(s). Nearly everyone pays directly or indirectly these taxes, but upper income people pay a disproportionately higher percentage than lower income people. And this is where the subsidy comes in. Wealthy motorists are subsidizing lower income motorists.
What does this have to do with the amount of money the taxpayers should spend on Amtrak’s money losing long-distance trains. Nothing! The issue is how much the taxpayers should pony up for Amtrak’s long-distance trains, which have never come close to covering their operating expenses let alone the fully allocated costs.
In many states (like Wisconsin) state and federal user fees pay only a portion of maintenance and upgrades for lesser roads (county trunks, town roads and city streets). The large shortfall is made up from property taxes. Property taxes also pay for most snow removal on these roads as well as police patrols.
Highways are subsidized by these funds and federal general fund transfers to cover Highway Trust Fund shortfalls.
Quit tying the national debt to Amtrak when 80% of the Infrastructure bill $$$ is going to Hwys. Plus $800 Bil to Defense; subsidies to oil & gas industry, agribusiness/millionaire farmers; tax cuts to corporations & the rich, etc!
The issue is whether the U.S. taxpayers should spend any more money on Amtrak’s money losing long-distance trains. The other government spends are irrelevant to the issue.
There are lots of steps the government can take to reduce excessive government spending. Amtrak is just one of them. But it has to start somewhere. I cannot think of a better place than Amtrak’s long-distance trains, which have never come close to covering their operating expenses let along their fully allocated costs.
Pouring a little more gasoline on a raging fire is not is not like to be helpful.
So, losing more money on highways is, OK ?
Charles suggestion heads in the right direction but I would change it a little. Keep the Crescent as it is. Then Expend the Carolinan to Atlanta. Thus giving a second Atlanta Charlotte Washington Philadelphia New York Train. Then Add the Birmingham Meridian Jackson Vicksburg Shreveport Dallas Fort Worth train, and Birmingham would also get a second train.
Atlanta to Fort Worth is approximately 850 miles give or take depending on route. If you schedule an 18 1/2 hour time for route (a little over 45.5 MPH average), you could have the train leave Fort Worth at 5:45 AM, Leave Dallas about 6:20 arrive Atlanta at 1:15 (loose hour east/north bound) arrive Charlotte 7:00 and depart at 7:30. The 30 minute used for servicing would be moved to Charlotte, Carolinian Schedule would be adjusted EB by 45 minutes.
Southbound/Westbound Carolinian arrives at 9:00 PM. After servicing would leave at 9:30 arrive Atlanta at 3:30 am Gains an hour WB and arrive in Dallas about 6:PM and Fort Worth about 6:30.
If this would happen and the Louisiana Rail commission was smart they could get a 2 for one. they want a train from New Orleans to Baton Rouge. Why not fill that gap and hook it up with the Dallas Fort Worth extension.
They can time it to use the Fort Worth Departure and arrival times with no problem.
Looking back at old Official Guides their was Never a direct NO Dallas train over the A&A/KCS route and 2 trains via MP route. Time to reestablish this route also.
The Crescent had a full cost loss of $37.8 million in FY22. As of January 31, 2023, the national debt was $31.5 trillion. That works out to an average of $246,000 per household.
Expanding the Crescent will likely result in more losses for Amtrak’s long-distance trains, which for the four years ended FY22 had an operating loss of more than $1.9 billion. On a fully allocated cost basis, the losses probably were around $2.5 billion.
Maybe someday, after Amtrak replaces the current single level LD equipment, and doubles the fleet while they are buying all new stuff, and restores all trains to daily, and keeps the Crescent on-time across the entire route (especially between Atlanta and Meridian), and…if the Crescent is on-time in both directions, NB calls at Meridian @1330 and SB @1615. Why not run a separate connecting train between Meridian and Fort Worth? Also need to consider when the Fort Worth section needs to leave in the morning and arrives in the evening, it’s probably at least 10 hrs by train, so that makes it overnight across LA (like NC and SC are now), so need to run a second train on the opposite schedule if the goal is actually serving passengers in Monroe and Ruston and Shreveport.
I agree with Frank. Make the Sunset and Cardinal daily and add this new train and then we have progress!
Make the Sunset and Cardinal daily before adding any service.
Gee, no kidding, Franz. The only countries I know of with less-than-daily passenger trains are USA, Canada and Tanzania.
Alot of ifs for this route to start this year.
1. STB approves the KCS acquisition with it staying on CP.
2. The almost certain law suits by disgruntled RR may put the merger off for awhile. If KCS goes ahead with allowing the start to commence before all lawsuits settled.
3. What happens between Shreveport – Dallas ? Will it be on UP the quicker route ? UP SHE – Marshall would be new track for Amtrak. Then on route of Texas Eagle to Dallas?
4. Would it join Eagle at Marshall ? Times do not match.
5. The potential passenger loads at DAL / FTW are going to be much higher than NOL. Just what will the consists be? IMO maybe 2 coaches, SSL, 1 sleeper, 1 loco, bag dorm to NOL.
5a. How far thru cars go may make a difference.
6. DAL / FTW = baggage, 4 coaches, 2 – 3 sleepers, diner, 2 locos.
3 total locos needed for the hills and dales to maintain schedule if cars go north of ATL.
7. There is a possibility that this train could become in the future an opposite time train ? Daytime north of ATL and night time to Vicksburg?
John Robert Smith, please come back to be Amtrak Chairman of the Board. You were the last good Chairman of the Board that Amtrak had. Amtrak needs your leadership now more than ever.
What would be even better would be two trains: (1) Northeast to Atlanta to Meridian to NoLa. (2) Northeast to Atlanta to Meridian to Dallas. I think we all agree that Atlanta is a big market enough for two trains. If Amtrak were a real railroad.
Until AMTRAK took over Southern’s passenger service in the 1970s, Southern ran both the Crescent and the Piedmont (Washington to Atlanta). In addition, it ran a local to Lynchburg, Virginia, and a tri-weekly between Salsbury and Ashville, North Carolina.
JAMES —- Thanks for the post. My memory is that your post was accurate as of May 1, 1971, but some of these trains were dropped by the time SR threw in the towel and turned over the Crescent to Amtrak several years later.
Your point stands. My correction (above), if I am accurate, doesn’t change the core meaning of what you posted. The corridor clearly needs more than one train.
I rode the Crescent several times in the fall of 1972 and remember the other trains from the timetable and the arrival/departure boards.
You hit the nail on the head, Charles. Two separate trains between the Northeast and the Southwest. 1 New Orleans, 1 Dallas. Nothing less will do.