George Andrews Wrote:
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> Not likely, despite what the Talking Heads in the
> link said. The proposed new routes are only a wish
> list; few will likely happen. Amtrak will have to
> order new equipment to supply any new services, as
> well as new equipment to replace the current fleet
> that averages 35+ years in service.
> I expect only small bits of new service : Making
> The Cardinal & Sunset daily trains, with a Sunset
> link to Orlando. Perhaps reviving the old U.P.
> City of Everywhere service from Chicago West to
> Ogden, where splits would serve The Bay Area, Las
> Vegas / LA, and Portland / Seattle. Maybe then
> reroute Trains 3 & 4 on the BNSF Southern Transcon
> via Amarillo. I don't think reviving the North
> Coast Hiawatha is really worthwhile; maybe spend
> that money on a El Paso / Albuquerque / Denver /
> Cheyenne service instead.

This Scranton proposal that's been out there for a while, and IIRC, New Jersey trains already operate on something like 30 or 40 percent of this proposed route, so the extension and added service is not at all that difficult to implement. Like the Connecticut Valley improvements, it is a new short distance corridor service, that can be brought on quickly, with short distance, frequent "fast" services, into and out of a major congested urban hub, with excellent rail connections to all of the other cities in the NEC.

I would place this Scranton proposal as now much more likely with the provisions in the infrastructure bill, as it would likely have much more actual demand, and thus a higher likely riderhsip, and is certainly more politically "doable", than any of those expectations that I currently have for even a daily Sunset service, anytime soon.