I suppose there might be a big enough extension market from St Louis / Kansas City to the west, connecting at Denver. Given that that market has not been developed nor any studies done, who could tell?

But if the notion of Amtrak ponying up some cash to get some other route back up to snuff (upgrading to class 4 or 5) as a replacement for the Raton line, has any merit at all; then most certainly, spending those same dollars on maintaining the original route - already up to snuff and already a very successful - would make a hell of lot more sense.

Besides, the announcement did not say BNSF was closing the line, only downgrading it. Given that they are not closing the line, parts of which see very little freight service, one would wonder then, who are they keeping it open for - albeit "downgraded"!

The notion that BNSF intends that trains 3 /4 be rerouted via Amarillo is a bit of a stretch. I doubt that BNSF would permit any passenger traffic on their already choked Amarillo line, even after Abo Canyon is completed. So what are they up to then, downgrading a line below passenger standards but keeping it open for next to zero freight traffic? Simple - as mentioned in my second paragraph - get more money from Amtrak.

But it could be asserted, perhaps rightly, that if the only trains on a given line are Amtrak's, then Amtrak should be paying the full cost of maintenance. I suspect that is what BNSF is really after in any event. BNSF may even want the full capital cost of ownership too, via a line sale to the state or states. Too bad their timing is very very off - being that the states currently have no money, even while the BNSF does.

OPB