Passenger Rail Service to the Mountains

Submitted by usna77 on Wed, 12/16/2009 - 3:00pm

An article in today's Smoky Mountain News brings to the fore again the issue of efficient passenger rail service to Asheville, connected to the existing AMTRAK service at Salisbury.

Passenger rail service makes sense for those of us who live in the mountains.

1. There is no economical way to travel on business from the Asheville area to Raleigh. 8-10 hours per round trip of windshield time is an economic nightmare for small businesses.

2. Highway construction across the mountain ranges is extremely expensive and destructive of the environment.

3. Making existing rail lines safe and convenient for passenger service (reworking grade crossings, upgrading depots, etc.) is basic economic stimulus.

4. 100 people on a train from Asheville headed east is a lot more energy efficient than 100 cars on I-40.

The article clams that Asheville is the most frequently requested location for new AMTRAK service. What are we waiting for, hell to freeze over?

Rail to Asheville?

Submitted by inkwench on Wed, 12/16/2009 - 4:07pm.

I am your basic rail geek, although I've had neither the time nor the money of late.

But anyway, for years I have heard the "more people want rail to Asheville than anywhere else". Not saying it is untrue or just plain wrong, but where did that factoid arise?

And yes, I'd like rail service to Asheville, too.

Rail to Asheville factoid

Submitted by usna77 on Wed, 12/16/2009 - 4:12pm.

I was quoting the SMN article linked to in my diary, which quotes a group called the "WNC Rail Corridor Committee." No doubt that is a self-serving advocacy group with a clear agenda. But since their agenda coincides with mine on this issue, who am I to question the validity of such a claim?

Here's the statement from the SMN article:

According to the WNC Rail Corridor Committee, Asheville is the most frequently requested stop in the country for a new stop on Amtrak, the nation’s largest commuter rail company.

The committee represents the nine locations that are designated as future stops on the rail service from Salisbury to Asheville: Salisbury, Statesville, Hickory, Morganton, Valdese, Marion, Old Fort, Black Mountain and Asheville.

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Be strong enough to carry your own burdens; be compassionate enough to help others carry theirs.

I love rail

Submitted by Apex Rich on Wed, 12/16/2009 - 4:21pm.

I love rail. I grew up in England and remember taking the train to all kinds of places. I'd love to have the opportunity to do that here. The problem is, it takes a lot more than just getting Amtrak out to Asheville to make that a viable course of action. So I have some questions:

  • What will people do once they get off the train in Asheville?
  • What are their other transit options to get to where they need to go?
  • How many of the popular area destinations (business and pleasure) have existing transportation connections to an Asheville rail terminal?

I have only been to Asheville twice so I really don't know. My concern is, as someone who would love to travel by rail, that we could be creating a system that is almost certain to fail, killing any future support for expanded rail projects.

Those same questions...

Submitted by usna77 on Wed, 12/16/2009 - 4:27pm.

...apply to any train depot, or airport, or other mass transit terminal.

Of course, I would be ORIGINATING my travel in Asheville, most likely on a round-trip for business to and from the Triangle area. When I get to Raleigh, I would most likely rent a car.

But your point is well-taken. In addition to the actual movement of trains, there needs to be additional support for "ground transportation" at these depots, similar to the provisions we make at airports.

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Be strong enough to carry your own burdens; be compassionate enough to help others carry theirs.

It is about a system

Submitted by Apex Rich on Wed, 12/16/2009 - 4:33pm.

For me, it isn't about just rail, but like you said, it is about airports and the whole transportation system. We cannot think piecemeal.

When I get to Raleigh, I would most likely rent a car.

While maybe I just have a dim view of people, but I think that the majority of folks won't bother taking the train if they have to rent a car on the other end. If they think they need a car at their destination, unless it is such a long distance that they don't want to drive (in which case they will likely fly) I think most people will just take their own car the whole way. Yes, there are some who don't have car, but you cannot run a successful rail service on that demographic alone.

Just my opinion. Perhaps I am wrong.

Speaking for myself...

Submitted by usna77 on Wed, 12/16/2009 - 4:41pm.

In our small company, when I travel to Raleigh (or anywhere more than about 100 miles away) I rent a car here in Waynesville. Renting is less expensive than paying the IRS reimbursement rate, so the company makes out and I don't put wear-and-tear on my own vehicle.

But when I drive to Raleigh, that's 4-1/2 to 5 hours down of totally non-productive windshield time, a half day or day of meetings or whatever, then 4-1/2 to 5 hours back of totally non-productive windshield time.

If I'm on a passenger train, I can get out my computer or call or even text and actually get some work done, instead of wasting 9-10 hours enjoying the median. If Enterprise or Alamo or someone else has a rental desk with cars available at the depot, I'm on my way. It's no different than flying to Chicago or LA or NYC.

______________________________________________________________________

Be strong enough to carry your own burdens; be compassionate enough to help others carry theirs.

Thanks

Submitted by Apex Rich on Wed, 12/16/2009 - 4:55pm.

Thanks. Being in the Raleigh area the reasons I hear from people that they don't take the train are:

  1. I have to rent a car anyway at the destination so why not drive the whole way?
  2. Driving allows arrival and departure times of my choosing, rail has very limited options in that regard.
  3. The rail station isn't convenient to my ultimate destination or is not easily accessible from my starting point.
  4. A variety of ignorance based excuses like not ever having done it before, not knowing how much luggage you can bring and so on.

These aren't my sentiments, but I have tried to plan trips with friends and co-workers via Amtrak and these are the response I recall.

While it might tempting to dismiss the last one, I think we all recognize that Amtrak marketing is totally ineffective. Obviously it is hard to market limited service, but I believe that support cannot be expected to come about without awareness.

I understand all those reasons or excuses

Submitted by usna77 on Wed, 12/16/2009 - 5:07pm.

1. You're right that AMTRAK is pitiful at selling their service to the public.

2. Rail travel is NOT very convenient for business travel if you're going more than 6 or 8 hours. In Europe, that would be a LONG train trip, while traveling around England/Scotland/Wales or in the Netherlands or even most of France trips are much shorter. In fact, I would fly to Raleigh on business if I could figure out how to do that from Asheville so that it a) doesn't take 6 hours anyway and b) doesn't cost $400 or more round-trip.

3. On the other hand, a couple of years ago I picked up my son in Raleigh, we drove to the small depot in Selma, and took AMTRAK up the coast to Baltimore for the Army-Navy football game. That's about a 6 or 7 hour train ride, very comfortable and relaxing, with taxicabs and other ground transportation readily available at the downtown Baltimore station. One tidbit I learned is that north of DC, the locomotives are electric, so we sat in Union Station for about 30 minutes waiting to switch from the diesel locomotive to electric.

______________________________________________________________________

Be strong enough to carry your own burdens; be compassionate enough to help others carry theirs.

Try a trip to the "Big Easy"

Submitted by Foxtrot on Wed, 12/16/2009 - 6:05pm.

Leaving GBO and going to N'orlins via Amtrak...convenient, economical, fun.

Guessing they still do it.

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“Discussion is an exchange of knowledge; argument is an exchange of ignorance" __ Robert Quillen

..and what to do in Asheville?

Submitted by usna77 on Wed, 12/16/2009 - 4:28pm.

Well...head west and find out!!! Asheville and the surrounding area is FULL of things to do, even on a cold December afternoon!

______________________________________________________________________

Be strong enough to carry your own burdens; be compassionate enough to help others carry theirs.

I keep hearing that a "high" speed train

Submitted by loftT on Wed, 12/16/2009 - 11:02pm.

will be running in NC soon. There was another track completed here between Greensboro and High Point recently that I think I read was to accomodate the passenger rail.

"High" speed wasn't all that high (maybe 90mph?) compared to Japan's high speed but it would still cut travel time significantly.

Progressive Democrats of North Carolina

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Submitted by Foxtrot on Sat, 01/16/2010 - 8:30am.

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Sad. Oh, and what is "rentel"?

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“Discussion is an exchange of knowledge; argument is an exchange of ignorance" __ Robert Quillen

Link disabled, user blocked

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