Living Car Free - 2009 National Train Day

On Saturday May 9, 2009 is National Train Day. There will be events celebrating the train all over the country. Here is the links for more information and specific information on an event location near you:

General Information
http://www.nationaltrainday.com/2009/ (http://www.nationaltrainday.com/2009/)

Specific Event Locations
http://www.nationaltrainday.com/2009/events (http://www.nationaltrainday.com/2009/events)

Too bad I am in a wasteland of no RR...closest event is over 3 hours away...closest Amtrak is 2:notamused:

Aaron:)

i just returned from SoCal.

ride bike from Monterey to Salinas
Amtrak bus, Salinas to San Luis Obispo
Amtrak Train (Pacific Surfliner) SLO to Ventura
$38

Oxnard to Union Station Station (LA) for $17

ride bike from LA to Malibu, camp at Leo Carillo State Park Beach $3 for bike camping
continue Malibu to Ventura

Oxnard to San Luis Obispo on Pacific Surfliner
San Luis Obispo to Salinas on Amtrak Train
ride bike from Salinas to Monterey
$40

For me, it's National Train day every day of the week. LOL!

It's unfortunate, the carfree movement doesn't promote rail transport as a replacement for the car. If it's mentioned at all, it's only a passing comment and that's all. However for those of us who have chosen rail transport as a way of life, the ease of becoming carfree has never been easier. Employment, shopping and entertainment all happen along a railroad stop. I have to say it's far easier to become carfree if you have either a subway, commuter rail, lightrail or trolley within blocks of where you live.

for me, it's national train day every day of the week. Lol!

It's unfortunate, the carfree movement doesn't promote rail transport as a replacement for the car. If it's mentioned at all, it's only a passing comment and that's all. However for those of us who have chosen rail transport as a way of life, the ease of becoming carfree has never been easier. Employment, shopping and entertainment all happen along a railroad stop. I have to say it's far easier to become carfree if you have either a subway, commuter rail, lightrail or trolley within blocks of where you live.

+1

For me, it's National Train day every day of the week. LOL!

It's unfortunate, the carfree movement doesn't promote rail transport as a replacement for the car. If it's mentioned at all, it's only a passing comment and that's all. However for those of us who have chosen rail transport as a way of life, the ease of becoming carfree has never been easier. Employment, shopping and entertainment all happen along a railroad stop. I have to say it's far easier to become carfree if you have either a subway, commuter rail, lightrail or trolley within blocks of where you live.

I agree, Steve. Trains and bikes are a great combination.

Trains here are a joke. If I wanted to take a train from Little Rock to Memphis, a 140 mile trip, I'd have to go through Chicago. :(

Trains here are a joke. If I wanted to take a train from Little Rock to Memphis, a 140 mile trip, I'd have to go through Chicago. :(

However, in countries that have set up good rail systems, it much more possible and likely that people will be carfree. Even a good bus system would help.

But I have to agree, living where I do, rail transport is almost out of the question. [Although a new train system to Chicago within the next three years is a distinct possibility.]

Trains here are a joke. If I wanted to take a train from Little Rock to Memphis, a 140 mile trip, I'd have to go through Chicago. :(

How sad! What can we do to change that situation?

Trains here are a joke. If I wanted to take a train from Little Rock to Memphis, a 140 mile trip, I'd have to go through Chicago. :(


How sad! What can we do to change that situation?

Keep beating on the government to stop building more roadways and airports and to spend money on alternates...like passenger rail. Amtrak has been treated like a ******* stepchild for years, they never know from year to year how much funding they are going to get...if any and they are at the beck and call of a congressional oversight committee. They also are supposed to have priority on leased tracks over freight, however they have no recourse if the freight company in question decides to stick them behind a 3 mile long slow moving freight on a single mainline, making them late and throwing the entire schedule out of whack. To me it is amazing they provide as much service as they do. No other form of mass transit takes the kind of abuse that Amtrak does.

Aaron:)

I just got back from the local National Train Day celebration at the Union Station in Los Angeles. I was really impressed at what I saw from the old style steam powered train (still being used) to the ultra modern ones on display. I have photos from this event which I will upload to my Flickr sites as soon as I can. And I will include some teaser ones right here on the Living Car Free forum, though I am not sure if I should start a whole new thread for the photos.

Keep beating on the government to stop building more roadways and airports and to spend money on alternates...like passenger rail. Amtrak has been treated like a ******* stepchild for years, they never know from year to year how much funding they are going to get...if any Aaron:)

Amtrak is not the future of passenger rail in this country and never will be. The service is overpriced, slow (in most states) and under funded, never to compete with air transport. The people who use this service may take it once or twice in a lifetime. In the northeast, it's marketed as a luxury service for the corporate executive.

On the other hand, the future of passenger rail transport in this country is light rail. This slower transport system is revitalizing towns and cities across the nation and has proven to be an economic engine of growth for those willing to make an investment.

Unlike Amtrak, light rail is a way of life for those living near the line. I ride with the same passengers each day as those who use it have become carfree. This is not some luxury train that you take once or twice in your life but a system that you use every day of the week. It becomes an integral part of your life, I kid you not. Light rail is about high density living or even fairly low density but more important, it's about you and your fellow neighbors, liberated from motorcar dependency. When you the line takes you to high paying jobs, good quality schools, beautiful homes, apartments and multiple shopping centers, why would you need to travel at 150 mph on Amtrak?

Keep beating on the government to stop building more roadways and airports and to spend money on alternates...like passenger rail. Amtrak has been treated like a ******* stepchild for years, they never know from year to year how much funding they are going to get...if any and they are at the beck and call of a congressional oversight committee. They also are supposed to have priority on leased tracks over freight, however they have no recourse if the freight company in question decides to stick them behind a 3 mile long slow moving freight on a single mainline, making them late and throwing the entire schedule out of whack. To me it is amazing they provide as much service as they do. No other form of mass transit takes the kind of abuse that Amtrak does.

Aaron:)

Amen!

It looks like the new administration is in favor of passenger rail (http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/700F8F5B9F16BAA0862575B1000AEBFA?OpenDocument). Let's hope they decide to allocate more funds to it than they have so far.

Amtrak is not the future of passenger rail in this country and never will be. The service is overpriced, slow (in most states) and under funded, never to compete with air transport. The people who use this service may take it once or twice in a lifetime. In the northeast, it's marketed as a luxury service for the corporate executive.

On the other hand, the future of passenger rail transport in this country is light rail. This slower transport system is revitalizing towns and cities across the nation and has proven to be an economic engine of growth for those willing to make an investment.

Unlike Amtrak, light rail is a way of life for those living near the line. I ride with the same passengers each day as those who use it have become carfree. This is not some luxury train that you take once or twice in your life but a system that you use every day of the week. It becomes an integral part of your life, I kid you not. Light rail is about high density living or even fairly low density but more important, it's about you and your fellow neighbors, liberated from motorcar dependency. When you the line takes you to high paying jobs, good quality schools, beautiful homes, apartments and multiple shopping centers, why would you need to travel at 150 mph on Amtrak?

You still need long distance passenger rail. No Amtrak isn't perfect, but it could be greatly improved. Amtrak has been raped and pillaged since the day it was founded. It was set up with the intent of dismantling it within a certain number of years, but that didn't happen. It could be much more than it is IF it were funded properly and managed properly. I never said, nor do I believe that Amtrak needs to be high speed. Just getting average speeds up by clearing tracks and building safer grade crossings would be a huge improvement for on time performance. FWIW I used Amtrak on a regular basis between Charleston, SC and Fayetteville, NC for over a year...I just wish I had done it sooner. It was quicker, and cheaper than driving, and for the most part ran on time. And I saw many of the same people on many of my trips.The only severe delay we had was when a freight was blocking the mainline because some idiot had gone around the down gate and had gotten hit. That was only once out of over 90 trips.

Airlines have their own set of problems and are going to go the way of the dinosaur if energy prices spike again. They operate under heavy subsidy and are not particularly profitable. Rail is faster city center to city center. Where you should be able to transfer to light rail to take you to the smaller outlying towns, but it has to be funded and built.

Aaron:)

Amtrak is not the future of passenger rail in this country and never will be. The service is overpriced, slow (in most states) and under funded, never to compete with air transport. The people who use this service may take it once or twice in a lifetime. In the northeast, it's marketed as a luxury service for the corporate executive.

On the other hand, the future of passenger rail transport in this country is light rail. This slower transport system is revitalizing towns and cities across the nation and has proven to be an economic engine of growth for those willing to make an investment.

Unlike Amtrak, light rail is a way of life for those living near the line. I ride with the same passengers each day as those who use it have become carfree. This is not some luxury train that you take once or twice in your life but a system that you use every day of the week. It becomes an integral part of your life, I kid you not. Light rail is about high density living or even fairly low density but more important, it's about you and your fellow neighbors, liberated from motorcar dependency. When you the line takes you to high paying jobs, good quality schools, beautiful homes, apartments and multiple shopping centers, why would you need to travel at 150 mph on Amtrak?
The regular Northeast route out of DC has several levels of service now, the Acela is the luxury one but I don't see the corporate executives on the coach service.

For the MARC trains I see the "way of life" that dahon.steve mentions. There are people who ride together on the same seats everyday, its like a social hour for them.

The local light rail and Amtrak type city to city service seem more like complementary modes of transport. Around here there is this third type of rail service, that shares the freight tracks and travels among several close by cities, Baltimore, Fredrick, Fredricksburg and Manassas only during rush hour. This
third type seems to be geared toward car dependent people who don't want to
drive into the city during rush hour.

...closest Amtrak is 2:notamused:

That's about the same for me. I'm about 30 miles Southeast of Nashville, and the closest Amtrak is in Atlanta. After that it's Memphis, which is no short trip even by car. :notamused:

That's about the same for me. I'm about 30 miles Southeast of Nashville, and the closest Amtrak is in Atlanta. After that it's Memphis, which is no short trip even by car. :notamused:

I am in Central Ohio at the moment and AFAIK Amtrak doesn't even run in Ohio. I live in Central NC and have access to several Amtrak trains by DRIVING:notamused: to several different stations, with the closest being about 19 miles furthest about 50 miles.

Aaron:)

I am in Central Ohio at the moment and AFAIK Amtrak doesn't even run in Ohio. I live in Central NC and have access to several Amtrak trains by DRIVING:notamused: to several different stations, with the closest being about 19 miles furthest about 50 miles.

Aaron:)

While looking for another city/state to call home, I've been amazed at how many places have access to Amtrak. It's frustrating to see that one of the few places nowhere near a station is exactly where I live. :lol:

Unlike Amtrak, light rail is a way of life for those living near the line. I ride with the same passengers each day as those who use it have become carfree. This is not some luxury train that you take once or twice in your life but a system that you use every day of the week. It becomes an integral part of your life, I kid you not. Light rail is about high density living or even fairly low density but more important, it's about you and your fellow neighbors, liberated from motorcar dependency. When you the line takes you to high paying jobs, good quality schools, beautiful homes, apartments and multiple shopping centers, why would you need to travel at 150 mph on Amtrak?

Because light rail isn't much faster than cycling.

To compliment cycling, heavy rail with stops 5-10 miles apart like the various "commuter" rails around NYC are really ideal. I put "commuter" in quotes because in the NYC suburbs these trains run 24/7 and are used for much more than just commuting to work. Amtrak could serve a similar function on all its routes, but mismanagement and poor scheduling keep it from reaching this potential.

Because light rail isn't much faster than cycling.

To compliment cycling, heavy rail with stops 5-10 miles apart like the various "commuter" rails around NYC are really ideal. I put "commuter" in quotes because in the NYC suburbs these trains run 24/7 and are used for much more than just commuting to work. Amtrak could serve a similar function on all its routes, but mismanagement and poor scheduling keep it from reaching this potential.

IMHO the best bet for Amtrak would be do alternate station runs and express between larger cities. IIRC this is the system used in Germany. The locals run every half hour but only stop at every other station the next train stops at the other half of the stations, you are getting one train an hour. You take the local to a major station to get the express to the next largest city. FWIW the Amtrak I was riding last year ( The Palmetto) stops at 3 small towns along the way in SC the late train (the Silver Meteor) doesn't stop at two of them)

Aaron:)

IMHO the best bet for Amtrak would be do alternate station runs and express between larger cities. IIRC this is the system used in Germany. The locals run every half hour but only stop at every other station the next train stops at the other half of the stations, you are getting one train an hour. You take the local to a major station to get the express to the next largest city. FWIW the Amtrak I was riding last year ( The Palmetto) stops at 3 small towns along the way in SC the late train (the Silver Meteor) doesn't stop at two of them)

While that would certainly be more efficient than Amtrak's current operation, it doesn't really help promoting a "car free way of life". People do not and should not travel between larger cities on a daily basis and skipping stops would make for some very long bicycle rides post detraining to reach relatively local destinations.

My response was to Dahon Steve's praise of light rail as a "way of life". He's right that light rail does promote a car free way of life, but IMO it has too much overlap with bicycle ownership which equally solves the "last mile" problem in public transit. Therefore, for bicycle owners solving the "last 5 miles" problem is a better use of resources like the suburban "commuter" trains around NYC which typically come every 30 min on a 24/7 schedule and take 5 minutes to travel between stations situated 5 miles apart. They are very popular with the locals (who typically drive or get driven the "last 5 miles") and are a perfect complement to cycling for a car free way of life.

Light rail is a good compromise for pedestrians on foot, but a properly scheduled "commuter" rail is a much better tool for a cyclist trying to get around on a daily basis and the best way for Amtrak to serve this market would be to simply increase service and reliability of service. The suburban "commuter" rails around NYC do it; So why can't Amtrak (which operates on similar infrastructure)?