The Debut of Maryland's Weekend MARC Commuter Rail Service

In this video, RAIL Magazine Editor Rich Sampson reports on the debut of Maryland's weekend MARC commuter rail service from New Carrollton, Md. Rich was on site as the first southbound MARC train from Baltimore – train #675 – arrived in New Carrollton on its journey to Washington's Union Station.

Maryland is supporting the new weekend trips on the Penn Line – 9 trains on Saturdays and 6 on Sundays, with a handful of those continuing past Baltimore to Martin Airport – through investment approved by the Maryland Legislature earlier this year and signed into law by Governor Martin O'Malley. The same investment stream will also ultimately support two new light-rail systems in Maryland: the Red Line in the Baltimore region and the Purple Line in the suburban Washington region, which will also serve New Carrollton as its eastern terminus.

Maryland residents had been clamoring for weekend MARC service for years. Although Amtrak offers relatively frequent service on the route as part of its Northeast Corridor operations, ticket prices can be expensive for a local commute, one that only serves two stations between Baltimore and Washington (BWI Rail Station and New Carrollton) compared to the nine stops served by the Penn Line.

Additional weekend service on MARC's larger network – the Brunswick and Camden lines – is unlikely given that those routes are owned by CSX Transportation and host plenty of freight traffic on weekend days. The same is true for the Virginia Railway Express' (VRE) Fredericksburg and Manassas lines in neighboring Virginia, although the later of those is instead owned by Norfolk Southern. Other visions of more closely linking the Washington region's two commuter rail networks remain conceptual, at best.

In early 2014, two new additional passenger rail operations are set to make their debuts as well: the first DC Streetcar on H Street in the District of Columbia and the Silver Line Metrorail corridor in Fairfax County, Va. Stay tuned to RAIL Magazine (web, Twitter) for reports on these exciting new options in the new year!

From The Field: Videos from Rail Sites Across the Country

This post marks the addition of a new element to this space: inclusion of video segments taken by RAIL Magazine staff during trips across the nation, and beyond. This summer, I was particularly busy visiting a slew of places around the nation. During most of these trips, I was able to shoot a quick video, sharing the scene in images with some basic narration. We hope you enjoy these quick looks at rail stations, facilities and services in communities of all kinds, and stay tuned for more...

Atmore, Ala.

Bemidji, Minn. Union Station 

International Falls, Minn. 

Duluth, Minn. Union Depot 

DC Streetcar Testing & Commissioning Facility Open House

DC Streetcar Interior

DC Streetcar In Motion

Winchester, Va.'s 1893 B&O Depot

Winchester & Western Railroad, Gore, Va. 

MARC Brunswick Line Departing Rockville, Md. 

RAIL Podcast: Napa Valley Wine Train's Anthony Giaccio

Last month, I spoke with Anthony Giacco, CEO & CFO of the Napa Valley Wine Train, which operates high-quality dinner train trips through the heart of California's most prestigious wine-producing region. The Wine Train recently debuted its Grappa Power Car, which provides head-end power to trains to maintain electric power as diesel locomotives are changed from one end of the train to the other – essential to a service where continuous power can make a difference in the quality of food and wine. Click here to see the full process of creating the Grappa Power car.

Click here to listen to the full podcast with Mr. Giacco.

Named Trains: #18 – Alouette

#18 – Alouette

Railroad(s): Boston & Maine 

Operated: ? – 1965

Route(s): Montreal – Boston

Surprisingly, we're nearly halfway through our list and have only had one train named after an animal (the Little Bear) and none named after a bird, in particular. Considering than animals of all kinds – but especially birds (Falcons, Eagles, Cardinals, Larks of various kinds) – were exceedingly common in train names throughout history, this had to change. Well, technically, the Alouette is a lark in french, which serves as nice background for a train serving Montreal since the French folk song of the same name carries special significance in Quebec. The city's Canadian Football League team is even known as the Alouettes. The Boston & Maine aptly captured the cultural relevance of the region while also signifying the graceful nature of the train itself.

NOTE: the Boston & Maine is also the first railroad to appear twice on this list besides Amtrak.

#19 – Coast Starlight
#20 – Broadway Limited
#21 – Scout
#22 – Gulf Coast Rebel
#23 – Acadian
#24 – Azalean
#25 – Mark Twain Zephyr
#26 – Little Bear
#27 – Land O'Corn
#28 – Minute Man
#29 – Fast Mail
#30 – Lake Shore Limited

#31 – Comet

Named Trains: #19 – Coast Starlight

#19 – Coast Starlight

Railroad(s): Amtrak

Operated: 1971 – present

Route(s): Seattle – Los Angeles

While previous train titles included on this list have reinforced concepts such as speed, grandeur and history, the first named train on this list germane to Amtrak highlights a different notion: spectral wonder. Of course, it's not quite accurate to credit Amtrak solely with the Coast Starlight moniker, as the Southern Pacific operated its own Coast Daylight as well as separate Starlight trips – with its iconic red, orange and black color scheme – on most of the same route plied by Amtrak's version from 1937 until the formation of Amtrak in 1971. Regardless of who gets ultimate credit or which temporal period is more distinctive, the name calls to mind the remarkable vistas illuminated either by daylight or twilight along the Pacific shores. Amtrak's 1,300-plus mile trip may not exactly be speedy, but its routinely noted as possessing among the best customer service and scenery in the entire national network. For those reasons, the delightfully-named Coast Starlight seems poised to deliver the same coastal views to travelers between the West Coast's largest metropolitan regions as other similarly-titled trains have done for three quarters of a century.

#20 – Broadway Limited
#21 – Scout
#22 – Gulf Coast Rebel
#23 – Acadian
#24 – Azalean
#25 – Mark Twain Zephyr
#26 – Little Bear
#27 – Land O'Corn
#28 – Minute Man
#29 – Fast Mail
#30 – Lake Shore Limited

#31 – Comet

Named Trains: #20 – Broadway Limited

#20 – Broadway Limited

Railroad(s): Pennsylvania, Amtrak 

Operated: 1912 - 1971; 1971 - 1995

Route(s): New York – Chicago

In the last post, we discussed the lack of true transcontinental routes, and that trains from Chicago to the West Coast were often branded as "transcontinentals" although they never came close to the East Coast. The counterparts of these trains were those traveling from the Eastern Seaboard to Chicago, which fed passengers in both directions to the western "transcontinentals." One of the most notable of these East Coast-to-Chicago runs was the signature train of the Pennsylvania Railroad, The Broadway Limited. As a direct competitor to one of the most famous named trains of all time – the New York Central's 20th Century Limited – the Broadway Limited utilized the Pennsylvania's mainline route through its namesake state's mountains and river valleys, but was not an express trip like the 20th Century, despite their shared Limited titles. This was rather odd since that although the Broadway Limited made a handful of stops, the only non-terminal major cities served at a downtown station were Pittsburgh and Harrisburg, bypassing nearby Cleveland, Columbus and Indianapolis in favor of places like Crestline, Lima and Ft. Wayne. Although the train did pass through the Philadelphia region, it stopped at North Philadelphia rather than the city's iconic 30th Street Station to reduce travel time. Also of note: while the train's name might seem to be an obvious reference to Manhattan's famous entertainment thoroughfare, the railroad actually intended it as a implicit nod to its own "broad way," the four-track mainline through most of Pennsylvania – infrastructure it believed to be superior to the Central's Water Level Route through upstate New York (see #30 on this list, the Lake Shore Limited for more on the Water Level Route). However, the Broadway Limited never beat the 20th Century's top 20-hour trip time, but did match it with the introduction of streamliner equipment in 1938.

After Amtrak assumed operation's of the nation's intercity passenger rail network in 1971, the system continued uninterupted service of the Broadway Limited on the same route until 1990, when Norfolk Southern – which had acquired much of the Pennsylvania's network from Conrail – abandoned portions of the route west of Pittsburg. Amtrak then shifted the train to the former Baltimore & Ohio route between Pittsburg and Chicago, but cut back the line to Pittsburgh in 1995 due to redundancy with the Capitol Limited and Lake Shore Limited routes – an ultimate insult to the Broadway Limited's legacy as a competitor to both trains. Although Amtrak briefly restored Chicago – Pittsburgh service with the Three Rivers until 2005, when the portion west of Pittsburg was cancelled and Pittsburg – New York trains replaced with the Pennsylvanian, which still connects with the Capitol Limited in Pittsburg today.

#21 – Scout
#22 – Gulf Coast Rebel
#23 – Acadian
#24 – Azalean
#25 – Mark Twain Zephyr
#26 – Little Bear
#27 – Land O'Corn
#28 – Minute Man
#29 – Fast Mail
#30 – Lake Shore Limited
#31 – Comet

Named Trains: #21 – Scout

#21 – Scout

Railroad(s): Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe 

Operated: 1916 – 1948

Route(s): Chicago – Los Angeles

As the first quasi-transcontinental route on our list (in actuality, true transcontinental passenger rail trips ever ran from the Atlantic to the Pacific, most only spanning from Chicago to the West Coast), the Scout is also the first in the AT&SF's (more commonly known as the Santa Fe) exceptional legacy in naming their passenger trains. Bearing the designators of trains #1 and #10 in the Santa Fe until the streamliner era, it could be argued the Scout was the railroad's flagship train for the bulk of the first half of the 20th Century. It made the roughly 2200-mile trip in 58 hours, 35 minutes heading eastbound, although Amtrak's Southwest Chief is scheduled to complete the journey on a similar (but not identical route) in under 48 hours when it's on time – a rare instance of a contemporary intercity train besting its historical counterpart on schedule. Nonetheless, the Scout brand is noteworthy – evoking a Southwestern explorer identity (see beautiful artwork above) that was less effacing to Native American peoples through the Southwest, a problem the railroad created with some of its other named trains.

#22 – Gulf Coast Rebel
#23 – Acadian
#24 – Azalean
#25 – Mark Twain Zephyr
#26 – Little Bear
#27 – Land O'Corn
#28 – Minute Man
#29 – Fast Mail
#30 – Lake Shore Limited
#31 – Comet

Named Trains: #22 – Gulf Coast Rebel

#22 – Gulf Coast Rebel

Railroad(s): Gulf, Mobile & Ohio

Operated: 1940 – 1958

Route(s): St. Louis – Mobile

Continuing our track of named trains through the South, the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio's signature streamliner evokes the history of the region without becoming overtly antagonistic to Civil War-era contraversies. Although the railroad operated other routes branded with the Rebel marker, the Gulf Coast version traveled its main route through nearly the railroad's entire territory. Although the train didn't survive the end of the streamliner era, the Gulf Coast Rebel nonetheless deserves a spot on this list for its strong regional identity and flagship status on the GM&O.

#23 – Acadian
#24 – Azalean
#25 – Mark Twain Zephyr
#26 – Little Bear
#27 – Land O'Corn
#28 – Minute Man
#29 – Fast Mail
#30 – Lake Shore Limited
#31 – Comet

Named Trains: #23 – Acadian

#23 – Acadian

Railroad(s): Southern Pacific 

Operated: ?-1956 

Route(s): New Orleans – Houston

Following one A-titled train running glamorously through the Deep South is another. The most interesting thing about the Acadian name is it could have potentially been applied to two different regions: the Atlantic Maritimes and the Louisiana Delta area. The dual regions are the result of the ancestry of French Acadians, who settled first the Maritime region in what's now Eastern Canada and Maine, and another sect who traveled as far as Louisiana and ultimately became Cajuns. This ancestral identity makes for a distinctive, authentic brand for both areas, one that was ultimately incorporated by the Southern Pacific on overnight trains traveling through the Bayou between New Orleans and Houston.

#24 – Azalean
#25 – Mark Twain Zephyr
#26 – Little Bear
#27 – Land O'Corn
#28 – Minute Man
#29 – Fast Mail
#30 – Lake Shore Limited
#31 – Comet

Named Trains: #24 – Azalean

#24 – Azalean 

Railroad(s): Louisville & Nashville

Operated: ?

Route(s): Cincinnati – New Orleans

So far, our discussion of named trains has largely focused on trains with markers denoting a combination of speed, reliability and regional identity. And while the Louisville & Nashville's iconic Azalean was certainly not a slow rolling trip – it completed its 922-mile run in 25 hours and five minutes – its colorful brand points to a different set of attributes: refinement, wonder and charm, an ideal blend of elements for a route primarily traveling through the American South. Passing through a fair number of large cities – including both of its host railroad's namesakes – the Azalean was the L&N's signature north-south train and was billed as the finest way to journey in the deep South, known for outstanding customer service and top-notch amenities.

#25 – Mark Twain Zephyr
#26 – Little Bear
#27 – Land O'Corn
#28 – Minute Man
#29 – Fast Mail
#30 – Lake Shore Limited
#31 – Comet

Named Trains: #25 – Mark Twain Zephyr

#25 – Mark Twain Zephyr

Railroad(s): Chicago, Burlington & Quincy 

Operated: 1935 – 1960

Route(s): St. Louis – Burlington

Like the Comet and Land O'Corn trains previously described in this series, the CB&Q – more commonly known as The Burlington Route, which ultimately became the Burlington Northern, part of today's BNSF – deployed streamlined trainsets on the Mark Twain Zephyr, which offered faster, more reliable service. Named for the route's territory along the banks of the Mississippi River where one of the nation's most famous writers was born and raised, the Zephyr's short, regional service paired well with Twain's iconic characters and settings. The streamlined trainsets cruised through the roughly 215-mile corridor in about 2 1/2 hours, much quicker than local roadways can get you there even today. The Mark Twain Zephyr name faded with the retirement of the streamlined equipment and service was gradually cutback on the route as the railroad discontinued its passenger operations through the 1960s.

#26 – Little Bear
#27 – Land O'Corn
#28 – Minute Man
#29 – Fast Mail
#30 – Lake Shore Limited
#31 – Comet

Named Trains: #26 – Little Bear

#26 – Little Bear

Railroad(s): Ontario Northland

Operated: ? – 2007

Route(s): Cochrane – Moosonee, Ontario

In the 29th selection on this list – Fast Mail – we discussed the relative rarity of mixed passenger and freight trains. And while the not-long-since-departed Little Bear no longer shuttles people and goods on its remote route from Moosonee on the shores of the Hudson Bay to the plains outpost at Cochrane, this mixed train's designation playfully captured its unique dual-use nature and the rugged terrain through which it traveled. Operated by the quasi-public, provincially-owned Ontario Northland, the Little Bear hauled both freight and passengers three times a week during the winter months on the railroad's spur line from Moosonee to its mainline route at Cochrane, where passengers could connect to Northlander trains to points south, including North Bay and Toronto. In 2007, the Little Bear reached adulthood, when it became the Polar Bear Express, operating five days per week in the winter and six times each week during the summer, but no longer carrying freight on the same trips as passengers. Sadly, all passenger rail service on the railroad ended in the fall of 2012, but the Little Bear's legacy remains as perhaps the most ideally-named mixed train of all time.

#27 – Land O'Corn
#28 – Minute Man
#29 – Fast Mail
#30 – Lake Shore Limited
#31 – Comet

Named Trains: #27 – Land O'Corn

#27 – Land O'Corn

Railroad(s): Illinois Central

Operated: 1941 – 1967

Route(s): Chicago – Waterloo, Iowa

The Land O'Corn is a fantastic train name because it precisely describes the service's route while also evoking a strong sense of regional identity. Any causal observer would likely guess such a train would travel through the Midwest, probably through the cornfields of somewhere like Iowa or Nebraska. Such a guess would be correct. The Illinois Central – whose legacy of well-named trains will be documented later in this series – utilized streamlined, self-propelled Metrorailer trainsets on the line during its World War II and post-war tenure and completed the 275-mile trip in 5.5 hours. Amtrak later operated a different train over much of the same route known as the Black Hawk since the service was largely funded by Illinois, not Iowa. Currently, Illinois is working to return intercity passenger rail to the corridor, which is expected to begin in 2015. A name for the restored service has yet to be determined...

#28 – Minute Man
#29 – Fast Mail
#30 – Lake Shore Limited
#31 – Comet

Named Trains: #28 – Minute Man

#28 – Minute Man

Railroad(s): Boston & Maine; Amtrak

Operated: unspecified; 1972 – 1973; 1973 – 1995

Route(s): Boston – Troy (ME); Boston – Philadelphia; Boston – Washington

Another entry from New England, the Minute Man is a perfect reflection of the region's patriotic heritage as well as an embodiment of the train's speed and precision suggested by the moniker. During its Boston & Maine days, the Minute Man operated through the heart of the railroad's territory through Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine, and the company's overall slogan was "the Route of the Minute Man." Near the end of the railroad's era, Minute Man Service was provided under contract to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) as a commuter rail operation between Boston and Concord, N.H. Currently, plans are moving forward to re-launch service on the route after the line was curtailed at Lowell, Mass., in the early 1980s.

Amtrak's use of the namesake corresponded with trains operating on its Northeast Corridor during the Metroliner era. Although Minute Man iconography is closely associated with New England in general and Massachusetts, in particular, Amtrak figured the colonial legacy of the Corridor states was enough to adapt the entire region.

#29 – Fast Mail
#30 – Lake Shore Limited
#31 – Comet

Named Trains: #29 – Fast Mail

#29 – Fast Mail

Railroad(s): Chicago & North Western; Great Northern; Milwaukee Road; 

Michigan Central; New York Central

Operated: various

Route(s): Cedar Rapids – Chicago; Seattle – Minneapolis; Chicago – Minneapolis; 

New York – Chicago; Chicago – Toledo; New York – Detroit

Generally, this list will chronicle named trains assigned to moving people. Except for this one. The allure of a named train assigned to move goods was too hard to resist. Moreover, the Community Transportation Association of America – which publishes RAIL Magazine – thinks enough of the Fast Mail moniker to use it as the title for its electronic newsletters that we couldn't help but include it. And, besides, express mail often was treated with the same regard as passengers during the height of the rail industry's national prominence. Five different railroads operated Fast Mail trains delivering express mail between terminals at great speed and reliability. Fast Mail runs were known to nearly always make their scheduled times due to the importance of their largest customer: the United States Postal Service. All of them traveled through the Midwest, with all but one serving Chicago, and some trains occasionally carried passengers. While Amtrak does still carry express mail and package shipments, it has never devoted stand-alone trains to express mail service and is even less likely to these days, with printed mail traffic dropping every year due to electronic communications.

Named Trains: #30 – Lake Shore Limited

#30 – Lake Shore Limited

Railroad(s): New York Central; Amtrak

Operated: 1897 – 1956; 1975 – present

Route(s): New York / Boston – Chicago

As the first named train in our series to be both employed by multiple railroads as well as still operating today, the Lake Shore Limited is a natural choice for our list for its blend of descriptive phraseology and historic import. As readers of this space and RAIL Magazine know, your blogger possesses an admitted bias for the legacy of the New York Central. Growing up in Buffalo, N.Y., remnants of the railroad's grandeur and prominence were omnipresent in Western New York, from the hulking remains of Buffalo Central Terminal (relevant RAIL Coverage: RAIL #21) to numerous overpasses and neighborhood stations still emblazoned with the company's signature ovular logo. As a result, I believe the Central to be the finest railroad that ever was anywhere in the world. No one will ever convince me otherwise. So there.

Accordingly, its first luxury named train must find a spot on this list. The Central designated the Lake Shore Limited as its fastest train along its mainline route between New York City and Chicago and took advantage of its shoreline-hugging rails along the Hudson River, Erie Canal and the Great Lakes – a direct challenge to its chief rival, the Pennsylvania Railroad. And befitting its Limited status, it only made select stops to winnow the schedule down to 18 hours. Today, Amtrak operates its version of the Lake Shore Limited largely along the same route as its predecessor, but has trouble making its longer 20-hour schedule with any regularity thanks to freight congestion along the line. Nonetheless, a trip along the same route as one of the world's first premier passenger trains is an opportunity not to be missed.

Named Trains: #31 – Comet

#31 – Comet

Railroad(s): New York, New Haven & Hartford 

Operated: 1935 – 1942

Route: Boston – Providence 

Yesterday, we introduced our Month of Named Trains throughout August and mentioned the Comet name as a versatile, yet intriguing choice for any passenger rail service. And, indeed, the moniker has served as a descriptor for railroads across North America since the dawn of the industry in the early 1800s. In this case, the New Haven's Comet is the only one that used the term as a stand-alone title for a train. The New Haven's Comet operated largely in commuter-oriented service between Boston and Providence utilizing custom-made, three-car streamlined trainsets that corresponded with their snazzy "44 miles in 44 minutes" marketing campaign. The sleek blue-and-white motif corresponded well with the Comet name, illustrating themes of speed, wonder and brilliance. Although the three-car trainsets ultimately proved too small for traffic demand during the World War II years, the New Haven's Comet is a stylish and welcome point to begin our monthlong tour of named trains.

August: A Month of Named Trains

Since passenger rail news can slow from a rapid creek to a meandering dribble this time of year, we'll keep you well-hydrated with a new post for every day in August by counting down RAIL Magazine's top 31 named trains throughout North American history. We don't have a precise metric for determining our picks, but will attempt to provide some rationale for each selection. You'll also notice a cumulative list of the previous picks at the bottom of each post.

So, stay tuned starting tomorrow for the list. In the meantime, let's have a quick refresher on named trains. I originally opined on the subject in this post back in 2010, and much of my thoughts on the matter remain the same today. But let's just dig into one element of modern train names that is becoming problematic: overuse of inherently descriptive names like Express, Limited or Special without that train actually serving its namesake role.

For instance, an Express is a train that inherently skips many or all intermediate stops between its terminals in order to provide a more expeditious trip. And yet, many commuter rail systems – Virginia Railway Express, Altamont Commuter Express, Trinity Railway Express, New Mexico Rail Runner Express – use the designation even though hardly any of their trips operate in express mode. Less abused is the Limited marker, indicating that the train only makes limited stops on its route. But still Amtrak's Capitol, Lake Shore and Sunset limiteds skip nary a stop on their various treks. Lastly, a Special indicates an irregular, non-repeating trip arranged for a specific event or period. Fortunately, no scheduled rail services in North America currently promote Special trains as part of their permanent schedules.

So, what then are creative types marketing a new or prospective passenger rail service supposed to use if not for these circumstantial titles? Here's a quick list of iconic, yet generic descriptors that can be paired with a local or regional designation to create a perfect named train:

Arrow

Cannonball

Challenger

City of ____

Clipper

Comet

Dart

Eagle

Flyer

Hawk

Mercury

Meteor

Rocket

Service

Star

Traveler

Wind

Zephyr

Lastly, Wikipedia has a very useful compilation of named trains from around the world for your reference.

Passenger Rail in Minnesota

More than three years ago when this blog was inaugurated, the initial posts focused on aspects of present and future passenger rail services and projects in California. That was due to my travel to that state – along with RAIL Magazine Editor-in-Chief Scott Bogren – for the 2010 edition of Community Transportation Magazine where we profiled transit systems across the Golden State.

In just over two weeks' time, Scott and I again will travel throughout a state visiting mobility providers – this time it will be the land of one thousand lakes: Minnesota.

In my post on the most promising regions for passenger rail over the next decade, I listed the Twin Cities at the peak position of that projection. In addition, we've discussed Minneapolis' Hiawatha line light rail, North Star commuter rail and the Saint Paul Union Depot in past editions of RAIL.

While passenger rail in the context of rail transit in the Twin Cities region indeed appears to be on solid footing, intercity rail in the larger state is less a sure thing. Currently, Amtrak's daily – and often-delayed – Empire Builder between Chicago and Seattle/Portland is the only scheduled intercity rail service in Minnesota. Although the Empire Builder has some of the highest customer service ratings in the entire Amtrak network, it arrives at Midway Station – appropriately named for its location in-between Saint Paul and Minneapolis, but hardly convenient for most of the region's population – on its westbound trek late at night, not particularly ideal for regular, reliable travel. Moreover, the train pauses for about 45 minutes in each direction to refuel and change crews, another obstacle to a robust rail corridor.

And yet, despite the state's current paucity of intercity passenger rail options, there are several encouraging projects that could transform Minnesota's ability to connect communities via passenger trains. In particular, the Zip Rail corridor – between the Twin Cities and Rochester – and the Northern Lights Express, which would link Minneapolis-St Paul with Duluth are about at the same stage of development and could connect the bulk of the state's population via frequent and reliable passenger rail service.

Zip Rail

Despite its status as the largest metropolitan area in Minnesota outside the Twin Cities region with more than 200,000 residents, the Rochester, Minn., area does not benefit from great transportation connections along the roughly 90-mile route to Minneapolis-St Paul. No direct rail lines connect the two regions and although the state's Highway 52 doesn't yet experience great congestion, it is not built to Interstate Highway levels (limited-access, grade-separated, etc). The populations of both regions are expected to grow over coming decades, requiring improved mobility connections between them.

Accordingly, Zip Rail – a coordinated effort of the Olmstead County Regional Rail Authority, the Minnesota Department of Transportation and the Federal Railroad Administration – is studying how best to institute high-capacity rail service within the corridor. The state has identified the route as a Priority 1 corridor, placing at the front of the list for state support and investment.

Current studies have focused on high-speed rail service – at speeds between 150 and 220 miles per hour – utilizing dedicated infrastructure and vehicles as the best fit for the corridor to compete with auto and air travel, while also potentially serving as the first phase of a larger high-speed rail network connecting other Midwestern destinations such as Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison and Des Moines. State transportation officials have long identified a high-speed rail link to Chicago as one of their top long-term goals, but leaders in neighboring Iowa and Wisconsin have been hesitant at best and reticent at worst to expand intercity passenger rail options in their states.

In the meantime, Minnesota could initiate high-speed rail service between the Twin Cities and Rochester – serving intrastate traffic initially – while waiting for Iowa and Wisconsin to become more comfortable with similar projects, or alternatively work with Illinois – one of the most passenger-rail friendly states in the nation – to advance the Twin Cities – Chicago corridor without the involvement of Iowa and Wisconsin, even though such a service would have to travel through at least one of those states.

As it stands today, Minnesota recently conducted a series of public meetings along the Zip Rail route in advance of the Tier I Environmental Impact Study (EIS) – a prerequisite for any large infrastructure project to move forward. A service development plan is also expected to be completed in conjunction with the EIS by the end of 2014.

Northern Lights Express

Seeking to link the Twin Cities with Minnesota's third-largest metropolitan area is the 155-mile Northern Lights Express service. While the project would likely use conventional rail equipment rather than high-speed rail infrastructure as proposed for Zip Rail, the operation will still focus on frequent trips and 110-mph service to spur $2 billion in development and encourage more than 13,000 jobs along the corridor.

The project – Joint Powers Board with participation from six counties, numerous cities and the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe – begin in 2007 and is currently undertaking engineering and design work supported by federal and state investment that is expected to be completed in 2015. Trains on the corridor would utilize existing BNSF Railway tracks between Duluth and The Interchange intermodal facility currently under construction in downtown Minneapolis, along with three additional on-line stations in Hinckley, Cambridge and Coon Rapids.

Stay tuned for additional Potomac Express posts – as well as tweets from @RAILMag and @CTMag1 – next week for reports from the field as RAIL Magazine travels across Minnesota...

Blaming Amtrak for Insufficient Rural Service Misses the Mark

photo by the author near Superior, Iowa

On Tuesday, the Daily Yonder – a well-meaning news source focusing on the needs of America's rural communities – posted an article criticizing Amtrak for not doing enough to serve rural areas (RAIL Magazine addressed the topic in this article). While there's no doubt that writer C.B. Hall's heart was in the right place in describing the ongoing struggle of several rural communities to restore or initiate long-distance rail service, the piece spends far too much of its time blaming Amtrak for a larger problem that it can do little to resolve on its own.

Initially, Hall spends several paragraphs describing how intercity bus carriers – most notably Greyhound – have drastically reduced service to rural America, as well as how reductions in the federally-supported Essential Air Service (EAS) program have also limited access to other rural communities, but then fails to commend Amtrak for maintaining service to scores of smaller urban and rural areas and instead focuses on the post-Katrina suspension of the Sunset Limited between Orlando and New Orleans. Hall notes that the economics of bus and air options are working against rural areas, but seems to believe Amtrak does not face the same constraints. It's typical of media coverage that places a higher standard on Amtrak than any other form of passenger transport, evidenced as Hall goes on to ask, "the U.S. freight rail system is a model of efficient transportation perhaps unmatched on the planet – so why not passenger trains, too?"

photo by the author in Atmore, Ala., former stop on the Sunset Limited

Certainly, Amtrak could be working harder to restore the eastern segment of the Sunset Limited, although Hall's only evidence of a grand Amtrak conspiracy on the matter dates to 2006. I would have liked more time spent looking into what kind of investment CSX is asking for in order to restart the service, or why no pressure has been brought to bear by state or local leaders in the region. The railroad could also make it easier for communities like Rockwood, Pa., to add stations on existing routes. 

But Hall's overall tone comes across as as another Amtrak basher – albeit perhaps an unwitting one – that is not far removed in rhetoric from that of former House of Representatives Transportation & Infrastructure Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.), who has routinely called the increasingly-profitable railroad a "Soviet-style operation." Amtrak has been the lone holdout in the passenger transportation sector that continues to serve rural communities as well as they did before. Hall gives Greyhound and EAS a pass due to economic factors, but laments Amtrak for not doing more when they're constantly under assault by political officials who want to eliminate their investment streams altogether. 

Instead, Hall's piece would have been better served by focusing on the true impediments to improved Amtrak service: the many conservative lawmakers – many in the U.S. House of Representatives – who continually threaten to end federal support and have blocked any new federal passenger rail investment for the past four years. New investment could have helped restore the full Sunset Limited route and add stations in places such as Rockwood. The article could have also highlighted how Amtrak has successfully worked with a number of states and elected officials in both parties – Virginia, North Carolina, Illinois, California Oregon, Washington, among others – to add new service when sufficient state investment is provided. The problem isn't that Amtrak doesn't have $3.1 million to build Rockwood a station – it's that no state or local leaders have taken up the cause to deliver the needed funding. Amtrak would be rolling again between Orlando and New Orleans if there were leaders in Florida, Alabama and Mississippi willing to get behind the effort. Their silence is deafening on the matter. Meanwhile, places like Virginia and Illinois go on working with Amtrak to not only maintain their current service and add new train trips, including service to smaller urban and rural communities.

It's too bad the Daily Yonder and Hall used their opportunity to discuss passenger rail in rural communities to focus on making the perfect the enemy of the good. Hall bemoans Amtrak for not being Babe Ruth to rural America while it has been a perfectly acceptable Joe DiMaggio, all the while soft-peddling the Black Sox-like treatment of rural communities by other forms of passenger travel. 

The Case for Improved Passenger Rail in Upstate South Carolina

Among urban regions along the eastern seaboard, the upstate South Carolina region – primarily defined by the Greenville-Spartanburg metropolitan corridor – doesn't receive much attention. Its downstate counterparts of Charlestown and Columbia benefit from larger profiles, both nationally and regionally. And even those cities are dwarfed by the larger metropolises in the southeast, Atlanta and Charlotte. But with their combined metropolitan populations of more than 1.1 million residents, Greenville and Spartanburg combine to form an activity zone larger then either Charlestown or Columbia on their own.

Moreover, the roughly 30-mile Greenville-Spartanburg corridor features the sort of solid and growing density that suggests the need for greater intra-corridor mobility. A handful of smaller cities, communities, villages and towns along the route – such as Saxon, Arcadia, Wellford, Lyman, Duncan, Greer, Taylors and Wade Hamptons – are connected by two parallel rail lines that could host frequent and reliable passenger rail service. And while the entire Charlotte–Atlanta corridor – of which Greenville-Spartanburg lies at the heart – is primed for improved intercity rail service, let's spend some time here just looking at this key upstate corridor for now and save the larger span for another day.

Map created via Google Maps; click here to view in Google Maps

Currently, the only scheduled passenger rail service between Spartanburg and Greenville is Amtrak's daily Crescent trains between New York and New Orleans which travels over Norfolk Southern's Piedmont Division line (depicted by the blue line in the map above). While the Crescent might work for some long-distance travelers, it makes the 41-minute trip between the two cities in the very early morning on the southbound trip and very late at night on its northbound counterpart (view the PDF schedule here), hardly convenient for riders looking to travel within the corridor. Greyhound also operates several daily trips in both directions at more convenient times than the Crescent. Still, for a region of more than 1.1 million people, only a handful of options to link its two largest communities is insufficient, let alone the absence of service two destinations like Greer and Duncan within the corridor.Norfolk Southern's 31-mile line – which the railroad classifies under its Charlotte and Greenville districts on the Piedmont Division – would be the more natural facility over which a regional rail service to operate through the corridor. Given that the line already hosts the Crescent, and that the railroad is seen as slightly more amenable to new passenger rail operations than its competitor, CSX, the path to initiating such a service would be less challenging than CSX's parallel Spartanburg Subdivision route. Nonetheless, both routes navigate through the heart of the metropolitan area and are fine examples of well-maintained rail infrastructure which can and do host regular train speeds at 79 mph.

To be clear, there currently aren't any active plans for rail service in the corridor. The South Carolina State Rail Plan – last updated in 2008 – references a 1999 study by Wilbur Smith Associates for the Greenville County Planning Commission and the Spartanburg County Planning Department entitled Greenville/Spartanburg Area Commuter Rail Feasibility, which is not available online. Elsewhere, an internet group discussed the topic that same year, while the former 11.3-mile Greenville & Northern Railway between Greenville and Traveller's Rest was acquired by public entities in 2006 and is currently in use as a rail-trail and could ultimately be converted for rail transit service in the future. In the meantime, state and local trends in South Carolina suggest there is unlikely to be a groundswell of political will to support improved passenger rail options in the state anytime soon. And even if there were, an agreement with either Norfolk Southern or CSX to operate service over their respective lines would not be easy to come by. However, attitudes of political officials, community leaders and the public at large towards passenger rail have changed rapidly elsewhere in the recent past, in places like Arizona, New Mexico, North Carolina and Virginia. With the Greenville-Spartanburg corridor's strong population density and economic growth patterns, it's hardly inconceivable to think that a similar attitudinal transportation could happen here, as well...

The Most Promising North American Rail Regions Over the Next Decade

In the waning hours of 2012, I posted an assessment of the 10 most exciting developments expected this year in passenger rail across North America. That, combined with my trip last December for the launch of Amtrak service to Norfolk, has led me to ponder recently where might be the most exciting regions and corridors for new passenger rail in North America over the coming decade.

First, a few historical caveats are required. Many cities and regions already have dynamic and exhilarating passenger rail networks, and most of them will be enhancing and expanding those options over this same period. The legacy rail cities with multiple, interconnected modes (Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Toronto, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Chicago, New Orleans and San Francisco) will at the same time be strengthening their existing systems to achieve good repair status as well as opening new extensions.

In the metropolitan areas that introduced new operations – mostly heavy rail metros – in the second half of the past century (Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Montreal, Atlanta, Miami, the Bay Area, Vancouver and Mexico City), maintenance of the current service will be the priority, although new light-rail and streetcar projects will be incorporated to add additional capacity as local circulators. New commuter and regional rail lines may also emerge in these regions.

The least degree of momentum is likely to affect the wave of communities that were the first adopters of light-rail networks during the late 1970s and early 1980s: Edmonton, San Diego, Calgary, Buffalo, St. Louis, Monterrey and Guadalajara. San Diego has largely built-out its light-rail system to the greatest extent possible considering geographic constraints and is now awaiting a connection to California's planned high-speed rail network. In Alberta, although both Calgary and Edmonton have or will expand their light-rail operations with new lines and stations, but don't seem to be considering additional rail modes (related RAIL coverage), although a high-speed rail link between the two regions is occasionally mentioned. Buffalo has never been inclined to add to its single 6.4-mile line given Western New York's massive population losses, although I discussed recent momentum on that front in this post. Lastly, economic conditions and a lack of political consensus doesn't bode well for growth of the MetroLink network in the St. Louis region, although a new streetcar project in the city itself is currently moving forward. Meanwhile, in Mexico, little resources have been available at all levels of government over the past several decades to support expansions of light-rail systems in both Monterrey and Guadalajara.

If I were writing this post a decade ago – and with the benefit of hindsight – the choices for most promising regions would have been obvious: the second wave of light-rail cities that massively expanded their networks over the past 10 years – Portland, Los Angeles, Dallas, Denver and Sacramento. The nation's largest light-rail systems all belong to this group, and have all added additional rail components ranging from streetcars to commuter rail and intercity routes to their local mobility mix over that same time period. And while all these communities will likely add new elements to their rail travel portfolios during the next decade, these are all also places where the value of passenger rail is now ingrained in the community.

So, where are the next hotspots for passenger rail options to become a lively and integrated aspect of community progress and pride? Here's my thoughts (in descending order):

10) A Tie?

The lowest spot here belongs to a half-dozen or so areas where rail could see a larger role in coming years, but momentum is presently tenuous and details unclear. Take Kansas City, where a new streetcar project has been approved by local voters, but will have limited impact beyond its initial 2.2-mile route on Main Street in the city's downtown (follow @kclightrail on Twitter for fantastic coverage of this project). The same is true in Cincinnati, where a similar project should also begin construction this year, but has always faced stiff opposition by some (and vocal) elements of the community. Oklahoma City seems poised to also jump aboard the streetcar bandwagon – as well as potentially expanding the popular Amtrak Heartland Flyer route that terminates there to places such as Tulsa, Wichita and Kansas City – but funding has yet to be secured for either effort. The Austin-San Antonio region has the most potential of this set of metropolitan areas – and Austin's Capital Metrorail is gradually growing its ridership – but decisions on a regional rail service and local light-rail and streetcar options always seem to be put off until later (related RAIL coverage). The same seems to be true for the largest cities in Tennessee: Memphis has its sturdy trolley network and Nashville its Music City Star commuter rail line (related RAIL coverage), but little has emerged to leverage those operations into a more cohesive presence for passenger rail in either place, let alone an obvious intercity connection between them. Also worthy of some attention is perhaps a growing interest in passenger rail in Mexico, where the first of several planned commuter rail lines serving Mexico City opened in 2008, while the federal government recently accounted plans to launch several high-speed rail routes (related RAIL coverage). Any or all of these communities could conceivably become the next rail trendsetter over the next decade, or just as easily stick with the status quo.

9) Detroit-Dearborn-Ann Arbor

Really? After relegating all these regions to wait-and-see status, you list the Detroit region as more promising than those?

Well, yeah. And here's why: there's no doubt that passenger rail projects in Detroit have all met a disappointing end over the past half-century. Sure, the elevated People Mover is there, but it never has played a meaningful role in the city's mobility patterns and was even shut down for a period a few years ago, and the 2.9-mile loop only carries 2.5 percent of its 288,000 potential daily capacity on a regular basis. Moreover, a light-rail project on the city's Woodward Avenue was cut back from 9.3 miles to a 3.3-mile streetcar circulator service, dubbed M-1 Rail.

Still, construction is scheduled to begin on M-1 Rail this year, and the state of Michigan is leading efforts to both improve Amtrak's Wolverine service to Chicago and initiate commuter rail between Detroit and Ann Arbor after agreeing to purchase the entire rail corridor from Kalamazoo to Dearborn from Norfolk Southern (see this post for more information). Additionally, local leaders in and around Ann Arbor are advancing the WALLY commuter rail project, which would launch commuter rial between Ann Arbor and Howell. The range and diversity of projects under various stages of planning and execution – along with bipartisan support ranging from Governor Rick Snyder to local mayors and county executives – suggests new perspectives towards passenger rail options are being cultivated in southeastern Michigan.

8) Orlando / Central Florida

Similar to Detroit and its surroundings, Orlando has long been a location of many passenger rail dreams, but little achievement. Multiple light-rail, commuter rail and even monorail and maglev proposals have come and gone, and the cancellation of the Tampa-Orlando high-speed rail project in 2010 served as the zenith of the region's struggles to install relevant rail options. But shortly after the high-speed rail project met its demise, the same governor who abandoned it ultimately approved the regional SunRail service, which is now under construction and will open its first phase for service in 2014 (related RAIL coverage). Already, the route is drawing substantial development interest around its station locations.

Additionally, the Florida East Coast Railroad's All Aboard Florida effort moves closer to reality each day, with the railroad and governmental entities recently agreeing to lease right-of-way alongside the Beeline Expressway to connect Orlando International Airport with Florida East Coast's existing freight line at Cocoa. When fully implemented, All Aboard Florida is expected to provide hourly service between Orlando and Miami on three hour trips, competing with increasingly-congested highways.

Other rail operations are also a possibility. The Florida Department of Transportation is expected to commission a study this spring on the Orange Blossom Express, a 36-mile regional route from Orlando to Eustis over the Florida Central Railroad. Meanwhile, the Georgia-based company American Maglev is investigating a potential $315 million maglev line between Orlando International Airport and the Orange County Convention Center. While these projects are theoretical – at best – at this point, the burgeoning list of projects points to a growing rail appetite in central Florida.

Image Credit: Ottawa Light Rail

7) Ottawa

Positioned between Canada's two largest cities – Montreal and Toronto – the nation's capital will begin construction on its first full-fledged light-rail route this year. The 12.5-kilometer, 13-station Confederation Line (related RAIL coverage) will link the existing O-Train regional rail line at Bayview through a downtown subway tunnel with the city's intercity VIA Rail station, which offers multiple daily trips to both Toronto and Montreal. The service will bring direct rail transit service to the downtown of Canada's fourth-largest city, and improve mobility in the nation's most densely-population region. The Confederation Line will utilize the right-of-way of the city's existing busway, which is already operating above capacity.

Image credit: Sound Transit

6) Puget Sound

For a long time, I considered Seattle among the type of cities listed in number 10 above: many rail transit proposals, little progress in implementing them. Although Sounder commuter rail to Tacoma and Everett offered solid regional connectivity, and Amtrak's Cascades service linking Seattle to Vancouver, Portland and Eugene has long been among the nation's most well-conceived routes, the opening of the 15.6-mile Central Link light-rail in 2009 along with the Seattle Streetcar to Lake Union in 2007 has transformed the image of rail transit in the Puget Sound region.

Already, construction on the University Link extension is underway to reach Capitol Hill and the University of Washington by 2016. Likewise, the East Link will link downtown Seattle with Mercer Island, Bellevue and Overlake, with construction beginning in 2015. Moreover, as many as five additional streetcar routes have also been proposed throughout the city.

Elsewhere, Sounder service was recently extended south from Tacoma to Lakewood, as a former freight rail line has been upgraded to accommodate the new service, and avoid the windy, single-tracked BNSF Port Defiance route. The enhancement will also improve travel times and reliability for Cascades trains between Tacoma and Portland. Lastly, extensions are being studied for the 1.6-mile Tacoma Link  light-rail line, which opened in 2003, including a possible connecting with Central Link at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

Map credit: Arizona Rail Passenger Association

5) Phoenix-Tucson

Not unlike Seattle, passenger rail in Arizona's largest cities has taken a while to come together. Various proposals were met with resistance from state and local officials and denials at the voting booth. In 2008, the 20-mile Valley Metro Light Rail opened, connecting Phoenix, Tempe and Mesa. Ridership has far exceeded expectations, and a slew of expansions are in the works (related RAIL coverage).

Meanwhile, in Tucson, the Sun Link Modern Streetcar is currently under construction and is expected to open for service later this year (related RAIL coverage). The 3.9-mile route will link downtown Tucson and the University of Arizona campus. Substantial transit-oriented development projects are in the works in conjunction with streetcar stops.

With local rail transit options progressing rapidly in both metropolitan areas, the Arizona Department of Transportation is currently exploring a regional rail service to connect both communities. Such an operation would likely resemble similar systems in the Mountain West, Utah's FrontRunner linking Ogden, Salt Lake City and Provo and the New Mexico Rail Runner Express, which spans Santa Fe, Albuquerque and Belen (related RAIL coverage). Other commuter-oriented routes in and around Phoenix will also be considered as part of the study.

Image credit: Triangle Transit

4) Research Triangle

To me, the above rendering of Triangle Transit's planned light rail and commuter rail routes serving downtown Durham speaks strongly of the potential of these emerging rail markets (related RAIL coverage). Already, the core cities of the Research Triangle region – Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill – already benefit from intercity rail connectivity between the area and North Carolina's largest city, Charlotte, via Amtrak's Carolinian and Piedmont routes, both supported by the state.

Light rail would connect all three cities, while regional commuter rail would broaden the reach of the network. In fall 2012, voters in both Orange and Durham counties approved sales tax levies to support construction of the 17-mile route that will link Chapel Hill and Durham. The region is still waiting on action from Raleigh County leaders to allow a sales tax referendum there, but the city of Raleigh is advancing plans for a new Union Station to support future light-rail and commuter rail service as well as Amtrak's intercity trains.

Tide light rail and Amtrak (middle-right) trains on opening day of Amtrak service

3) Hampton Roads

As I mentioned in the intro, my most recent visit to Norfolk convinced me of the steadily growing importance of passenger rail in the Hampton Roads / Tidewater region. In less than a year, Norfolk has gone from no passenger rail options of any kind to both its vibrant 7.4-mile Tide light-rail line and Amtrak Northeast Regional service to Richmond, Washington, D.C. and Boston.

Image credit: BeyondDC

In the next few years, it's likely that additional Amtrak trains that currently terminate in Richmond will be extended to Norfolk as additional capacity improvements are completed on Norfolk Southern's route between Norfolk and Petersburg, while Virginia Beach explores whether the Tide route will be extended from its current endpoint at the Norfolk city line at Newtown Road along the same right-of-way, which was recently purchased by the city of Virginia Beach. Additional Tide expansions are possible elsewhere in Norfolk, as well as reaching neighboring cities in Hampton Roads, such as Portsmouth and Chesapeake (related RAIL coverage):

2) Charlotte

North Carolina earns another top spot on this list through the strong efforts of its largest city, as Charlotte has spent the past half-decade reintegrating rail transit through its LYNX light-rail route. The 9.6-mile line opened in 2007, and is drawing national acclaim for its strong ridership growth and TOD projects. Former mayor Pat McCrory – a leading champion of the LYNX project – has now ascended to governor, and is expected to continue his strong support of passenger rail and transit, while current mayor Anthony Foxx was recently nominated by President Obama to succeed Ray LaHood as the next Secretary of Transportation.

Based on the success of the initial LYNX segment, a 9.5-mile northeasterly extension of the route will break ground this year to link the current terminus at 7th Street in Uptown Charlotte with the University of North Carolina – Charlotte by 2017. Also, currently under construction is the first segment of the Central City Corridor, a 9.9-mile streetcar line running east-west through the city of Charlotte and connecting with LYNX in Uptown. Also envisioned in the future is the 25-mile Red Line commuter rail to connect Charlotte with Huntersville, Cornelius and Davidson, along with an additional 6.4 mile streetcar line to Charlotte-Douglas International Airport. A new intermodal facility to connect LNYX, streetcars, commuter rail, Amtrak intercity trains and eventual high-speed rail is also under consideration.

Image credit: Zip Rail

1) Twin Cities

One of the common archetypes of the passenger rail renaissance over the past half century has been the trend of a metropolitan area or region – where an initial project met strong resistance – suddenly is transformed to a magnet for new lines and services, and communities and neighborhoods are lining-up to benefit from the next expansion. Such was the case in places like Portland, Denver and Denver, and more recently in Charlotte and Norfolk. This notion is most readily apparent in Minneapolis - St. Paul.

For years, the only passenger train rolling through the Twin Cities was Amtrak's daily Empire Builder between Chicago and Seattle/Portland. Then the 12.3-mile Hiawatha light-rail line (related RAIL coverage) opened in 2004 between downtown Minneapolis, Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport and the Mall of America in Bloomington. The Northstar commuter rail service followed in 2009 (related RAIL coverage), spanning a 40-mile corridor between Minneapolis and Big Lake. And now, the Central Corridor light-rail project is nearing completion between St. Paul and Minneapolis, which will terminate at the former city's recently-restored Union Depot (related RAIL coverage: "Fresh Passenger Rail Approaches").

As many as six light-rail and commuter rail corridors have been envisioned to form a comprehensive regional rail transit network, with the Southwest corridor to Eden Prairie currently receiving the highest priority. Minneapolis is planning to compliment the historic St. Paul Union Depot with its own intermodal facility dubbed The Interchange, which is currently under construction and will open in 2014. New intercity routes such as the Northern Lights Express to Duluth and Zip Rail (fantastic website) to Rochester are also at various stages of planning and outreach, while the state explores options to link the Twin Cities with Chicago with high-speed rail, either going through the rail-adverse Wisconsin or around it.