As a shining example of flawed passenger rail policy in the United States, one only needs to look as far as Texas, the 3rd largest state in the Union in terms of population with several of the nation's largest cities only hours from eachother. Most Texas cities lack passenger rail service to one another. If service is provided through the beleagured nationalized passenger railroad, Amtrak, its either at at some ungodly hour in the morning or one train day.
Lets first look where we do have service.
TEX-DAL-FTW-AUS-SA - 1 train a day, roundtrip.
HOU-SA-EP - 3 times a week, overnight
FTW-OKC - 1 train a day, roundtrip.
The only line that provides decent, comfortable, and competitive service is the Heartland Flyer from FTW to OKC through some bizarre funding mechanism provided by OKDOT and TXDOT. This service should be a great example for future service in Texas and frequency should be increased. Although high speed would be great, fater travel times mean nothing if we don't have muliple departures serving all types of people.
Here is my proposal ON EXISTING TRACKS, with service to all major cities.
LAR - SA - AUS - FTW - OKC - 3 trains a day, all roundtrip, 2 daylight
OKC - FTW - DAL - A&M - HOU - 3 trains a day, all roundtrip, all daylight
TEX - DAL - FTW - AUS - SA - RGV - 2 trains a day, all roundtrip
HOU - VIC - CC - RGV - 1 train a day, roundtrip
HOU - SA - EP - 2 trains a day, roundtrip, including one overnight
HOU - DAL - FTW - LBK - AMR - 1 train a day, round trip
DAL - FTW - LBK - EP - 1 train a day, roundtrip
This proposed system serves the entire state with the triangle (DFW-SA-HOU) seeing 10 trains a day with the highest frequency routes serving DAL-HOU and FTW - SA.
But I suppose I'm only dreaming. Finding a taxpayer supported funding source, dealing with opposing frieght rail carriers, and building up our urban transit systems to stregthen the service would proove difficult if not impossible.
Any ideas?:)
I agree that getting intercity train service to that level will be difficult but it is completely short of impossible. As planners, we must embrace sparking the grassroots campaigns and initiating the discussions that will, in a few decades, lead to tangible systems.
ReplyDeleteI believe that there is no way we can get adequate intercity passenger rail service with out TxDot leading the effort with capital and political clout. That said, it would take a fundamental shift inside TxDot to not only focus on passenger rail over building new roads but also to market the idea to a public that is not familiar with using and will likely resent the capital costs of passenger rail. When it comes to infrastructure projects I believe that the terms "pork","earmark" or "wasteful spending" are often applied unfairly. We can not flourish economically if we do not have an adequate transportation network.
On the topic of economic development, with our economy becoming increasingly based on global systems, Texas faces increased competition to retain and attract corporations. A cheap and efficient transportation network is absolutely vital and, frankly, is something many of our competitors already have. With increasing petroleum scarcity and stalls in the R and D of new fuel sources, relying on the automobile as our primary means of transportation to distances close and far is not the answer. I suggest using a bike for distances up to four miles, car for distances up to 50 miles where there is no transit option, passenger rail between 50-700 miles and air travel for 700 miles +. These are all selling points to the public because increased service is unlikely without voter approved bonds.
For an example take Amtrak California, acting during the fuel shortages in the 1970s Caltrans decided to improve passenger rail through direct funding. After voter approved bonds, Caltrans now owns most all locomotives and coaches and contracts the service out to Amtrak. The routes on Amtrak California are fragmented and serve communters within Northern and Southern California rather than connecting the two regions. The lessons learned from Caltrans is the meathods they used to secure a decent budget, the marketing they used to the public, the regional rail connections and their use of motorcoaches on less traveled routes so that those roots are more feasible and thus still in existance.
I think you have a good frequency and the routes picked are the most direct an feasible. Poor Midland/Odessa... The only way this will be a possibility in the future is if we start now to change minds in the state legislature and challenge the status quo within TxDot.