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From: kludge@panix.com (Scott Dorsey)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.fandom
Subject: Re: Independence Day
Date: 22 Jul 2024 12:47:17 -0000
Organization: Former users of Netcom shell (1989-2000)
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D  <nospam@example.net> wrote:
> Kludge writes:
>> Contrast this with my leaving Buffalo NY today much earlier than I would like,
>> because all the Buffalo-to-NYC trains are in the morning in order to
>> accomodate the freight line schedule.... and then wait overnight in NYC
>> because the two daily trains to my hometown are also scheduled to accomodate
>> the freight lines schedule.  The less said about the food the better.
>> Everything had to be scheduled well in advance since the Buffalo-NYC leg
>> fills up completely well beforehand.
>
>I have now contrasted this and come to the conclusion that despite its 
>faults, if things in the US are like you say they are, the swedish trains 
>are way better. Yes, delays and breakdowns, but nothing close to what you 
>describe.

Most of the issue there is because the tracks are privately held and the 
cars and stations are publicly-owned and the organizations don't get 
along well.  So we get issues from both piled on top of one another.

>> In Europe when the trains are filled up they usually just add more cars on
>> and increase capacity for one trip up and one back.  Amtrak does not have
>> enough cars to meet demand as it is, let alone keep spare capacity for
>> demand peaks.  Don't even think about holidays.
>
>I had no idea that the US system was so bad. Once I took the train from NY 
>to Boston in autumn and it was a lovely experience, but it must have been 
>23 years ago. Maybe things worked better then? Or maybe I was just lucky. 
>Regardless, I enjoyed it!

I do still like it, and going north-south on the coasts is pretty good.  
The good news is that the DC-Boston route is publicly-owned track, so
the trains are usually on time.  The problems come when you are coming
from Pittsburgh, say, and get stuck behind a freight train and get
behind schedule.  Then when you get into DC to change trains, you miss
the connector.  Or my situation, where I am in southern Virginia and
if I can make it to DC in time on the CSX freight tracks, everything is
fine.  But if I am late coming into DC then it screws their schedule
up and we wind up waiting behind other passenger trains for a slot to
continue north.

So general rule is north-south is good and east-west is bad.

Amtrak buys trains from Europe but because the tracks are graded and
configured for freight, they wind up having to pay a lot for design
modifications to accomodate the tracks.  Those modifications do not
always perform as planned.  The freight companies have no motivation 
to change their tracks for passenger service.

>>> There are some exceptions here and there though... like this one:
>>>
>>> https://www.blataget.com/sv/history/
>>>
>>> If I had the time and opportunity, I would definitely try it!

We do have a few historic railways in the US, all privately owned and
some of which have some pretty peculiar rolling stock.  This looks like
a fun trip though!
--scott
-- 
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."