The details of this implementation strategy are worked out in three case studies in Amtrak 90. The concepts developed are then applied system-wide. Each case study focuses on short-term development targeted for 1986, the mid-year of the implementation period. Multiple frequency services, schedule coordination, and connectivity are major parameters in these examples.
The
first case study (Figure 19) focuses on the New
York-Albany-Buffalo-Cleveland-Toledo-Chicago main line and connectors to Boston,
Montreal, Niagara Falls and Toronto, and Detroit. Twenty-two major metropolitan
areas with an aggregate population of more than 38 million are located on this
route. Currently only a single daily train operates west of Buffalo, although
the size and spacing of cities indicates a travel demand only slightly lower
than that east of Buffalo. Intermediate travel markets have not been fully
tapped even where Amtrak presently operates multiple-frequency services. Track
conditions range from good to excellent. The east-west main line has been
upgraded in the Conrail rehabilitation program and further improved east of
Buffalo by funds from the state of New York for high-speed passenger service.
State and Amtrak funds have built new stations or refurbished older stations.
Excellent new servicing facilities have been developed at Chicago and Albany.
Targeting this route as a high priority for additional service takes advantage
of these investments in upgraded physical plant.
Short-distance, medium-distance, and long-distance markets are all served in the memory-sensitive, integrated schedule developed for 1986 (Figure 10). Al1 city pairs receive good service in proportion to the travel potential between them. Operationally the spine of this route is viewed as two medium-distance corridors with a common terminal at Niagara Falls.
The
second case study is based on development of a series of corridors that radiate
from Chicago (Figure 20). More Amtrak routes converge
here than at any other point in the present system. Within a 550-mile radius of
the Windy City some 38 million urban residents live in 42 major metropolitan
centers along these 13 routes. Again, present service levels are quite low
(Chicago-Detroit and Chicago-St. Louis are exceptions). The potential for
traffic growth is very high on all of these routes. One, the
Chicago-Cleveland-Buffalo-Niagara Falls route, overlaps part of the previously
mentioned Hudson-Great Lakes Corridor. These routes all have the advantage of
being served by a common maintenance facility at Chicago where Amtrak recently
completed a $49 million upgrading and expansion program. Another advantage of
the Chicago hub is the ease of connection (Figure 11)
between the several corridors.
Like the Hudson-Great Lakes Corridor, the Chicago Radial Corridors scheme places short-distance, medium-distance and long-distance trains together on the 13 routes (no long-distance trains on 5 of the shorter routes) in an integrated manner. Some shifting of 3 of the routes (Chicago-Milwaukee, Chicago-Cincinnati, and Chicago-Omaha) is made to better serve intermediate population centers.
The
third case study illustrates how a long-distance route can be improved through
development on certain segments where urban travel demands indicate strong
short- and medium-distance travel potential. The Sunbelt Long-Distance Route (Figure 21) between New Orleans and Los Angeles cuts
through one of the nation's fastest growing areas. Between 1970 and 1980 the 11
metropolitan areas on this route grew by 21 percent to a total urban population
of 17.4 million. The spacing of these cities is such that 4 are located in the
western 550 miles and 6 are found in the eastern 575 miles of this
2,032-mile-long route. For the 1983-1986 period, improvements focus on a
combination of day and overnight services in these two segments, in part
provided by new trains and in part by the existing long-distance Sunset
Limited, which would become a daily train. Adequate servicing facilities
exist at both New Orleans and Los Angeles.
The improvements in these three case studies detailed in Amtrak 90 would lead to a subsidy drop of more than $100 million by 1986. It is the application of this strategy on a system-wide basis that will produce further economies. For the three case studies, additional improvements are also developed for 1987-l990.