Why don't we take the train? (or Why we don't take the train?)
Since my new commute takes me past the Columbia Amtrak station, today I've had rail travel on the brain. I have always treated Amtrak as something of a joke. I've never been on an Amtrak train, and well, this is where the joke comes in. However, tonight's research into Amtrak services has given me a new perspective. While Amtrak's service pales in comparison to the European train systems that I've used, it is perhaps better than I expected.
First, Amtrak has a presence in 46 states, omitting only Wyoming and South Dakota in the conterminous 48. Furthermore, of the fifty largest cities in US according to Census 2000, Amtrak has a presence in the metropolitan area of 44 of them, with one of the missing six being Honolulu (46th). The others are Columbus (15th), Las Vegas (32nd), Tulsa (43rd), Colorado Springs (48), and my hometown and the reason I overestimate the useless of Amtrak, Nashville (22).
However, just because Amtrak services a large city does not mean these services are convenient. Take Columbia for example. Columbia is on the Silver Star line, and that's it. A passenger train stops at the Columbia Amtrak station only twice each day, when the northbound Silver Star arrives from Miami at 1:12 AM, and when the southbound Silver Star coming from New York's Penn Station at 1:44 AM. That's right, the two trains arrive between 1:00 and 2:00 in the morning. The station is open between 10 and 5 daily. Of course that's 10:00 PM to 5:00 AM.
Columbia is not the only city in such a situation. Fargo, the largest city in North Dakota also has only two passenger train stop. They arrive at 2:28 AM and 3:10 AM. The station is open from midnight to 8:00 AM. Hastings, NE, (near Grand Island) represents the third largest metropolitan area in Nebraska and gets trains at 2:02 AM and 2:57 AM. Its station's hours are 11:30 PM to 7:00 AM.
But I declare the worst served city to be the nation's 50th largest city, Wichita, Kansas. First, the station is actually 30 miles to the north along I-135 in Newton, where the Southwest Chief passes through on its way between Chicago and Los Angeles. The eastward leg stops at 3:01 AM and the westward leg stops at 3:25 AM. How convenient. The station is open from midnight to 8:00 AM Monday-Friday, and 1:30 to 4:00 AM Saturday and Sunday. Wouldn't that be a great shift to work?
First, Amtrak has a presence in 46 states, omitting only Wyoming and South Dakota in the conterminous 48. Furthermore, of the fifty largest cities in US according to Census 2000, Amtrak has a presence in the metropolitan area of 44 of them, with one of the missing six being Honolulu (46th). The others are Columbus (15th), Las Vegas (32nd), Tulsa (43rd), Colorado Springs (48), and my hometown and the reason I overestimate the useless of Amtrak, Nashville (22).
However, just because Amtrak services a large city does not mean these services are convenient. Take Columbia for example. Columbia is on the Silver Star line, and that's it. A passenger train stops at the Columbia Amtrak station only twice each day, when the northbound Silver Star arrives from Miami at 1:12 AM, and when the southbound Silver Star coming from New York's Penn Station at 1:44 AM. That's right, the two trains arrive between 1:00 and 2:00 in the morning. The station is open between 10 and 5 daily. Of course that's 10:00 PM to 5:00 AM.
Columbia is not the only city in such a situation. Fargo, the largest city in North Dakota also has only two passenger train stop. They arrive at 2:28 AM and 3:10 AM. The station is open from midnight to 8:00 AM. Hastings, NE, (near Grand Island) represents the third largest metropolitan area in Nebraska and gets trains at 2:02 AM and 2:57 AM. Its station's hours are 11:30 PM to 7:00 AM.
But I declare the worst served city to be the nation's 50th largest city, Wichita, Kansas. First, the station is actually 30 miles to the north along I-135 in Newton, where the Southwest Chief passes through on its way between Chicago and Los Angeles. The eastward leg stops at 3:01 AM and the westward leg stops at 3:25 AM. How convenient. The station is open from midnight to 8:00 AM Monday-Friday, and 1:30 to 4:00 AM Saturday and Sunday. Wouldn't that be a great shift to work?
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