It isn't so much that the Lakeshore Limited and the Capitol Limited arrive and depart in the wee hours of the morning. I was looking into traveling to St. Louis, MO. The only way to St. Louis takes me through Chicago. And although Indianapolis and Cincinnati are both served by Amtrak, it is only through Chicago. While Columbus is served, not at all.
It is obvious when you read the national route map that connecting Columbus to Cincinnati, Indianapolis, and Cleveland would be of service to the occupants of several states. Pittsburgh! I almost forgot how useful it could be to have Columbus tied to Pittsburgh for the pro sports rivalries between Cleveland and Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, maybe Indianapolis and Detroit thrown in.
Numerous corporations that need something less than 43 cents per mile to send their employees to and from various locations should welcome the opportunity to send them by train, unless they are already being sent by bus.
Numerous corporations that need something less than 43 cents per mile to send their employees to and from various locations should welcome the opportunity to send them by train, unless they are already being sent by bus.
Cleveland to St. Louis and back:
Auto: app. 1100 miles @ $0.43/mi = app. $475 (8.5 hrs. x 2)
Air (Continental Express non-stop): app. $275
Train (thru Columbus, Indianapolis): app. 1100 miles @ ? (ave. 55-66 mph? for 8-10 hours x 2)
Bus (Greyhound 2 transfers, 7 day advance): $55 x 2 = $110 (15 - 16 hours x 2)
Each transportation mode offers its own set of amenities, delays, and risks such that I don't want to try and detail them. However, train service offered at reasonable hours in more comfortable circumstances than most of the alternatives for between $110 and $275 round trip would certainly be of interest to me.
If we start in New Orleans and follow it to Memphis, we could bridge the gap traveling into Nashville, then Cincinnati, up through Columbus to Cleveland with an American Music themed route. For the tourists and vacationers, it would feature the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, 19th century river boat themes, country music, Graceland, down to French Quarter Jazz, with some bluegrass thrown in along the way. I've seldom followed that kind of vacation route myself, and I think it would be worth doing at least once.
The nation should be preparing the economic modes of transportation that will serve it best in the future. And as more persons move to alternative means of transportation, we should find a resurgence in train travel. But we'll see it only if Congress and Amtrak see it worth taking a risk to do so.
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