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Back in Oct, 2009, Fred Frailey had an article, in TRAINS, about the new "750 mile" rule which took place on 10/1/13. A quote from the article:
"the language of the Passenger Rail Investment & Improvement Act of 2008, passed by Congress and signed by President Bush 11 months ago, is some startling language that could affect Amtrak service four years from now. It boils down to this: By Oct. 13, 2013, any train or route of less than 750 miles outside of the Boston-Washington Northeast Corridor must be state-funded, or it will not be operated".
There is a recent article on the "750 Mile Rule" in the Oct. issue of TRAINS, by Bob Johnston.
I found Mr. Johnston's article only a little less confusing than Obamacare.
Mr. Frailey says there may not be a change, to a great degree, for Amtrak short-haul routes which already get a lot of state funding. Mr. Johnston points out that Amtrak trains such as the Empire Service, Blue Water, Pere Marquette, and Carolinian (despite the fact the Carolinian shares 502 miles of track with the Palmetto) may be in trouible. Another train with problems is the 4X/week Hoosier State as Indiana apparently doesn't like picking up additional costs for that train.
I don't know what will come of this other than a lot of bickering between Amtrak and various states.
Richard
Geoff Mayo Member # 153
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One wonders whether the 750 mile rule might actually be helpful in some cases. For example, the various sponsors in Indiana seem to want better service for their money, not just maintaining the status quo. So will we see faster and more frequent service for the Hoosier route? Only time will tell!
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