The Future Meets German Engineering: Mag-Lev, just around the corner?

May 2, 2009  Rochester, NY  -  In the first half of the 20th century, passenger rail service reached its zenith in the Rochester area.  Five carriers counted Rochester as one of their stops along an extensive network of rail lines that criss-crossed the northeast.  The New York Central Railroad was the largest carrier of passengers in this area (one of its many stations was the old Depot Restaurant in Pittsford Village; currently the Del Monte Lodge), but four other passenger lines offered Rochester residents a plethora of easy and inexpensive transportation choices.

In addition to the New York Central, The Lehigh Valley Railroad (its station is the present day location of the Dinosaur BBQ) connected Rochester to Batavia, Honeoye Falls, Mendon, Victor, Manchester, Geneva, and eventually its terminus, Sayer, Pennsylvania.  Also, The Erie Railroad served Rochester, with a station where the present day Corn Hill Landing stands.  The Erie Line also sported bus service.  The Erie Railroad served numerous New York State communities, and like the Lehigh Valley Railroad, ended its run in PA. 

The Pennsylvania Railroad (later merged with the NY Central to become the Penn-Central) also provided frequent passenger service to Rochester residents.  The Pennsylvania Railroad also served Sodus, Syracuse, New York City, and as one would imagine, a multitude of stops and stations in PA.  Finally, there was the aptly named Rochester-Buffalo & Pittsburgh Railroad, later acquired by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (the B. & O.), which served its namesake cities.  The Rochester-Buffalo & Pittsburgh station still stands to this day, now serving Garbage Plates, at Nick Tahou's.

Fast forward 50 years to 2009:  The Amtrak Station on Central Avenue is an unimaginative, cookie cutter 'box', built in a minimalist architectural style that does an injustice to its famed predecessor, the old New York Central Station in Rochester (demolished in 1966).  Unlike Western Europe, and our close northern neighbor, Canada (VIA Railroad), we American's with our anti-progressive members of Congress of late, have virtually abandoned passenger rail transit as a realistic means of people moving, save the Northeastern U.S. corridor (Boston to Washington).  But it's a new day in Washington, and perhaps real and sustained federal support for Amtrak is on the way?

Transportation's 'Poor Cousin' No Longer?

One way you can discern what the electorate, a President, and Congress truly feel about passenger rail in the U.S. is to pay close attention to media coverage and political language.  How many times have you heard or read federal / state support for our nation's Interstate Highway system, as well as the FAA and our nation's airports referred to as an "investment" in the future; versus federal dollars for Amtrak consistently referred to as a subsidy?  Language is always telling, and it does not take a linguistic or public policy genius to figure out where our priorities have been regarding passenger transportation for the last 60 years.  But all that could change under President Obama and NY Governor David Paterson.  And we must remember that Congresswoman Louise Slaughter has been a major proponent of a new rail station (combined with a new bus terminal); so Slaughter's support for faster, more efficient Amtrak service in Western NY could be the catalyst  for commencing what's been long overdue here in Rochester; an Amtrak Station & timetable schedule that might compete with Jet Blue Airlines, or simply driving the fast way to New York City (332 miles through PA & NJ, to the Lincoln Tunnel).  Right now, despite Amtrak's relatively low cost, it finishes a distant third in terms of practicality and time efficiency to destinations like NYC.

What Could Be

With a little time, and a lot of patience and money, much faster trains could be on the way to Rochester, and points east and west of Monroe County.  We already have the Acela high speed bullet train that serves the busy and heavily populated Northeast Corridor, between Washington, DC & Boston.  Amtrak's Acela train can hit speeds of 125 M.P.H., and slightly higher. However, what would it take to increase Amtrak's lame maximum speed between Rochester & Albany of about 70-75 MPH?  It would require the federal government and the state gov't to negotiate with CSX Railroad (Chesapeake Southern), the freight railroad which currently owns the tracks and rights-of-way throughout a good chunk of NY State.  If negotiations went well, and the proper amount of money was spent toward this excellent cause, far faster passenger rail could be on the way for Rochester in the next five-10 years.  But there are a lot of "ifs" at work here.  Question number one:  Is there really the demand for a third (after air travel & auto travel) alternative to destinations like NYC and Chicago, on the rails?  Yes, I think so.

The Canadian and European Model

Instead of theorizing about what we could have in Rochester regarding high speed rail, let's briefly look at what already exists in similar countries and economies.  In France, Germany, Italy, and England (and many other European nations), passenger trains dominate, and car and air travel are also-rans.  Now it is true that Western Europe in particular has much greater population densities than does most of the U.S. (except New Jersey, which is more densely populated than Japan).  Also, Western Europe's' largest country, in square miles (France) is the same size as Texas.  So, due to the construction of smart and practical infrastructure all over Europe, and the fact that much of Europe (cities and villages) is much more 'walkable' than many U.S. urban agglomerations, train travel in Western Europe makes more sense than in the U.S., in so many respects.  However, the times they are a changin', and I believe America is poised to rediscover the superior nature of passenger train travel.  If you don't believe me, travel a short distance north to Canada, and try VIA.  Even Canadian passenger rail puts Amtrak to shame; and Canada, like the U.S., due to its immense size, is equally reliant on the automobile.

Pipe Dream, or Improved U.S. Passenger Rail?

Some facts about Amtrak, and what an improved Amtrak could mean for Rochester:

*  Amtrak employees are by and large surly and aloof.  Either bust their union, or make Amtrak employees happy to have their jobs, and coldly remind them who pays their salary, and for whom they work.

*  Bathrooms on your average Amtrak train are abysmal, and barely up to third world standards.  If passengers aren't hygienic or courteous enough to leave a bathroom clean, it is an Amtrak employees responsibility to check their bathroom's quality and hygiene frequently.

*  If you've ever left Rochester on an Amtrak train headed east, you may recall long periods of inactivity in Wayne County, prior to arriving at the Syracuse Station.  This, again, goes back to the fact that CSX owns the tracks, and their freight trains take precedent over Amtrak trains.  This must end.

*  Picture this:  By 2013, a test run on Amtrak's newly dedicated tracks, between Buffalo and Albany, raises speeds to 95-110 mph !  If the tracks can't be electrified (like the Hudson Valley and New York Metro), than faster diesel service will have to do.

*  A long-proposed stop is finally added in Wayne County.

*  Finally, instead of the current 6-8 hours it takes to travel Amtrak from Rochester to Penn Station, the time is cut to 4-5 hours, without eliminating any stops !

Conclusion

None of this will ever happen without intense and sustained lobbying from the citizenry of Monroe County.  If you've ever been on a quality train (Europe, Japan, Singapore, China, Canada, or yes, sometimes Amtrak), it is easy to see why smart and well thought-out passenger rail service is the way to go:  No seat belts (for better or worse); no dreaded middle seat like on airlines; free movement while the train is in motion; overnight accommodations on some long distance trains; and less stress, overall, compared to auto and plane travel (ever been stuck in Atlanta or O'Hare airports?  How about a traffic jam in LA, NYC, or on the Capital Beltway around D.C.?).

So, join with Congresswoman Louise Slaughter, Senator Chuck Schumer, the Rochester Rail Transit Committee (Mr. DeWayne Feller), and the Smugtown Beacon, and lobby for a combined rail-bus terminal on or near Central Avenue, and high speed Amtrak service.  It's about time.  ALLLLL  ABOARDDD !

Mark Skipworth is a life long train enthusiast, and runs the 'MN&D' Railroad, a miniature yet ridable railroad for children and families at various events in the Greater Rochester area.

Christopher J. Wilmot experienced his first cross country trip via train (LA to Chicago) at age 9, and has ridden passenger trains all across America, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Austria, Holland, and England (also, briefly in Singapore).