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crochet_du_gauche t1_ixkydjg wrote

Reply to comment by aattanasio2014 in A Railroad Strike Could Lead to a Literal Shitshow in NYC by arrogant_ambassador

This is about freight trains, nothing to do with public transit.

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smuckola t1_ixlwbpf wrote

Some parts of Amtrak such as Kansas City go via shared freight lines and so are rarely exactly on time.

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invertedal t1_ixm4yej wrote

Some parts of Amtrak?? No, pretty much all of it! Or at least that's what an off-duty Amtrak driver told me while he was on his way home. He said the only track actually owned by Amtrak is a few hundred miles somewhere in Michigan, so delays are frequent nation-wide. It was during one of these delays that he and I got into a conversation. He also told me that the number of crew members on all US trains has been massively reduced since the 1970s, with just one or two guys now doing what used to be considered a job for five.

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crochet_du_gauche t1_ixmetxs wrote

Amtrak owns most of the Northeast Corridor and only small sections of it are shared with freight lines.

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invertedal t1_ixp4hup wrote

Some sections of the Northeast Corridor are also shared with commuter rail - both Metro North and New Jersey Transit, and probably other lines as well, but these two are the only ones with which I have personal experience of delays related to track sharing.

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