Pioneer (train)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  (Redirected from Pioneer (passenger train))
Jump to: navigation, search
Pioneer
Amtrak's Final Pioneer.jpg
Amtrak's final eastbound Pioneer departing Seattle, WA on 5/10/1997
Overview
Service type Inter-city rail
Status Discontinued
Locale Western United States
First service June 7, 1977
Last service May 10, 1997
Current operator(s) N/A
Former operator(s) Amtrak
Route
Start Chicago, Illinois
End Seattle, Washington
Distance travelled 2,662 miles (4,284 km)
Service frequency Three days per week
Train number(s) 25/26
On-board services
Class(es)
  • First class (sleepers)
  • Reserved coach
Sleeping arrangements
  • Bedrooms
  • Roomettes
Catering facilities
Observation facilities Sightseer lounge
Technical
Rolling stock Superliners
Gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)

The Pioneer was a passenger train run by Amtrak from Seattle, Washington to Chicago, Illinois via Portland, Oregon, Boise, Idaho, Salt Lake City, Utah, Denver, Colorado and other intermediate points.

Contents

[edit] History

The Pioneer began service in June 1977, initially operating as a Seattle - Salt Lake City train. The train's establishment restored passenger service to the Pacific Northwest mainline of the Union Pacific Railroad through southern Idaho and eastern Oregon, a route which had lost its two passenger trains in 1971. Service to points east was provided via a connection with Amtrak's California Zephyr. The trains connected at Ogden, Utah until 1983, and at Salt Lake City thereafter. When the Pioneer was equipped with Superliner passenger equipment, the train included through cars for Chicago, carried on the California Zephyr east of Utah.

With the April 5, 1992, timetable change, the Pioneer split or combined with the Desert Wind and California Zephyr at Denver, with the Pioneer then able to serve parts of Wyoming.[1]

The train ran daily until 1995, after which the train ran tri-weekly, departing Chicago on Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday, and departing Seattle on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.[2]

The Pioneer and Desert Wind were closely tied to one another, and met the same fate at the same time; both were discontinued in 1997. On May 10, 1997 the last Pioneer left Seattle for the trip to Chicago.[3]

[edit] Possible return

In accordance with the Passenger Rail Improvement Act of 2008 Amtrak evaluated the possibility of restoring service to the Pioneer and other discontinued long-distance routes.[4] Amtrak considered four options for a restored Pioneer, all of which would have through service to Chicago via the California Zephyr:

Endpoints Route Estimated ridership Revenues Operating costs Operating loss Farebox recovery Capital costs
Salt Lake City Seattle Rio Grande Route 102,000 $11.6m $36.6m $25.0m 31.7% $373.9m
Denver Seattle Overland Route 111,000 $13.1m $46.2m $33.1m 28.4% $469.8m
Salt Lake City Portland Rio Grande Route 82,000 $7.6m $35.9m $28.3m 21.2% $370.5m
Denver Portland Overland Route 95,000 $9.2m $44.7m $35.5m 20.6% $484.8m

[5]

According to the study the projected farebox recovery ratio was "significantly lower than the average fare box recovery for Amtrak long distance trains in FY2008 (51.8%). Fare box recovery for the two Seattle options (Options 1 and 2) is lower than on all but one of Amtrak's 15 existing long distance routes, and the Portland options have a lower fare box recovery than any Amtrak long distance route." Amtrak projected lower ridership than in the mid-1990s owing to the proliferation of low-cost air travel between Seattle and Salt Lake City (particularly Southwest Airlines).[5]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Amtrak National Timetable Spring/Summer 1992, National Railroad Passenger Corporation, 1992-04-05 
  2. ^ Amtrak National Timetable Spring/Summer 1996, National Railroad Passenger Corporation, 1996-04-14 
  3. ^ "HISTORY of the PIONEER". http://www.pioneertrain.com/index_files/Page413.htm. Retrieved 2010-08-01. 
  4. ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2008, State of Oregon" (PDF). National Railroad Passenger Corporation. 2008-11. http://www.amtrak.com/pdf/factsheets/OREGON08.pdf. Retrieved 2009-01-09. 
  5. ^ a b Amtrak (October 16, 2009). "Pioneer Route Passenger Rail Study". http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/BlobServer?blobcol=urldata&blobtable=MungoBlobs&blobkey=id&blobwhere=1249200496429&blobheader=application%2Fpdf&blobheadername1=Content-disposition&blobheadervalue1=attachment;filename=Amtrak_PioneerServiceStudy.pdf. Retrieved 2011-05-01. 

[edit] External links
California
Midwest
Northeast
Northwest
South
West
Former
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pioneer_(train)&oldid=467213635"
Personal tools
Namespaces

Variants
Actions
Navigation
Interaction
Toolbox
Print/export