Mass transit plan

[snoseek]

Trying to not get political because that seems to be the anti-solution but what about taking some money away from highway funds and start putting together a mass-transit system that works. Really the solution doesn't appear to build a bigger highways. I've been on some pretty efficient rails in europe, hardly what I would call a hassle. We would just have to use cars to get to the rails because of the way the burbs are set up.

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

It would be cool but Public transportation stinks..everytime I take a plane trip somewhere which also tends to involve shuttle busses..I love the liberating feeling of getting back in my car. Right now the roundtrip drive to Stowe costs me about $100 in gas. In theory I could drive to NYC..park my car there..take a train to Burlington..then take a bus to Stowe and then use the free mountain road shuttle..that would be a hassle..take way more time and cost way more money. Taking a train from one big city to another like Philadelphia to Washington DC or NYC to Boston can be logical but having a car at a northeast ski area is important..especially if you want to keep your options open and ski other areas on your trip.

[Talisman]

I have taken the train in Japan to the mountains from Tokyo and Nagoya. To go to Nagano where the Olympics were held from Tokyo is fast and easy on the Shinkansen (bullet train). It is funny to see people carrying skis and boot bags in urban Tokyo. The resorts are set up for people having no cars and there are many palces to stay near the train stations. Amtrak is like riding a school bus in comparison to European or Japanese rail travel.

Train travel in New England is feasible but unlikely to be revived unless it can be made to be more convenient than traveling by car.

[abc]

having a car at a northeast ski area is important..especially if you want to keep your options open and ski other areas on your trip.

Exactly!

Trains to resorts work in Europe because their resorts are bigger, higher and have more to do if the weather doesn't cooperate. Even more importantly, the trains serves the locals living in the mountains year round, not just skiers in the winter.

Taking a train from one big city to another like Philadelphia to Washington DC or NYC to Boston can be logical

As the name implies, mass transit only works when there's enough "masses". With everyone living out in the boonies, we simply don't have the "critical mass" for mass transit to work. Except for Boston and New York, which actually DO have bus trips just about every weekend to the mountains. Driving to a train station, take a train and then having to get into yet another shuttle bus is a major hassle.

[drjeff]

Originally Posted by snoseek

Trying to not get political because that seems to be the anti-solution but what about taking some money away from highway funds and start putting together a mass-transit system that works. .

The only real problem with this, is have you taken a close look at the "health" of a great deal of our bridges/roadways lately??? If anything just for safety sake some serious $$ needs to be put into the highway funds for basic maintenance costs.

[amf]

I'm a big fan of ski trains, & would love to see more of 'em. I do an annual trip from Philly to Jay. Yes, it takes longer but with advance purchase its half the cost of driving, you get to sleep, and have a bottle of wine when you want to. When its time to eat, you can even call ahead and have dinner waiting for you at a station up the line! The only drawback is that AMTRAK rules do not allow gambling... you have to wait until you are off the AMTRAK mainline before starting serious card play. And when staying at Jay, there is really no where else to drive to unless hitting the backcountry for the day.

[ctenidae]

Unfortunately for trains, the vast majority of track is owned by freight operators. Amtrak gets side-lined a lot. Laying new track for high speed people movers would be great, but very expensive and very exposed to NIMBY-ism. The problem becomes less a lack of support than a surplus of opposition.

[kingslug]

Originally Posted by Geoff

There is already a train from NYC to Rutland. There is a bus that meets the train and brings people up to Killington. The problem is that it stops many times along the way and it doesn't align with the typical skier Friday afternoon and Sunday evening travel times. The same is true for the train from New York to White River Junction, VT and that has no way to get to a ski resort. It's also really expensive. A round trip is up over $100 and that still doesn't get you to the ski resort. For 2 people, it's just as economical to drive and you'll get there 3 hours faster.

If you look around, there are lots of day trip bus trips that are value priced. I've seen bus trips from Long Island to places like Okemo that were about $80.00 and that included the lift ticket. If you want to go up on a Friday night and return on a Sunday night, there aren't a heck of a lot of options unless you hook up with a group that is doing a bus charter. It's very expensive to run a bus north on a Friday night, have it sit there all weekend paying expenses for the driver, and run it back south on a Sunday night.

I think that ski resorts, instead of buying 'green' energy credits and smugly announcing how eco-friendly they are, should look out at their parking lots and start organizing reliable public transportation. A ski train should leave the city at 5:00 pm and run non-stop to the station nearest the ski resorts. It should return at 5:00 pm as well. A ski bus really needs to leave from a suburban lot north of the major metro area. If you made the times right and set the price right, you'd see an awful lot of riders.

I have taken those bus trips to Killington and Mt.Snow and they are the best value. I also recently discovered a ski club in my area that charters buses for weekend trips further north, even to Maine. This will probably be the most cost effective way to go now and in the future. It costs me almost $100.00 in gas just to get to the Catskills and back now, insane!!!! It's one reason why I love Utah so much, they have the best bus system, no car needed.

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

Originally Posted by kingslug

. It costs me almost $100.00 in gas just to get to the Catskills and back now, insane!!!! .

You drive a Tahoe though..

[deadheadskier]

I know the downeaster commuter train that runs between Portland and Boston with about ten stops at large communities along the way is struggling. It's basically profitable from Boston to Exeter, NH, but everything North of there is state subsidized and lacks ridership. A one way ticket costs $27 to get from Portland to Boston and I think $52 round trip.

If a commuter rail is having a hard time from two hours away. Getting people to take a train an additional two hours at probably $100 round trip is a tough sell. It would be marketable to the single skier, but I think most people would still try and car pool even if gas doubles.