• Commuter rail is making a modest comeback.
• Long-haul passenger is continuing a steady decline.
• Freight may be flat, but trackage miles are still declining.

• Extremely low investment (mostly advertising and sales).
• Could be launched by an independent operator, or by a single major railroad (one that covers at least 1/3 of North America, e.g. BNSF, CN, NS, UP), without cooperation or inter-lining with any other road.
• No new trackage or speed upgrades required.
• Could begin service with existing (i.e. non-existing) depot infrastructure.
• Terminal points would not have to be at convenient pedestrian locations, nor even provide ample secure parking.
• Schedule could start with very few widely-dispersed terminals.
• Schedule frequency, en-route times and delays need initially be no better than AmTrak is today.
• Minimal new equipment required; in particular, no new passenger-only rolling stock at the outset.

Eventually Auto Rail

Start with RV Rail

• No coaches. Passengers ride in their RV
• No diners. Passengers eat in their RV.
• No sleepers. Passengers sleep in their RV.
• No power (HEP or powercar). RVs can run own generators or engines for climate control, lighting, accessories, entertainment.

1. Start with service only between existing intermodal facilities, and perhaps very few of those.
2. Drop a modular office at each site for ticketing, check-in and the all-important liability waiver (sell insurance separately).
3. Establish an 800 phone and web site for info, reservations and ticket sales.
4. Possibly use existing trailer-train type rolling stock for carriage of the RVs.
5. Advertise! I took AmTrak from Boston to Denver in 1996, and when I told my co-workers about the trip, the majority of them responded: "You can still do that?"
6. This initial RV-only service could be priced well above 30c/mile, both because RVs cost more to run than that, and because the typical multiple-passengers-per-vehicle are also saving a bundle by not having to have separate passenger tickets.

7. Add more terminals.
8. Expand sales to conventional travel agents.
9. Interline with other railroads inspired to try RVrail.
10. Add more stock, for Chunnel-style on-demand departures without advance reservations.
11. Update the rolling stock to provide power to the RVs so they don't have to run their own engines/generators.
12. Accept dead-heading tractor-trailer units with sleeper-cabs.

13. Add a canteen car, and some drive-on stock that would allow cars and vans to be carried, and permit their occupants to use the canteen car, but mainly ride in their own vehicles. (would the loading gauge permit this?)
14. Add more departures. esp for locations that were middle-of-the-night on the initial schedule.
15. Add normal passenger equipment.
16. Upgrade mainlines for speed.
17. Enter new golden era of long-haul passenger rail :-)

Problems/Issues.

$$$

I do not have easy access to the numbers on what it costs to move freight by rail. It may not in fact be possible to offer even RVrail at prices low enough to get drivers off the pavement.

Who

AmTrak, according to a 1997 Wall Street Journal article, can't even get people to take the train when it is both cheaper and faster than air between two cities! AmTrak's inept marketing, quasi-governmental heritage and crippling legacy labor/contract restrictions would seem to rule it out as a host for this proposed rail renaissance. The freight roads, on the other hand, are so myopically focused on pulling up spikes, that I doubt they would even recognize a new market totally awash in dollars. Perhaps a completely new operator, "RVRX", could start it using leased equipment and hired AmTrak motive power. AOE (American Orient Express) has shown that this approach is not impossible.

Liability

Freight railroads are scared to death of liability. Some won't even allow excursions, because they know that signed waivers won't protect them from juries that arbitrarily ignore such contracts. Although it would be nice if contracts were honored by what passes for our judicial system, probably what is required is national rail legislation limiting liability to some default value (as in air travel). Want more recourse? Buy after-market trip insurance.

MindShare

The last generation of Americans who recall a world in which you could get nearly everywhere by rail are now retired. The current populace knows rail only from TV reporting of spectacular accidents, or waiting for a mile-long slow freight to clear a crossing. They may be dimly aware that AmTrak exists, for example, but it simply never occurs to them to consider rail travel, even when it would be all of: [cheaper, faster, safer, more comfortable] compared to what they are considering.

On the other hand, today's travellers are increasingly disillusioned with the restrictions and delays of air travel, with its sardine seating and cattle-class service. They also have no recollection of the unpleasant side of rail travel earlier this century - the cinders and smoke.

If a major freighter decided to try RVrail, they would need to make it visible; not just advertise (and educate), but also go back to putting their logo on bridges and at crossings, with not-so-subtle reminder ads (esp. over Interstates) saying "You could be riding and not driving" or "Ride nationwide XYZ RVrail".

Logistics:

Keeping people inside their RVs at low speeds and when stopped other than at a terminal.

Contingencies, for example:

• Getting the passengers and their vehicles back on the highway when the train breaks down in a remote location.
• Communication with the crew should a medical or other passenger emergency arise enroute (or even to report hobos attempting to break in).
• Handling failed vehicles unable to depart railcar under own power.