Pioneer (Amtrak)
Encyclopedia
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.
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
.
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.
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.
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
).
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
from Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
to Chicago, Illinois via Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Boise, Idaho
Boise, Idaho
Boise is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho, as well as the county seat of Ada County. Located on the Boise River, it anchors the Boise City-Nampa metropolitan area and is the largest city between Salt Lake City, Utah and Portland, Oregon.As of the 2010 Census Bureau,...
, Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
, Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
and other intermediate points.
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 RailroadUnion Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
through southern Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
and eastern Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, 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
California Zephyr
The California Zephyr is a long passenger train route operated by Amtrak in the midwestern and western United States.It runs from Chicago, Illinois, in the east to Emeryville, California, in the west, passing through the states of Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and California...
. The trains connected at Ogden, Utah
Ogden, Utah
Ogden is a city in Weber County, Utah, United States. Ogden serves as the county seat of Weber County. The population was 82,825 according to the 2010 Census. The city served as a major railway hub through much of its history, and still handles a great deal of freight rail traffic which makes it a...
until 1983, and at Salt Lake City thereafter. When the Pioneer was equipped with Superliner
Superliner (railcar)
The Superliner is a double decker passenger car used by Amtrak on long haul trains that do not use the Northeast Corridor. The initial cars were built by Pullman-Standard in the late 1970s and a second order was built in the mid 1990s by Bombardier Transportation...
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
Desert Wind
Desert Wind was a passenger train route operated by Amtrak from 1979 to 1997. When it first entered service, it ran from Los Angeles, California to Ogden, Utah passing through Salt Lake City and Las Vegas...
and California Zephyr at Denver, with the Pioneer then able to serve parts of Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
.
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.
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.
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. 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 |
According to the study the projected farebox recovery ratio
Farebox recovery ratio
The farebox recovery ratio of a passenger transportation system is the proportion of the amount of revenue generated through fares by its paying customers as a fraction of the cost of its total operating expenses....
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
Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines Co. is an American low-cost airline based in Dallas, Texas. Southwest is the largest airline in the United States, based upon domestic passengers carried,...
).