Pioneer (Amtrak)
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| Pioneer | |
| Info | |
|---|---|
| Type | Inter-city rail |
| System | Amtrak |
| Terminals | Chicago, Denver, Salt Lake City, Boise, Seattle |
| Operation | |
| Opened | 1977 |
| Closed | 1997 |
| Owner | (track) |
| Operator(s) | Amtrak |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 2662-mile (4 284 km) |
| Gauge | 4 ft 8½ 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.
[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 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 now able to serve parts of Wyoming.[1]
The train ran daily until 1995, after which the train ran tri-weekly, departing 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.
[edit] Recent legislation
In January 2007, U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-New Jersey) introduced S. 294, the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2007. It contains the following provision:
"Within 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, Amtrak shall conduct a 1-time evaluation of the Pioneer Route formerly operated by Amtrak to determine ... whether a level of passenger demand exists that would warrant consideration of reinstating the entire Pioneer Route service or segments of that service."
The measure passed the Senate on October 31, 2007 and awaits debate in the House of Representatives.
[edit] References
- ^ , Amtrak National Timetable Spring/Summer 1992, National Railroad Passenger Corporation, 1992-04-05.
- ^ , Amtrak National Timetable Spring/Summer 1996, National Railroad Passenger Corporation, 1996-04-14.
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