Editing Autorack (section)

==Combining autoracks and passenger cars==

===Australia===
In March 1972 the [[Western Australian Government Railways]] introduced the first motorail services in Australia on services from [[Perth railway station|Perth]] to [[Albany railway station, Western Australia|Albany]], [[Old Bunbury railway station|Bunbury]], [[Geraldton railway station|Geraldton]] and [[Mullewa]].<ref>WAGR Introduces Motorail Service ''[[WAGR News Letter]]'' March 1972 page 3</ref> In August 1972 the [[Victorian Railways]] introduced a motorail on ''[[The Vinelander]]'' between [[Southern Cross railway station|Melbourne]] and [[Mildura railway station|Mildura]].<ref>{{Victorian Rail-Newsrail|title=Mildura Anniversary|month=10|year=1973|page=201}}</ref> In March 1973 the [[Public Transport Commission]] introduced a motorail service on the ''[[Gold Coast Motorail]]'' between [[Central railway station, Sydney|Sydney]] and [[Murwillumbah railway station|Murwillumbah]].<ref>To the Gold Coast the relaxed way ''[[Transport News]]'' January 1973 page 1</ref> In July 1973 a motorail service was introduced on the ''[[Southern Aurora]]'' between Sydney and Melbourne.<ref>Sydney-Melbourne Service Goes Motorail ''[[Railway Transportation]]'' July 1973 page 4</ref> 

In October 1976 a motorail service was introduced on the ''[[Indian Pacific]]'' and ''[[Trans-Australian]]'' between [[Port Pirie railway station (Mary Elie Street)|Port Pirie]] and [[East Perth railway station|Perth]].<ref>New Motorail Service ''[[Westrail News Letter]]'' November 1976 page 8</ref> In October 1988 it was extended to operate on the service throughout to Sydney.<ref>MotoRail ''[[The Recorder (periodical)|The Recorder]]'' January 1989 page 59</ref> The motorail service was curtailed to operate between [[Adelaide Parklands Terminal|Adelaide]] and Perth in November 2015. In November 1978, a motorail service  was introduced on ''[[The Overland]]'' between Adelaide and Melbourne.<ref>Motorail to Melbourne ''The Recorder'' November 1978 page 26</ref>

In December 1980 a motorail service was introduced by [[Australian National Railways|Australian National]] on ''[[The Ghan]]'' between Adelaide and [[Alice Springs railway station|Alice Springs]].<ref>The Window Seat ''[[Network (periodical)|Network]]'' September 1980 page 27</ref><ref>[https://www.journeybeyondrail.com.au/guest-information/motorail/ Motorail] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221106024352/https://www.journeybeyondrail.com.au/guest-information/motorail/ |date=2022-11-06 }} [[Journey Beyond]]</ref> In April 1986, the first motorail service in [[Queensland]] was introduced by [[Queensland Rail]] on ''[[The Queenslander (train)|The Queenslander]]'' between [[Roma Street railway station|Brisbane]] and [[Cairns railway station|Cairns]].<ref>The New Queenslander ''[[Sunshine Express (periodical)|Sunshine Express]]'' issue 239 February 1986 page 322</ref> In June 1986 a motorail service was introduced on the ''[[Brisbane Limited]]'' between Sydney and Brisbane.<ref>The Brisbane Limited ''Sunshine Express'' issue 246 September 1986 page 161</ref> In October 1987 the [[State Rail Authority]] introduced a motorail service on the ''[[Intercapital Daylight]]'' between Sydney and Melbourne.<ref>Here & There ''[[Australian Railway History|Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin]]'' issue 603 January 1988 page 4</ref>  

In February 1992, Queensland Rail introduced motorail services on ''[[The Sunlander]]'' between Brisbane and Cairns and in February 1993 the ''[[Spirit of the Outback]]'' between Brisbane and [[Longreach railway station|Longreach]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080705031215/http://www.traveltrain.com.au/2/experience_traveltrain/motorail/overview.asp Motorail] [[Queensland Rail]]</ref><ref>A Brief History of the Sunlander ''[[Motive Power]]'' issue 96 November 2014 page 37</ref>

===Europe===
* [[Car shuttle train]]
* [[Eurotunnel Shuttle]]

===United States===
A rail transport service where passengers can take their automobile along with them on their journey is known as an "[[Auto Train]]" in North America and as a "Motorail" in Australia and Europe. Passengers are carried in normal passenger cars or in sleeping cars on longer journeys, while their vehicles are loaded into autoracks, car carriers, or flatcars.

==== Auto-Train Corporation ====
On December 6, 1971, [[Auto-Train Corporation]] introduced a new and innovative rail transportation service for both passengers and their automobiles in the United States, operating scheduled service between [[Lorton, Virginia]] (near [[Washington DC]]) and [[Sanford, Florida]], near [[Orlando, Florida|Orlando]].

The Auto Train offered an alternative to motorists who would otherwise have to drive their automobiles the {{convert|855|mi|km|0|adj=on}} distance along the East Coast of the United States. For vacationers with destinations at one or more of the many popular tourist attractions of Florida, the Auto Train service offered two advantages:
# avoid the long automobile ride on busy [[Interstate 95]] in [[Virginia]], [[North Carolina]], [[South Carolina]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], and [[Florida]]
# have the convenience of using their own automobile upon arrival.

From the beginning in 1971, the same year [[Amtrak]] began service on purely passenger routes in the United States, a key feature of Auto-Train's new service was the use of autoracks, which were former [[Canadian National]] transcontinental bi-level, enclosed autorack boxcars. These were augmented by new tri-level auto-racks built by Southern Iron & Equipment in 1976.

The privately owned service became very popular, but after 10 years of operation, and some costly attempts to expand the service elsewhere, such as a schedule between Florida and [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]], Auto-Train Corporation entered bankruptcy, and service ended in April 1981.
 
====Amtrak's Auto Train====
[[File:Auto Train Autoracks.jpg|thumb|alt=Modern autoracks in use on Amtrak's [[Auto Train]]|Modern autoracks in use on Amtrak's [[Auto Train]]]]

[[Auto Train]] service between Virginia and Florida was resumed by [[Amtrak]] in 1983. Amtrak, a federally chartered corporation which operates most intercity passenger trains in the United States, continued to use Auto-Train's autoracks as an important portion of its service. These were supplemented with new bilevels built by Johnstown America in 2004 and 2005.

In current operation of Amtrak's Auto Train, there are two trains in operation simultaneously. The autoracks normally run on the rear of Auto Train [[Train#United States|consists]], which stretch over a three quarters of a mile, and are a familiar sight on [[CSX]] tracks on the east coast.{{Citation needed|date=November 2021}}

====Whittier Shuttle====
In the mid-1960s, the [[Alaska Railroad]] began offering a vehicle shuttle service utilizing standard flat cars and [[Passenger car (rail)|passenger cars]]. Dubbed the "Whittier Shuttle," it operated in Alaska through the [[Portage Glacier Highway#Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel|Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel]] under Maynard Mountain between a stop just off the [[Seward Highway]] near the former town of [[Portage, Anchorage|Portage]] and the small port town of [[Whittier, Alaska]], which was also a port of call for the [[Alaska Marine Highway]] ferry system.

As traffic to Whittier increased, the shuttle became insufficient, leading to a project to convert the existing railroad tunnel into a single-lane combination highway and railway tunnel which was opened to traffic on June 7, 2000. At a length of {{convert|13300|ft|m|1}}, it is the second-longest [[highway]] [[tunnel]] and the longest combined rail and highway tunnel in [[North America]].