Quote:
Originally Posted by chisouthsider
There’s 3 stops now, and no real reason to add any so it’ll probably stay there. Also, I’m not sure on your math, I think 90 miles in 40 minutes is about 135 MPH. You also should be able to get a high running speed without too many issues since most of the route is very straight.
With that, I’m not sure an hour from from downtown to downtown is feasible anytime soon, especially at rush hour. The biggest issue is Metra’s territory. Amtrak is routinely caught behind a Metra train making all stops, and it’s a 2 track line so I don’t know if you can punch a hole is the schedule big enough for Amtrak to sail through.
An hour from Milwaukee Airport to Chicago would be huge though. I think that’s doable, especially off peak. It’s only about 5 miles shorter, but the station is on the mainline outside the city so you’re saving the slow curvy run out of downtown Milwaukee. It’s also in a convenient spot - almost everyone in Milwaukee and Eastern Wisconsin has to drive right past the station on their way to Chicago anyway. Sub-hour trips would break a phycological barrier and help convince more people to take the train to Chicago (and possibly from Chicago to fly out of Milwaukee), and the downtown to downtown trip would still be under 70 minutes.
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Thanks for the math correction, your numbers look correct. Still trying to figure out how I thought 40 minutes was 60 minutes?
But the existing 3 stop Hiawatha is intercity rail ran by Amtrak, not commuter rail run by a local transit agency. I do not think local taxpayers would be happy with just 3 stops.