Quote:
Originally Posted by electricron
I'm not sure why you are counting grade crossings for a train going from Cincinnati to Columbus via Dayton? 79 mph max speed trains over Class 4 track easily travels the 130 miles or so well within 3 hours.
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There is a lot of political pressure to have these trains stop at suburban locations and in small towns (i.e. one stop per county). If there are only going to be three trains per day in each direction, there aren't going to be any expresses that skip these intermediate stations.
There is also a lot of pressure to have no train horns at grade crossings, increasing the need for grade separations.
The speed limit on I-71 between Cincinnati and Columbus is 70mph, meaning many drive 80mph. A worst-case scenario train won't get to Columbus before a lead foot driver makes it to Cleveland.