Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr Downtown
I find it hard to imagine that Airport Express would run faster than 70 mph, and probably much closer to 55. Chicago's rapid transit equipment is essentially high-platform streetcars. They would bounce uncomfortably at high speeds, and it's hard to imagine FRA approving higher speeds for such lightweight equipment with so little buff strength. (Actually, it's doubtful that FRA would have jurisdiction over a new Airport Express, but the safety question would still arise).
To follow up on my earlier post, I am told that Metra's Southwest Service does run close to 70 mph between Willow Springs and Lemont. The timetable shows it covering the 7 miles between stations in 9 minutes.
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This is from Feb. 11, 2008 Chicago Tribune article:
Work to
eliminate remaining slow zones is scheduled on the
Blue, Red, Purple, Brown and Green Lines this year. The
longest stretches are from
Addison to O'Hare International Airport on the
Blue Line, and from Harrison to North/Clybourn on the Red Line. All work is
scheduled for completion by
late this year or early 2009, officials said. The improved rail lines could eventually improve efficiency and result in extra runs on some lines to help ease overcrowded conditions in the trains, said William Mooney, the CTA's chief operating officer. About 54 miles of slow zones on the CTA system were removed in 2007, allowing trains to once again travel at up to 55 miles per hour on tracks where speeds formerly had been restricted to as slow as 6 m.p.h. Despite that, slow zones increased overall -- by 63 miles -- because of stepped-up track inspections.
About
17 percent of CTA tracks are
under slow-zone orders. Huberman's goal is to cut that to a single-digit percentage -- less than 20 miles of slow zones in the 224-mile system -- by late this year, he said.
Top train speeds on the rehabbed track are tentatively scheduled to increase to
65 m.p.h. from the
current 55 m.p.h. by the end of 2008, then
increase to 70 m.p.h. when the first of some
400 new rail cars begin service in
2010, officials said.
----->>> Link to a webpage on the new rail cars
http://www.chicago-l.org/trains/roster/5000mkII.html
The improvements would cut the current travel time from the
Loop to O'Hare on the
Blue Line from
55 minutes or longer today to less than
40 minutes, Huberman said.
My question would then be, if in 2010 when slowzones are eliminated on the Blue Line to ORD and new 5000 series rail cars are in use that can reach 70 mph, how is the Airport Express supposed to decrease the travel time if trains won't be able to go faster than 70 mph anyway. Seem like a waste of money then to develp the Airport Express.
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