Overhauling Amtrak

[TowerDude]

Huge announcement here from @KathyHochul about a $400 million project to replace the Livingston Avenue Bridge. Project will include pedestrian/bike access.
Also: Renderings!
https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1524837583011860490

[202_Cyclist]

Raleigh-to-Richmond rail line gets a $58 million boost from the feds

By Charles Duncan
Spectrum News
June 1, 2022


"Development of a high-speed rail line connecting Raleigh, North Carolina, to Richmond, Virginia, has been in the works for more than a decade, but the project is picking up the pace. The federal government is putting another $58 million to continue work on the route connecting the two capital cities.

Amtrak currently runs two trains on the route between Raleigh and Richmond: The Carolinian, which goes from New York City to Charlotte, and the Silver Star, which runs from New York City to Miami. The trip from Raleigh to Richmond on either train takes about four hours.

Once built, the new high-speed rail line will add more trains running between Raleigh and Richmond and cut travel times by about an hour, according to Rep. David Price, a Democrat and chair of the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Subcommittee in the House..."

https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nc/cha...-from-the-feds

[SIGSEGV]

I rode the Lincoln Service today to go to a conference at WashU this week, bringing the wife and baby along. It was one of the new consists, which is great because it has important features like... a diaper changing table. The train was completely sold out (thank you baseball? but also, like, couldn't they add some cars?), but somehow managed to get everyone boarded and left almost on time, arriving in STL 20 mins before schedule in almost exactly 5 hours (despite waiting outside Bloomington/Normal for a while). It seems like with no delays (hah!), the train should easily make less than five hours...

[202_Cyclist]

AMTRAK ADVANCES NORTHEAST CORRIDOR IMPROVEMENTS


Photo courtesy of Amtrak.

June 3, 2022

"WASHINGTON – Amtrak is making necessary infrastructure improvements between Washington D.C. and New York as part of a larger effort to improve the railroad, bring it to a state of good repair and to enhance the overall customer experience. Amtrak has committed approximately $130 million for rail improvements, of which over $55 million will be performed this summer. The railroad has also hired 500 new employees to complete these projects and will continue to hire additional workers.

“Amtrak continues to prioritize updating our infrastructure to improve service reliability on the Northeast Corridor,” said Amtrak Executive Vice President, Capital Delivery Laura Mason. “Modernizing and investing in infrastructure is a continuous process on the railroad and we thank our partners for their coordination and flexibility as we advance these important projects.”

Once complete, these projects will reduce the likelihood of lengthy train delays and significantly improve ride quality for customers. Train schedules have been adjusted to account for this work and to avoid conflicts with other commuter agencies, however, minor delays may be expected. For each project, Amtrak’s production team will be working the night shift and heavy production will occur on weekend nights to minimize impacts for customers.

Specifics of the work include:

Replacing 40 track switches throughout New York and the Northern and *Southern Mid-Atlantic regions
*Updating up to 25 miles of track in the Southern Mid-Atlantic Region"

https://media.amtrak.com/2022/06/amt...-improvements/

[jmecklenborg]

Originally Posted by 202_Cyclist

Nashville lawmakers reintroduce bill to study Amtrak expansion in Tennessee

By Adam Friedman
Nashville Tennessean
Feb. 22, 2022

"Nashville's state lawmakers want Tennessee to study the cost and feasibility of an Amtrak rail line connecting Chattanooga, Knoxville, Nashville and Memphis.

The bill would direct the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations to conduct a study determining what it would take for a commuter rail connecting most of the state.

The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Jason Powell, D-Nashville, and Sen. Heidi Campbell, D-Nashville, mirrors similar legislation that passed the Senate in 2020 but never made it for a vote in the House because the session was cut short by COVID-19..."

https://www.tennessean.com/story/new...ne/6892683001/

Please note that this bill will merely direct an existing state agency to study Amtrak routes. It does not provide any dedicated funding for the agency to do so.

It also makes no mention of the long-proposed HSR line between Chattanooga and Atlanta:
https://railroads.dot.gov/environmen...transportation

This line has been talked about for 25+ years, back to the Atlanta Olympics. Obviously, a conventional Nashville>Atlanta Amtrak train would overlap this corridor. I have always wondered what is behind the old and somehow ongoing HSR proposal because Chattanooga is a small city and HSR makes no sense unless it's a stepping stone to HSR between Nashville and Atlanta, a distance of about 250 miles.

Memphis>Nashville makes a ton of sense since there is almost no physical characteristic to overcome. My parents have lived very close to the existing freight line for 20 years and it does not have much traffic, meaning frequent passenger rail can be added without extensive upgrades.

Nashville>Knoxville is another matter entirely, as the Cumberland Plateau is a significant topographic issue that will limit train speeds. The line also intersects the hugely trafficked CSX line that connects Cincinnati and Chattanooga, so there might be a need for significant upgrades at that junction.

It would be great to see the service extended 20 miles east of Knoxville to Sevierville, which is at the foot of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This would require a new 10~ mile branch from the existing freight mainline.

[202_Cyclist]

Amtrak is attracting new travelers; sees shift from business to leisure passengers

By Sean Cudahy
The Points Guy
June 6, 2022

"This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page.

From crowded airports to busy beaches and tourist destinations across the U.S., this weekend’s numbers confirmed what we’ve expected for months: The travel surge is here to stay — for the coming few months at least, as the summer travel season begins in earnest.

U.S. airports have recently seen several of their busiest days of the COVID-19 pandemic, and drivers are leaving home despite record-high gas prices. There’s another section of the travel industry seeing demand like it hasn’t since before March 2020: America’s rail operators..."

https://thepointsguy.com/news/amtrak...travel-future/

[202_Cyclist]

Scranton-NYC Amtrak advocates send 'expression of interest' to Federal Railroad Administration

By Kathryne Rubright
Pocono Record
June 15, 2022


Image courtesy of the Pocono Record.

"Leaders in Monroe County have signed on to a letter showing support for restoring passenger rail service between Scranton and New York City.

The letter, headed by U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-8), is a formal expression of interest that lets the Federal Railroad Administration know that the signatories want to participate in a grant program that would help fund the route.

The infrastructure law passed last fall puts the FRA in charge of deciding which proposed Amtrak routes will receive funding through the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail grant program, Cartwright said during a press call on Wednesday. He was joined by U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) and Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority President Larry Malski..."

https://www.poconorecord.com/story/b...s/65361135007/

[canucklehead2]

Lakawanna already FFS! Get that Toronto Hamilton Buffalo HSR REBUILT already! All the way...

[tdawg]

I have some friends that live in Scranton who are super proponents of this.

[Busy Bee]

Jim and Pam?

[Randomguy34]

Texas Central won their court case 5-3

[Busy Bee]

Good news

[202_Cyclist]

Originally Posted by Busy Bee

Jim and Pam?

No, Ryan because he has to get to NYC.

[202_Cyclist]

Or maybe Michael Scott...

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YZtJU4q5wpg

[Busy Bee]

• Video Link

[Speculator]

Does anyone know when the Texas Eagle will get the new Siemens cars?

[ardecila]

Texas Eagle uses the Superliners, so they won't get replaced with single-level Siemens Venture coaches.

Amtrak may issue an RFP for the Superliner replacement next year. Will be interesting to see who bids. The Superliners are roomier than pretty much all railcars worldwide, so if they try to get an off-the-shelf design it will be more cramped. So I'm guessing the RFP will be yet another generation of Superliners, with some modern innovations.

[Busy Bee]

I'd like to see the stainless dropped in favor of a painted carbody that could be customized for the named train, maybe "throwback" painted in the scheme and style of the original fallen flag RR. In the case of the Texas Eagle you could have dark blue cars and red sun emblems used as a motif throughout the branding as an homage to the Missouri Pacific.

And yes, I understand that this would complicate equipment interchangeability.

[k1052]

Originally Posted by ardecila

Texas Eagle uses the Superliners, so they won't get replaced with single-level Siemens Venture coaches.

Amtrak may issue an RFP for the Superliner replacement next year. Will be interesting to see who bids. The Superliners are roomier than pretty much all railcars worldwide, so if they try to get an off-the-shelf design it will be more cramped. So I'm guessing the RFP will be yet another generation of Superliners, with some modern innovations.

The way things are going with the fleet they might want to bump up the RFP to this year or like maybe next week.

[Busy Bee]

^^^
Dump truck causes major derailment at unsafe grade crossing in Missouri. This comes less than a day after another idiot got 3 people killed after an Amtrak train hit a car in California.

Today's deadly derailment:

3 killed and 50 injured when Amtrak train from Los Angeles to Chicago derails in Missouri