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  #1221  
Old Posted Apr 19, 2016, 9:02 PM
Emprise du Lion Emprise du Lion is offline
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While not true HSR, did the improvements for higher speed rail services for Amtrak trains between Chicago and St. Louis accomplish anything?

The majority of the rail upgrade part of the project was supposed to be completed last December, but it's still taking trains roughly 5.5 hours to go between the two cities.
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  #1222  
Old Posted May 10, 2016, 3:04 PM
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Bullet Trains May Finally Come to the US, Thanks to Chinese Investors

By Robin Respaut, Reuters
May 7, 2016

Companies in Texas, Minnesota and Nevada all plan to tap private cash from investors globally, with help from foreign train makers and governments eager to export train technology. The projects would rely on partnerships with Japanese or Chinese firms that face saturated train markets at home.

“The United States is the Holy Grail of deployment for Japan, China, France, Germany and Spain,” said Tim Keith, Texas Central CEO.

California's example shows that taking taxpayer money opens the door to political and legal challenges that can drag out planning, bidding and approvals for years, private rail advocates said. Companies now see a quicker - even cheaper - path by largely avoiding such headaches.

“All the rules relating to public engagement start the day you take public funding,” said Wendy Meadley, chief strategy officer for North American High Speed Rail Group’s project in Minnesota. With private financing, she said, opponents "can’t make thousands of public records requests and run the project over.”

http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/2016/0...nese-Investors
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  #1223  
Old Posted Jun 13, 2016, 1:00 PM
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XpressWest, seeking to build U.S. high-speed rail, ends deal with China group
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-us...-idUSKCN0YV05R
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  #1224  
Old Posted Jun 16, 2016, 8:08 PM
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Centropolis Centropolis is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Emprise du Lion View Post
While not true HSR, did the improvements for higher speed rail services for Amtrak trains between Chicago and St. Louis accomplish anything?

The majority of the rail upgrade part of the project was supposed to be completed last December, but it's still taking trains roughly 5.5 hours to go between the two cities.



idothsr.org

i saw active construction on the line north of alton last weekend, where it appears that they are straightening track and condemning properties in the new ROW. they are still working on track all over the place...i think they are way behind and only goosing it to 110 in a short stretch just south of chicagoland.
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  #1225  
Old Posted Jun 16, 2016, 10:31 PM
llamaorama llamaorama is offline
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How is the rolling stock delivery going for the Midwest Regional Rail?

There were supposed to be new bilevel passenger coaches. But apparently the company making them f'ed up the design and it failed crash testing.
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  #1226  
Old Posted Jun 19, 2016, 4:07 AM
Emprise du Lion Emprise du Lion is offline
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Originally Posted by Centropolis View Post

idothsr.org

i saw active construction on the line north of alton last weekend, where it appears that they are straightening track and condemning properties in the new ROW. they are still working on track all over the place...i think they are way behind and only goosing it to 110 in a short stretch just south of chicagoland.
Thanks for the update. Cutting the travel time from 5.5 hours to 4.5 hours once everything is complete, and the majority of the track is able to handle 110 mph, is honestly a joke. That's roughly the same time it takes to make the trip via car, especially after the speed limits were raised to 70 mph on the majority of I-55 between the two cities.

Oh well

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Originally Posted by llamaorama View Post
How is the rolling stock delivery going for the Midwest Regional Rail?

There were supposed to be new bilevel passenger coaches. But apparently the company making them f'ed up the design and it failed crash testing.
I vaguely remember reading somewhere that they're at risk of losing federal funding over it because the cars can't be delivered on time.
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  #1227  
Old Posted Jun 19, 2016, 5:16 AM
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Originally Posted by Emprise du Lion View Post
Thanks for the update. Cutting the travel time from 5.5 hours to 4.5 hours once everything is complete, and the majority of the track is able to handle 110 mph, is honestly a joke. That's roughly the same time it takes to make the trip via car, especially after the speed limits were raised to 70 mph on the majority of I-55 between the two cities.
Oh well
While I realize what you stated is very true, I believe it is unfair to compare elapse times of non-stop travel with multiple stop travel.

You could compare non-stop flights with one or two stop flights between destinations as well, I guarantee the multiple stop flight schedules are always longer than the non-stop flights.

Comparing a multiple stop bus with a multiple stop train would be a fairer comparison.
Even on the NEC, Acela trains don't average elapse time average speeds that much higher than cars on the various turnpikes.

But life is unfair - so I know the comparisons of elapse times between a train and a car will continue - that's life! That's amongst the choices the potential customers in St. Louis and Chicago have.

Last edited by electricron; Jun 19, 2016 at 5:28 AM.
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  #1228  
Old Posted Aug 26, 2016, 7:53 PM
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Amtrak Announces Next-Generation of High-Speed Rail

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  #1229  
Old Posted Aug 27, 2016, 12:49 AM
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^Pretty spiffy video. Here's the press release.

Amtrak’s Next-Generation of High-Speed Trains

At Amtrak we know the future of the Northeast Corridor (NEC) depends on the investments we make today, which is why we are excited to announce the upcoming arrival of the next-generation of high-speed rail. The new trainsets will replace the current Acela Express equipment and begin service in 2021. As part of this multi-faceted modernization program, Amtrak is also investing in the infrastructure needed to improve your customer experience onboard the train and in major NEC stations including Washington Union Station and Moynihan Station New York.

This investment will expand and modernize the Acela Express service you’ve come to expect, while adding the amenities and ride quality of international high-speed train services. This next-generation of Acela Express will give you a more comfortable and productive travel experience throughout your entire journey. Just a few of the new amenities include:

Approximately one-third more passenger seating, while preserving the spacious, high-end comfort found onboard today
Modern interior design
Improved Wi-Fi access and quality
Personal outlets, USB ports and adjustable reading lights at every seat
Enhanced food service options
Exceed the ADA minimum accessibility requirements

By adding 40-percent more trainsets than the current Acela Express fleet, we are providing you with more travel options. Upon delivery of the new trainsets, Acela Express service will be offered every half-hour between Washington, D.C. and New York City during peak times, and every hour between New York City and Boston throughout the day. This expanded fleet will give you more departure options during peak travel times.

The new trainsets are among the safest, most reliable and energy efficient in the world. They have a 35-year track record of transporting billions of customers to their destinations safely. In reliability, we anticipate the new trainsets will be at least eight times more reliable than the equipment it replaces, ensuring that we will get you where you need to go on time, every time. Finally, the new trainsets will reduce operating energy consumption by at least 20 percent, through a combination of minimal aerodynamic drag and lightweight design.

This is the most significant investment Amtrak has made in its infrastructure and technology in the 45 years of providing passenger rail service to the American public and it was important to us that these trainsets be “Made in America” as much as possible. For this project, we are pleased to be partnering with Alstom, a leading global provider of innovative systems and equipment in the railway sector. Alstom will be building these new trainsets in New York State, with 95 percent of the trainset’s components being made in America, and parts coming from more than 350 suppliers in over 30 U.S. states.

We look forward to having you join us on this journey as we work to revolutionize high-speed passenger rail in the country, support the American economy and continue to provide you with a reliable, smooth and efficient ride as you travel throughout the Northeast. Continue to check back here for more details on the progress of next-generation high-speed rail on the Northeast Corridor.

http://blog.amtrak.com/2016/08/amtra...-speed-trains/
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  #1230  
Old Posted Sep 5, 2016, 8:01 PM
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^ Splendid deal for Alstom. They've been pleased about it over here, I must say.

Although it will be great mostly to their NY state facility. I think Alstom was originally a French-American company of some sort; they've been in NY for some 150 years! or so I heard. Such a nice bid is always good to boost studies and engineering over here as well anyway.

Otherwise, I hear Siemens should be in charge of CA's hsr. They're established in Sacramento.

Lol, I would predict some ugly fight over the US market for the coming couple of decades, cause there's so much to do to upgrade the existing network over there, and lots of dollars to do so, huh. Thus loads of bids to steal. The most hungry will take it and feed on.
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  #1231  
Old Posted Sep 6, 2016, 7:52 AM
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Although it will be great mostly to their NY state facility. I think Alstom was originally a French-American company of some sort; they've been in NY for some 150 years! or so I heard.
Alstom timeline
http://www.alstom.com/Global/US/Reso...language=en-GB

The Hornell shops was initially the main shops for the Erie Railroad. The Erie Railroad arrived in Hornell in 1850 where it built the locomotive shops for the entire railroad. It merged with the Lackawanna Railroad in 1960, with the result of the Hornell shops being closed in favor of shops in Scranton. The Erie Lackawanna Railroad filed for bankruptcy in 1972 a few days after Hurricane Agnes destroyed 200 miles of roadbed along the Canister River. Most of its holdings were given to Conrail which was formed in 1976.
The City of Hornell bought the shops in 1976, not trusting Contrail to reopen them. GE leased the shops for a few years. Morrison Knudsen acquired the shops from the city in 1983.Morris Knudsen went bankrupted in 1995, the holding company for the bonds formed Amerail to finish a contract for Chicago. In 1997 Alstom’s U.S. Transport business formed through acquisition of the American Passenger Rail Car Company in Hornell, NY. (Amerial)

The shops in Hornell have a longer history than Alstom. Alsthom was founded in 1928 from the merger of French heavy engineering interests of the Thomson-Houston Electric Company (then part of General Electric) and Société Alsacienne de Constructions Mécaniques, with the first factory in Belfort.
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  #1232  
Old Posted Sep 6, 2016, 5:19 PM
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  #1233  
Old Posted Sep 6, 2016, 5:20 PM
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Some interesting thoughts and insights on Amtrak's new high-speed trains and Amtrak's new CEO

Video Link
[/QUOTE]
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  #1234  
Old Posted Sep 6, 2016, 8:23 PM
ChargerCarl ChargerCarl is offline
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Some criticisms of Amtrak's new trains:

https://pedestrianobservations.wordp...rder-followup/
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  #1235  
Old Posted Sep 7, 2016, 12:17 AM
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Some interesting thoughts and insights on Amtrak's new high-speed trains and Amtrak's new CEO

Video Link
[/QUOTE]

Thoughts from college students foamers aren't necessarily wise ones.
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  #1236  
Old Posted Sep 7, 2016, 12:25 AM
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Some criticisms of Amtrak's new trains:

https://pedestrianobservations.wordp...rder-followup/
High costs in $Billions will always bring out the critics.

It's a new paint job over rust game they are playing here. Instead of investing this $2 Billion on crumbling infrastructure, they invest on the lipstick first to replace the lipstick they bought 20 years ago - but they keep the ugly pigs they bought 40 years ago. Amtrak has got its priorities wrong, imho.
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  #1237  
Old Posted Sep 7, 2016, 10:16 AM
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I'm afraid cost to upgrade the wide infrastructures will go far far beyond $2bi, though...

Well at least, in most cases they wouldn't have to pay for expropriations since a fair network would already be there, but the plain fact of upgrading tracks obviously costs much more than a few rail cars, would they be overpriced.

Amtrak might be trying some trick, say some showcase to advertise passenger rail services by something that would be a little fancier and faster than their current stuff, so they may eventually raise more funding for the real heavy work.

Also, in spite of common preconceptions and the load of public subsidies it requires to maintain a decent network, rail transit is nothing much so "socialistic". It is subject to marketing, short-term tactics, rough competition and so on just as any other business. That's just about what I was saying a bit ironically. Don't feel like there'd be any kind of ideology in there, just a business that is still quite helpful to broader attractive development. Sure it works better than cars or airports in this most essential respect.
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  #1238  
Old Posted Sep 7, 2016, 4:09 PM
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I'm afraid cost to upgrade the wide infrastructures will go far far beyond $2bi, though...
Planned Northeast Corridor upgrades will cost well over $20 billion.

https://nec.amtrak.com/high-speed-rail

The $2 billion is just for new trainsets, and doesn't cost the taxpayers anything, since this route is profitable. The upgrades will probably have a taxpayer cost, though.
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  #1239  
Old Posted Sep 7, 2016, 5:05 PM
ChargerCarl ChargerCarl is offline
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Whether or not it costs taxpayers any extra money upfront is besides the point: we're getting less than we should from a public agency because Amtrak can't control it's costs.

Seriously, the entire NEC plan is atrociously expensive.
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  #1240  
Old Posted Sep 7, 2016, 5:09 PM
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The new trains will supposedly increase Amtrak's revenue, with faster travel times and added capacity etc. Can Amtrak take some of this new revenue and invest it back into the infrastructure? I remember hearing that this wasn't possible before, but with some restructuring and new laws, Amtrak can invest NEC operating revenue back into the NEC infrastructure.

Obviously the increase in revenue will not pay for a $20 billion backlog in projects, but couldn't it pay for the little things? Projects like the Hudson river and Baltimore tunnels will always take big government grants - but for smaller things like track and catenary upgrades, these could potentially now be done entirely by Amtrak?
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