High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Program (USA)

[scalziand]

Originally Posted by BrownTown

So basically never?

Maybe for a couple hours in the middle of the night.

[Nexis4Jersey]

Originally Posted by northbay

Looks really good!
Pic link?

Someone posted it on SSC...

[anday]

ABR launches US High Speed Railway Division

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-relea...300107809.html

[Nexis4Jersey]

New Catenary poles going up along the NEC in Central Jersey...


New and Old Catenary Pole by Corey Best, on Flickr

[M II A II R II K]

Why Can't the United States Build a High-Speed Rail System?

Read More: http://www.citylab.com/politics/2014...system/375980/

.....

So why has the United States failed to fund and construct high-speed rail? The problem is not political process. Most of the countries that have built high-speed rail are democratic, and have submitted the projects to citizen review; others, like Germany and Russia, have federated governments similar to ours that divide general decision-making between levels of authority.

- Nor is it geography. The British and French completed a 31-mile tunnel under the British Channel 20 years ago, while many American cities are located in flat regions with few physical construction obstacles. Nor is it the characteristics of our urban areas. While U.S. cities are less dense than those of many other countries, the Northeast is denser, more transit reliant, and more populated than most areas served by high-speed rail abroad. Nor still is it money. Though the United States invests less in infrastructure than other developed countries do, America nevertheless remains an immensely wealthy nation perfectly capable of spending on new rail links if desired.

- What's missing is a federal commitment to a well-funded national rail plan. Instead, we have a political system in which the federal government, having devolved virtually all decision-making power to states, cannot prioritize one project over another in the national interest. We have a funding system that encourages study after study of unfundable or unbuildable projects in places that refuse to commit their own resources. And we have a bureaucracy that, having never operated or constructed modern intercity rail, doesn't understand what it takes. This helter-skelter approach to transportation improvements is fundamentally incapable of supporting large-expenditure, long-range projects like high-speed rail.

- In 1956, Congress approved a significant increase in the federal gas tax, and with it a national plan for interstate highways. That plan, which included a steady stream of funding and a clear map of national priorities, was mostly completed over the next three decades. Though implemented by states, highway alignments were chosen at the national level, with the intention of connecting the largest cities, regardless of political boundaries. Funding came almost entirely (90 percent) from the national government and was guaranteed as long as a route was on the national map. Physical requirements for roadways were mandated at the national level and universally applied. And construction was completed by state departments of transportation that were technically knowledgeable, accustomed to building such public works, and able to make decisions about how to move forward.

- Yet Americans do not have the same perspective on the role of the federal government that they had when this highway system was initially funded. Trust in Washington has declined from more than 70 percent during the 1950s to less than 20 percent today. So while President Dwight Eisenhower declared in 1955 that the federal government should "assume principal responsibility" for the highway system, its approach to a high-speed rail network has reflected this change in public thinking about Washington's place in transportation planning. The response has been to reduce the federal government's ability to commit to a long-term plan and associated funding.

- Recent efforts to revive this federal role have been seriously flawed. Take the Obama administration's attempt at a national plan of proposed intercity rail investments in 2009. For starters, the map's proposed routes were vague, a number of important connections were not identified, and some routes appeared to have been chosen at random—simply the consequence of previous state studies with no national outlook. Funding had been dedicated through an initial $8 billion included in the stimulus bill, but there was certainly no guarantee that railways on that map would be built in the long term. The definition of "high-speed rail" was not applied universally; the administration proposed some links at 90 m.p.h. and others at more than 250 m.p.h., with no explanation for why some would be fast and others not.

- Finally, many of the states that were supposed to be implementing these projects were woefully unprepared for the task, having made few such investments in the past. None had the experience of building 200 m.p.h. electric railways to the international standard. Such an approach to national transportation doesn't work. It leaves too many planning questions open to state decision making, and it fails to offer a financing source that actually produces the funds needed for intercity rail. Far from fulfilling Eisenhower's mandate of assuming principal responsibility, the latest high-speed rail plan assumed too little.

.....

[M II A II R II K]

Richmond-to-Raleigh high-speed rail plan approved

Read More: http://www.richmond.com/news/virgini...087be6f55.html

State and federal authorities have approved plans — but not the funding — for a high-speed passenger rail line between Richmond and Raleigh, N.C., that would cut nearly in half the travel time between the two capitals and return rail service to a part of Southside Virginia that saw its tracks torn up nearly 30 years ago.

The project is part of a larger plan to bring faster train service between Washington and Atlanta. The Richmond-to-Raleigh route would take just over 2 hours, compared with the 3.5 hours it takes today. “This approval is an important step toward a higher-speed rail system that will enhance our efforts to build a new Virginia economy,” Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe said in a written statement. “Higher-speed rail is one of my administration’s top transportation priorities because it will generate new economic activity and improve Virginians’ quality of life. I look forward to the advancement of this important project.”

.....

[Busy Bee]

So is this 110mph "higher" speed rail or something more ambitious?

[M II A II R II K]

Calculate a 2 hour ride to get an average speed.

[electricron]

Originally Posted by M II A II R II K

Calculate a 2 hour ride to get an average speed.

Existing rail corridor being used today the timetable states the distance between Richmond and Raleigh as 197 miles. Assuming the new faster corridor is close to the same distance, the trains would have to average 98.5 mph to travel that distance in two hours. 90 mph trains can't make that distance in two hours. That's very fast considering there are four intermediate stations; Petersburg VA, Rocky Mount NC, Wilson NC, and Selma-Smithfield NC.

I wish we stop thinking 110 mph maximum speed trains are high speed trains. All of Amtrak's existing rolling stock, that's not about to be retired, can achieve these speeds if the rail corridor supported it.
Superliners, Viewliners, and Horizon cars are not my idea of high speed trains.

[phoenixboi08]

Originally Posted by electricron

Existing rail corridor being used today the timetable states the distance between Richmond and Raleigh as 197 miles. Assuming the new faster corridor is close to the same distance, the trains would have to average 98.5 mph to travel that distance in two hours. 90 mph trains can't make that distance in two hours. That's very fast considering there are four intermediate stations; Petersburg VA, Rocky Mount NC, Wilson NC, and Selma-Smithfield NC.

I wish we stop thinking 110 mph maximum speed trains are high speed trains. All of Amtrak's existing rolling stock, that's not about to be retired, can achieve these speeds if the rail corridor supported it.
Superliners, Viewliners, and Horizon cars are not my idea of high speed trains.

The point isn't the speed...it's the upgrades that make the corridor attractive to riders.

It doesn't need to be HSR, at this point. That is the next, natural, progression.

[electricron]

Originally Posted by phoenixboi08

The point isn't the speed...it's the upgrades that make the corridor attractive to riders.

It doesn't need to be HSR, at this point. That is the next, natural, progression.

I'm not against upgrades to achieve higher speeds on corridors with multiple (more than two) passenger trains per day, what I'm suggesting is not calling these upgrades high speed rail. Some of the recent high speed upgrades, like in Missouri, didn't even increase train speeds over 79 mph. The purpose of that upgrade was to increase the number of passenger trains on the corridor, which subsequently didn't happen.

[Nexis4Jersey]

Some recent videos from Jersey Mike

Amtrak Train 172 - Old Saybrook to New London Rear View

• Video Link

Amtrak Train 172 - New London to Kingston Rear View

• Video Link

Amtrak Train 172 - Kingston to Providence Rear View

• Video Link


Amtrak Train 172 -Providence to Route 128 Rear View

• Video Link

Amtrak Train 172 Route 128 to Boston Back Bay

• Video Link

[aquablue]

The entire program is very slow and the results not impressive so far. I hope to see some proper HSR in the USA one day, but I'm not counting on it.

Best chance is probably with the private funded projects AFAICS.

[UrbanImpact]

Originally Posted by aquablue

The entire program is very slow and the results not impressive so far. I hope to see some proper HSR in the USA one day, but I'm not counting on it.

Best chance is probably with the private funded projects AFAICS.

It's under construction in FL.

[hammersklavier]

Originally Posted by aquablue

The entire program is very slow and the results not impressive so far. I hope to see some proper HSR in the USA one day, but I'm not counting on it.

Best chance is probably with the private funded projects AFAICS.

The first true freeway in the United States opened a good twenty years before the Interstates began to get built in earnest.

Likewise, the first railroads were built in the 1820s and 1830s but the major rail system didn't start getting built in earnest until the 1850s.

With all infrastructure, you've got the early adopters...and then, once a tipping point is reached, people build connections like crazy.

[phoenixboi08]

Originally Posted by electricron

I'm not against upgrades to achieve higher speeds on corridors with multiple (more than two) passenger trains per day, what I'm suggesting is not calling these upgrades high speed rail. Some of the recent high speed upgrades, like in Missouri, didn't even increase train speeds over 79 mph. The purpose of that upgrade was to increase the number of passenger trains on the corridor, which subsequently didn't happen.

Yeah, I get it, but you can't expect a lot of the reporting to understand (or bother with) that distinction...they just care about how fast it is, without providing any nuance.

It's the same reason that the TX Central project gets reported as an inevitability, while the CAHSR project is always cast as being uncertain...only one of them is actually under construction.

The monies went to HSR projects, and rail upgrades and improvements. Some of the incremental projects - such as in Illinois - are setting the stage for future improvements in service. Others are less ambitious.

I think the important thing is the long-term vision, not the short-term progress. The improvements in the Carolinas are part of the SE HSR network, that is winding it's way through all of the regional partners' DOTs.

IDK, I just think it's hard to have such a strict divorce between the two.

[aquablue]

Originally Posted by UrbanImpact

It's under construction in FL.

Not true HSR.

I'm talking about TGV a style trains. I have no confidence that the California train will ever be fully built. same with Texas and the north east future maglev that is being discussed in Maryland. The opposition and funding problems are all to omnipresent.

[electricron]

Originally Posted by phoenixboi08

Yeah, I get it, but you can't expect a lot of the reporting to understand (or bother with) that distinction...they just care about how fast it is, without providing any nuance.

IDK, I just think it's hard to have such a strict divorce between the two.

I disagree, it's easy to distingous between higher speed and high speed rail. All one has to do is point out what trains you will be using, if you're using the existing trains or could be using them, it's not HSR. Additionally, there isn't a true HSR network in the world using diesel locomotives, although I will admit not all electric locomotives are HSR. But if the railroad tracks don't have catenary wires above them, it isn't HSR.

[Nexis4Jersey]

So today I got a rear view window from Center City all the way to Trenton

Emerging from the Center City Tunnel


SEPTA Trenton Line Railfan window outbound Journey by Corey Best, on Flickr


SEPTA Trenton Line Railfan window outbound Journey by Corey Best, on Flickr

Leaving SEPTA 30th Street Station


SEPTA Trenton Line Railfan window outbound Journey by Corey Best, on Flickr

Accelerating in the 30th Street yard


SEPTA Trenton Line Railfan window outbound Journey by Corey Best, on Flickr

some SEPTA equipment parked in the yard


SEPTA Trenton Line Railfan window outbound Journey by Corey Best, on Flickr

Yellow PRR Signals...which seem to be used only in Center City


SEPTA Trenton Line Railfan window outbound Journey by Corey Best, on Flickr


SEPTA Trenton Line Railfan window outbound Journey by Corey Best, on Flickr


SEPTA Trenton Line Railfan window outbound Journey by Corey Best, on Flickr

Diesel unit reversing into the Yard from the Zoo Interlocks


SEPTA Trenton Line Railfan window outbound Journey by Corey Best, on Flickr

Crossing the Schuylkill River


SEPTA Trenton Line Railfan window outbound Journey by Corey Best, on Flickr

Its Straight and Fast in parts of North Philly


SEPTA Trenton Line Railfan window outbound Journey by Corey Best, on Flickr

A slight curve to the right


SEPTA Trenton Line Railfan window outbound Journey by Corey Best, on Flickr

Passing an inbound Atlantic City line train


SEPTA Trenton Line Railfan window outbound Journey by Corey Best, on Flickr

Under the Market-Frankford EL


SEPTA Trenton Line Railfan window outbound Journey by Corey Best, on Flickr


SEPTA Trenton Line Railfan window outbound Journey by Corey Best, on Flickr

The infamous Curve where the derailment occurred earlier this yr..., the poles were anchored in concrete...but they didn't appear to be new..


SEPTA Trenton Line Railfan window outbound Journey by Corey Best, on Flickr


SEPTA Trenton Line Railfan window outbound Journey by Corey Best, on Flickr

Southbound Regional roars past near Bridesburg station


SEPTA Trenton Line Railfan window outbound Journey by Corey Best, on Flickr

60 Speed limit near Bridesburg


SEPTA Trenton Line Railfan window outbound Journey by Corey Best, on Flickr

Another straight away near Tacony station


SEPTA Trenton Line Railfan window outbound Journey by Corey Best, on Flickr

Northbound Regional roars past at Torresdale station


SEPTA Trenton Line Railfan window outbound Journey by Corey Best, on Flickr

Very Curvy in Northeastern Philly


SEPTA Trenton Line Railfan window outbound Journey by Corey Best, on Flickr


SEPTA Trenton Line Railfan window outbound Journey by Corey Best, on Flickr

Finally out of Philly , this station is Croydon


SEPTA Trenton Line Railfan window outbound Journey by Corey Best, on Flickr


SEPTA Trenton Line Railfan window outbound Journey by Corey Best, on Flickr

Another straight away along US 13


SEPTA Trenton Line Railfan window outbound Journey by Corey Best, on Flickr

And a Curve before Bristol


SEPTA Trenton Line Railfan window outbound Journey by Corey Best, on Flickr

And another Curve after Bristol


SEPTA Trenton Line Railfan window outbound Journey by Corey Best, on Flickr

near Levvittown Station


SEPTA Trenton Line Railfan window outbound Journey by Corey Best, on Flickr

Inbound Septa local passing outside Levvittown


SEPTA Trenton Line Railfan window outbound Journey by Corey Best, on Flickr

Southbound Acela passing...


SEPTA Trenton Line Railfan window outbound Journey by Corey Best, on Flickr


SEPTA Trenton Line Railfan window outbound Journey by Corey Best, on Flickr

Trenton Cut...


Trenton Northeast Corridor Cut by Corey Best, on Flickr


Trenton Northeast Corridor Cut by Corey Best, on Flickr

[northbay]

^ Nice tour, thank you. An interesting perspective.