December 30, 200816 yr The airlines are doing to their passengers today what the railroads did to theirs back in the 50's and 60's.... treating them like so much cattle. The difference is that the railroads knew they could make money hauling freight. Makes it all the more puzzling why the airlines treat passengers so badly. Because what other option do you have? Especially with a long distance? As much as I enjoy taking Amtrak, I'm not taking it in its current state from Cleveland to NYC.
December 30, 200816 yr Understood, but it's not always about getting there fast. It's about getting there and not feeling like you were stuffed into the flying egg carton that airlines pass off as seating.... not being asked to pony up a fee for everything up to and including seemingly the right to breathe the on-board oxygen... not being able to leave your seat for anything longer than the time it takes to visit the restroom.... and not having to wade through the necessary but dehumanizing experience of airport security. The weakness with rail is not necessarily that it is slower than air travel .... it is over long distances... but that we don't have optrions (as you so rightly state) of more frequent and timely passenger rail service. That is coming both in Ohio and nationally. But even given the current system, I would much prefer a relaxed (if longer) trip on the Lake Shore to NYC than to get there feeling like your luggage. BTW: I like you avatar KStay2... I used to work with Big Chuck at WJW. In fact, he was on Feagler and friends last night reminicsing about Ernie "Ghoulardi" Anderson and the days of "live" TV.
December 30, 200816 yr Well put, noozer. On occasion someone will ask me, "Why should I take the train for two days when I can get there in four hours for less money on an airplane." Somewhat tongue-in-cheek considering the current state of Amtrak on-board service, I tell them, "You can pay the cheaper price and be subjected to indignities before you ever board the airplane, and then get crammed into a tiny seat with no room for your knees and get fed a cold, unappetizing snack if there's any food at all. If you have a window seat, unless you're lucky your vista will be the tops of clouds. "So, for your economy fare you get four hours of abject misery, while you can pay more and enjoy a couple of days of a comfortable seat or even your own private space with a bed to stretch out in. You can get up and walk about to your heart's content, most likely use a restroom without a lengthy wait, go to the lounge and buy a beverage of your choice when you choose to, and sit at a table with a continuously-changing view while eating hot food. You get what you pay for." In the words of the late John Achey, a retired locomotive engineer on the Soo Line whom I met nearly fifty years ago, "Good things ain't cheap, and cheap things ain't good!"
December 30, 200816 yr Understood, but it's not always about getting there fast. It's about getting there and not feeling like you were stuffed into the flying egg carton that airlines pass off as seating.... not being asked to pony up a fee for everything up to and including seemingly the right to breathe the on-board oxygen... not being able to leave your seat for anything longer than the time it takes to visit the restroom.... and not having to wade through the necessary but dehumanizing experience of airport security. The weakness with rail is not necessarily that it is slower than air travel .... it is over long distances... but that we don't have optrions (as you so rightly state) of more frequent and timely passenger rail service. That is coming both in Ohio and nationally. But even given the current system, I would much prefer a relaxed (if longer) trip on the Lake Shore to NYC than to get there feeling like your luggage. BTW: I like you avatar KStay2... I used to work with Big Chuck at WJW. In fact, he was on Feagler and friends last night reminicsing about Ernie "Ghoulardi" Anderson and the days of "live" TV. I dont feel that way about air travel. Although you're spot on, in regard to "options"
December 31, 200816 yr The challenge for rail is that 4 hours of airborn misery is worth it if the alternative is a full day+ and similar to worse reliability of getting somewhere on schedule. For my own equation, I simply want rail to equal car travel in time. I make frequent trips to Richmond, VA from central Ohio. If I could catch a train that took roughly 8-10 hours, I'd be on it in a second, but it simply isn't doable in under 18 or so and that includes at probably two stretches on a bus. Trains can compete with cars, air not so much - save abnormal circumstances - NE Corridor.
December 31, 200816 yr It's not so much being time-competitive with cars as it is the need for frequent departures and arrivals. There are at least 10 trains per day between the NE corridor cities. Step one for Ohio is simply getting daytime arrivals and departures, but multiple daily departures to Chicago, New York, and Washington would see a huge surge in ridership regardless of train speed. Well, the Cardinal from Cincinnati to Chicago is scheduled for 10 hours, which is totally ridiculous.
December 31, 200816 yr Passenger rail is actually very competitive with air in corridors of 500 miles and under, when you factor in travel time by car to and from airports and time spent going through security as well as airport delays. That's why you don't see many cheap flights over those distances.... it's just too costly for the airlines, as Skybus(t) found out. That's why the airlines don't cover anything but long-distance flights in Europe. There is barely any air service between London and Paris because of the Eurostar high-speed train. Recently, Harrisburg (PA) lost it's last direct flight to New York City because the airline stated it couldn't compete with 110 mph service by Amtrak between Harrisburg and NYC. This is why we need to start investing in the improvement and expansion of our rail system. Rail can compete if it's allowed to grow and reach modern speeds.
December 31, 200816 yr I don't argue the options available, but like you said, it's the time factor. If I have a limited amount of time with family for Christmas, I would rather spend the most time with them rather than cut down on that time due to a half-day train ride. (How about I throw in one more "time" for good measure).
December 31, 200816 yr When you compare contemporary car travel with contemporary train travel, consider that if we funded automobile infrastructure on a par with passenger rail infrastructure, those car trips drives wouldn't be at 70-plus mph on four or more lanes of interstate concrete and asphalt. They'd be on two-lane roads full of potholes and congested with trucks, slogging through urban cores with miles of stoplights, block after block.
December 31, 200816 yr Author If our transportation policy was as multi-modal as Europe's or Asia's (or soon, Algeria, Argentina, etc.), we'd be able travel by train to several destinations within metro New York City in 3.5 hours or less. That's the travel time, for example, from Paris to Marseille, which is the same distance as from Cleveland to New York -- through similar topography. Consider this: Not exactly flat, but it didn't slow this LGV on France's new east line from hitting 350 mph... Or Germany's ICE from maintaining a 200-mph cruising speed on this line through its hilly countryside which looks very much like Pennsylvania's Allegheny Mountains.... But, of course, we have to learn to walk before we can run by developing a physical and political foundation of conventional-speed services. Just as Europe, Japan, China etc. did, and just as California did. Otherwise we're like a six-year-old who wants a high-school diploma before even setting foot into a first-grade class. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
December 31, 200816 yr ^ I was trying to picture an Amtrak train traveling at 350 mph, or even 200 for that matter. Here's what I imagined would happen (fast forward to 2:07 if you want): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijzFvOPY0ag&hl=en&fs=1 http://www.mainstreetpainesville.org/
December 31, 200816 yr They'd be on two-lane roads full of potholes and congested with trucks, slogging through urban cores with miles of stoplights, block after block. Hmmm...just like we were pre-Interstate era? Interstates gave the auto an artificial advantage over trains that became so ingrained that when Obama talks about stimulus money all we hear is "roads and bridges, roads and bridges, roads and bridges," even though he is philosophically inclined to support trains. Just once I'd like to hear "trains and transit, trains and transit, trains and transit!"
December 31, 200816 yr Author That's a pretty awesome ending. But you can see Amtrak trains traveling at 150 mph (OK, not 200, but still pretty fast) every single day....... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bmd3ZmTPmWc&feature=related "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
December 31, 200816 yr Hmmm...just like we were pre-Interstate era? ... Yup! In the sixties I used to visit a friend who had a place off SR 800 just north of the Sistersville Ferry. I had a fast car, a lead foot, and no sense, and could make the drive from Fort Wayne in about six hours. I think at least an hour of that was spent crawling through Columbus on US 40.
January 8, 200916 yr LOts of idled auto plants and auto workers in Ohio who could be building these new rail cars.... see the story below... http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=email_en&refer=canada&sid=aSRvRwBOLAS0 Bombardier’s Rail Unit May Expand in U.S. on Stimulus By Hugo Miller Jan. 7 (Bloomberg) -- Bombardier Inc., Amtrak’s largest supplier, may build more trains in the U.S. as President-elect Barack Obama’s administration prepares a $775 billion stimulus package and the passenger railroad is set to win new funding. “If the new administration walks the talk in terms of helping the transit agency to fund more projects, we could expect to grow our business in the U.S.,” Andre Navarri, president of Bombardier’s rail business, said today in a telephone interview from the unit’s Berlin headquarters. That may lead to additional U.S. production, he said. more at the link above:
January 9, 200916 yr Author Trains and transit are highlighted in bold.... http://www.cleveland.com/westsidesun/news/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1231445328181590.xml&coll=4 Cleveland submits wish list of projects for federal funds Thursday, January 08, 2009 By Ken Prendergast [email protected] West Side Sun News Among $1.56 billion worth of infrastructure projects submitted by the city for federal economic stimulus funds, Mayor Frank Jackson singled out four projects as his highest priorities. ........... The 10 biggest remaining infrastructure projects, in dollar terms, in the mayor's request are: + $100 million for starting passenger rail service between downtown Cleveland, Hopkins Airport, Columbus and Cincinnati. + $100 million to conduct design and engineering to complete environmental work for a statewide high-speed rail system. + $60 million for phase one of relocating the Port of Cleveland away from downtown. + $55 million divided among two requests to complete infrastructure, plazas and structured parking to restart the $500 million Flats East Bank development. + $50 million for extending Euclid Corridor-type bus rapid transit service along Buckeye Road, East 55th Street and Clifton Boulevard. + $40 million for two phases of storm sewer meter automation and upgrades citywide. + $40 million to extend the Towpath Trail from Harvard Road to Canal Basin Park downtown. + $40 million for construction of a new air traffic control tower at Hopkins International Airport. + $33 million to rehabilitate sewer lines downtown. + $30 million to upgrade several rail rapid transit stations. Numerous other projects involved improving water mains, storm sewers, bridges, streets, trails, streetscapes and other infrastructure in neighborhoods citywide. Other agencies, including the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority and the North East Ohio Regional Sewer District, submitted their own lists of projects in Cleveland. NEORSD submitted four projects totaling $144 million. They include replacing incinerators, two relief sewers on the east side and replacement of substations at the Southerly Wastewater Treatment Plant. In total, RTA submitted $62.9 million worth of projects, nearly all of which are for upgrading rail system tracks, stations, electrical substations and bridges. The exception is $7.9 million for construction of a bus station and related development near Cleveland State University. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
January 12, 200916 yr Clark County transportation officials eye Amtrak service By Bridgette Outten Staff Writer Springfield News Sun Monday, January 12, 2009 SPRINGFIELD — Local and state officials are taking "baby steps" toward the construction of an Amtrak station in downtown Springfield, though they are hopeful that the project could be started in 2010. More at link below: http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2009/01/12/sns011309amtrak.html
January 15, 200916 yr Passenger railcar backlog exceeds $5 billion http://www.railwayage.com/breaking_news.shtml Passenger railcar builders entered 2009 with a backlog of 2,376 new cars valued at more than $5 billion on order from U.S. and Canadian passenger rail operators, according to Railway Age's annual survey. An additional 404 rebuilds on the backlog represent nearly $400 million in business for the manufacturers. Full story at link above: Noozer note: Now imagine if American-based companies like Budd, Pullman, American Car Foundries and other passenger car manufacturers were still alive and doing business today.... can you imagine the jobs that the kind of numbers above would generate? This is another reason why we need to agressively develop intercity, commuter and local transit rail systems.
January 22, 200916 yr Thursday, January 22, 2009 Doyle touts rail investment in House testimony Gov. Jim Doyle focused on the need to improve passenger rail access in his testimony this morning before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Doyle called passenger rail "the missing link" in federal transportation policy. Article from http://blogs.wispolitics.com/budget.html
February 1, 200916 yr A new group called Transport Politic has proposed their version of a national high-speed rail network. Their plan is detailed and very well thought out. Go check it out... http://thetransportpolitic.wordpress.com/2009/02/01/a-future-interstate-rail-network-redux/ Here is the overall map: And here is the detailed Midwestern map:
February 1, 200916 yr Interesting, but I can spot some holes in the map right off the bat. There's no Columbus-Chicago link and there's no direct route from St. Louis to the east via Dayton and Columbus. There are also some real curiosities ON the map: Pittsburgh-Parkersbug-Huntington and Huntington-Louisville to name a couple. I'd have to take a closer look at this, but while it's an interesting map, that's all it is.
February 2, 200916 yr A couple of things don't "track" right with me. :wink: First is that dog-leg via Fort Wayne between Toledo and South Bend. Fort Wayne is on a proposed high-speed route between Chicago and Cleveland, but not as shown here. The high-quality former NYC water-level route now used by the Late Shore Limited passes about thirty miles north of Fort Wayne, and there's no really good existing, upgradable ROW between Fort Wayne and Goshen as shown on that map. I believe the MHSRA's proposed Toledo-Fort Wayne routing is via former Wabash ROW, which would take massive investment in places just to find the rails and ties and dig them out of the mud. Between Fort Wayne and Goshen, if memory serves me well, trains would have to run on the former PRR now owned by CSX, leased to RailAmerica, and operated by CFE (Chicago Fort Wayne & Eastern), to Warsaw, and then north on what used to be known as the Michigan Branch, which I don't think was ever anything more than a single-tracked secondary. I'm not even sure if that line is still in service, or if the ROW is still intact. The former PRR line has been designaled and single-tracked, and would require massive investment to bring it up to 70-110mph standards, let alone 150mph. Bringing the line to Goshen up to those standards would be building a whole new railroad from scratch. Probably the best existing, upgradable route West from Fort Wayne to Chicago is the former Nickel Plate, now Norfolk and Southern. I can't visualize a route from Fort Wayne via Goshen. Another thing that gives me pause is the writer's dismissal of long distance (Chicago-West Coast) routes as being better served by air, with no passenger rail market. He writes as if the only city pairs are Chicago and major western/West Coast cities. There are intermediate cities that make suitable pairs for high-speed rail, and that would attract sufficient ridership if frequent, reliable service were available. A Chicago-San Francisco train doesn't run non-stop between those end points, and even at current poor levels of service, I'd venture more people ride between intermediate cities than over the entire route. But it's on them internets, so it must be true. :|
February 2, 200916 yr Amtrak sponsored the Superbowl's national radio broadcast. The halftime show was the "Amtrak Halftime Show", and they ran some Amtrak radio commercials throughout the game.
February 2, 200916 yr Author I must've walked away from the TV at just wrong moments as I saw Bruce performing but I was listening more than watching. Oh well, I missed it. But I'm glad Amtrak is pimping themselves on a heavily watched program. I suspect some people who have questioned why Amtrak doesn't act more like a business will ask why a government-owned company is advertising on the Super Bowl.... "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
February 2, 200916 yr The interesting choice is the Cincy-Louisville-Nashville-Atlanta route. That is the old L&N route roughly, which was always advertised as the fastest way to get south from the 1880s through the 1920s (at least in the Cincy newspapers).
February 2, 200916 yr I didn't see the game on TV. On radio it was "The Amtrak Halftime Show". I don't know who sponsored the TV halftime show. I agree, Amtrak has no more advertising visibility than Greyhound in the hinterlands. I seem to remember them having commercials when I lived on the east coast but I didn't watch much TV when I lived there.
February 2, 200916 yr www.chicagotribune.com/business/autocorner/chi-getting-around-02feb02,0,5830725.column chicagotribune.com Passengers suffering from Amtrak's winter woes Officials divided over extent of problems with trains serving Illinois Jon Hilkevitch Getting Around February 2, 2009 Perhaps nobody is more eager for winter to end than the people running Amtrak—and their passengers in the Midwest. Railroads used to be a reliable alternative to roads and runways during harsh weather. But many Amtrak customers who bought tickets recently from Chicago to cities Downstate or in Michigan, Wisconsin and Missouri have been seriously delayed or worse. Full story at the link above:
February 7, 200916 yr Vice-President Joe Biden intensified the Obama Administration’s call for action on infrastructure investment in a speech given at the Laurel train station on MARC’s Camden Line. The Vice President—who was joined by Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood—identified rail as a priority for the administration, and spoke out against Senators who are obstructing the bill over concerns about the size. Biden said, “There are some in Washington who still haven’t gotten the message. Maybe they don’t understand that America has lost almost two million jobs in the past four months. Maybe they don’t understand that the American people voted for and want change now, not tomorrow…We cannot wait another two weeks, three weeks, four weeks” to pass the nearly $900 billion stimulus plan that is being debated in the Senate. The Vice-President spoke of thousands of train and commuter stations across the nation which require improvements, and explained that this modernization would create jobs, provide much needed capacity expansion, and be an engine of economic growth for the future. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood also spoke of the Department of Transportation’s ongoing collaboration with state transportation officials to compile a list of projects and accountability standards to make sure the money is allocated as quickly as possible. Mr. LaHood argued that the plan will “jump-start the economy by getting money out the door for projects that are ready to go, projects that have met the environmental standards, projects that have gone through all the necessary paperwork, so that people can begin working this spring, summer and fall.” As reported by WGIL (Galesburg IL), LaHood also “says passenger rail service throughout the midwest should improve under [the Administration’s] economic stimulus plan. [He] told Midwest reporters during a conference call Thursday that a proposed $2 billion for high speed rail is a good thing, and will help reaffirm his and the President’s commitment to keep Amtrak running. LaHood says unlike in the past where passenger rail in the northeastern U.S. was the biggest beneficiary of rail-related money, things will be different this time.” The Federal Railroad Administration says over 80 companies and state departments of transportation have responded to its request for expressions of interest to develop high speed rail corridors, as required by a provision in last year’s passenger rail investment and reauthorization bill. In a prepared statement, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Republican Leader John Mica (R-Fla.)—the lead advocate for the requirement to solicit private interest in developing these corridors—said “this overwhelming response is remarkable given the current state of the economy.” The FRA, which began soliciting proposals in December, has heard from transportation finance companies; transportation consultants; architectural, engineering and construction firms; rail service providers; international conglomerates; train manufacturers; and state departments of transportation. Final proposals must be submitted in September, after which the FRA will establish commissions made up of state and city officials, representatives of rail labor, freight railroad companies, and transit officials to evaluate the proposals. The commissions will then report their findings to Congress. The law gives the Washington-New York corridor first priority. http://www.narprail.org/cms/index.php/hotline/more/hotline_590/
February 8, 200916 yr But. But. But. I want HIGH speed HIGHways!!! (sarcasm) I'm with Sherman, I want those highways to be fast. So why don't we build the rails AND increase the speed limits on freeways to 120mph. That'll speed things up and probably wipe a few hundred people off the roads (also sarcasm)
February 9, 200916 yr I finish up at OSU next year, so while this is great, the timing really drives me nuts. I would have used a train every other weekend to get back to CLE instead of driving the two hour plus trip all the time, better late than never though
February 9, 200916 yr Author It hasn't happened yet. I don't want to temper your enthusiasm, but I have seen us get close to achieving 3-C Corridor a number of times in my 25 years of rail advocacy only to see something screw it up at the last minute. I have a saying -- don't let up in pushing for the service until you see the trains on the second day. The first day may have been an hallucination. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
February 9, 200916 yr good point, still I am very hopeful that w/ the obama admin. this project will finally get off the ground, we need it already!
February 9, 200916 yr It hasn't happened yet. I don't want to temper your enthusiasm, but I have seen us get close to achieving 3-C Corridor a number of times in my 25 years of rail advocacy only to see something screw it up at the last minute. I have a saying -- don't let up in pushing for the service until you see the trains on the second day. The first day may have been an hallucination. During a visit to Cleveland in 1978 or 1979, I heard a lot of excited talk on the newscasts about a test train run by Amtrak with numerous dignitaries on board, to determine feasibility. All the talk made it sound like it was a done deal, and the trains would be running in a year or two.
February 9, 200916 yr That's why I hate demonstration trains. It raises expectations and then dashes them as soon as the political reality... as it did in every case back in the 80's and 90's.... takes hold. That political reality has changed...at least at the federal level and in the Ohio's Governor's office. But I'm with KJP... I'll believe it's real when the trains run on the second day.
February 9, 200916 yr I didn't see the game on TV. On radio it was "The Amtrak Halftime Show". I don't know who sponsored the TV halftime show. I agree, Amtrak has no more advertising visibility than Greyhound in the hinterlands. I seem to remember them having commercials when I lived on the east coast but I didn't watch much TV when I lived there. you remember correctly. amtrak acela advertises:
February 13, 200916 yr H.R. 1 kind to Amtrak, HSR; transit gets nicked Railwayage.com As Congress tinkered last week with final details of the proposed Stimulus Package, some transportation analysts lamented that funding for all rail modes totaled only 2% of the $787 billion plan. http://www.railwayage.com//index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=538&Itemid=121
February 14, 200916 yr Author I want you all to take a moment (and a deep breath) to consider the ramifications of the past week. I've been working on my Train of Thought column for the next full Ohio Passenger Rail News and have been doing some number crunching.... Consider that Amtrak received $9.8 billion in total federal capital funds (including Northeast Corridor Improvement Project, Taxpayer Relief Act, and general nationwide improvements) from 1971 to 2001, according to the USDOT. Thus, in one big $9.3 billion bite, thanks to the federal stimulus, the federal government will nearly equal the passenger rail capital investment it made in the sum of Amtrak's first 30 years of existence. Consider that, since the stimulus doesn't require a state/local match and that the passenger rail funds can be tapped as late as 2012, states like Ohio which have fallen behind its neighbors will now have the ability to catch up very quickly in developing passenger rail. Consider that, last fall Congress passed and the president signed an historic piece of legislation, the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008. Among other things, it creates the first-ever federal-state passenger rail investment program on an 80-20 federal-state matching basis. If the capital amount is fully funded by Congress at $7.2 billion over five years, states/locales will need to provide a $380 million match to grab the federal dollars from the $1.9 billion state program. That works out to a maximum capital program of nearly $7.6 billion by 2013. Consider that, if you combine the federal stimulus AND the Rail Investment and Improvement Act, we could be looking at a total investment in our nation's passenger rail system of $16.9 billion by the end of 2013. Consider that, if you include California's $10 billion high-speed rail bond issue, a small portion of the $1.5 billion discretionary National Surface Transportation System grants in the stimulus, some cross-over of transit funding (such as for commuter rail or multi-modal transportation centers that would also benefit intercity passenger rail) in the stimulus or in the latest six-year surface transportation reauthorization due this year, or using proposed flexible federal "Metropolitan Mobility Block Grants" for intercity rail, it's possible that the national total for intercity passenger rail by 2015 could amount to more than $30 billion! There's still a lot of busy work left to do by politicians, planners and bureaucracies. But the very realistic possibility of $30 billion+ gives a good reason for our shuttered auto plants, steel mills and other ailing industries to enjoy new lives as rail industry suppliers. $30 billion+ is a good reason for our neglected urban centers which grew up around railroad terminals to refocus their economic futures around those terminals again. $30 billion+ is a good reason for highway contractors, which have increasingly dabbled in railroad construction in recent years, to jump on board this train with both feet. And $30 billion+ is a good reason for rail advocates to find key public officials who don't yet realize what's happening in this country to raise their awareness for the betterment of their constituents. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
February 14, 200916 yr Excellent analysis, KJP! And Consider that, despite the temporary lull, energy costs will continue to escalate. Energy costs have an impact on the cost of building/upgrading ROW and rolling stock, and the results of a dollar spent in the near-term on rail infrastructure will be much greater than the value of that dollar spread over the next ten or twenty or thirty years. But. But. But. I want HIGH speed HIGHways!!! (sarcasm) I'm with Sherman, I want those highways to be fast. So why don't we build the rails AND increase the speed limits on freeways to 120mph. That'll speed things up and probably wipe a few hundred people off the roads (also sarcasm) In keeping with the sarcasm theme, I suggest that one day a month all traffic laws be suspended on non-urban roads. Intelligent people will know enough to stay out of the arena, and a sizable number of the others will be culled from the herd. Just helping Darwin along. :-D
February 17, 200916 yr Stimulus ’09: What’s in it for rail? Railway Age Magazine H.R. 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, contains billions of investment dollars for rail projects, passenger and freight. Passenger rail stands to benefit the most from H.R. 1. In addition to the $13 billion over five years authorized last October under H.R. 2095, Amtrak receives $850 million for capital and $450 million for security. High speed and intercity passenger rail programs get a massive combined infusion of $8 billion. http://www.railwayage.com//index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=539&Itemid=217
February 19, 200916 yr Author http://www.railwayage.com//index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=547&Itemid=121 Amtrak outlines "near-term" equipment needs Amid a laundry list of capital equipment needs, Amtrak has identified roughly $1.42 billion in "near-term equipment needs" submitted as part of its fiscal year 2010 budget request to grow national intercity rail service. In a letter Feb. 17 addressed to Vice President Joseph Biden and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Amtrak President Joseph Boardman notes, "While capacity investments in rail infrastructure offer us potential increases in traffic, we cannot realize the potential without new equipment. Our fleet's average age has reached an all-time high, and it is hard-pressed to keep up with existing demand on large segments of the system, let alone growth." ....... "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
February 19, 200916 yr ^ Another reason Ohio ought to be repurposing its idled auto plants and auto workers to build passenger rail equipment.
February 19, 200916 yr I would like to see Cincinnati be the gateway to the drrty south (or if you consider Cincy the northernmost southern city, connect it to the rest of the South :-)). Probably not dense enough populations anywhere south of Cincy though.
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