Amtrak threatens partial shutdown

By Keith Laing - 10/09/15 11:13 AM EDT

 

Amtrak is warning Congress that it will have to shut down service on many of its long-distance train routes if lawmakers do not extend a federal deadline for automating trains.

 

Railroads currently have until Dec. 31 to install an automated train navigation system known as Positive Train Control (PTC), which regulates the speed and track movements of trains.

 

Amtrak stays it will be able to meet the deadline on most of the tracks it owns in the Northeast, but the company says it is reliant in other parts of the country on freight railroads that have already said they will shut down service in January 2016 to avoid fines for not meeting the deadline.

 

MORE:

http://thehill.com/policy/transportation/256496-amtrak-threatens-shutdown-over-automated-train-deadline?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=transportation

All Aboard Ohio ‏@AllAboardOhio  2h2 hours ago

As part of national trend @Amtrak cutting station staff. #Toledo station to close Mondays. Station staff at #Cleveland to be cut by half.

All Aboard Ohio @AllAboardOhio

.@Amtrak station to come to #Oxford, Ohio http://miamistudent.net/?p=17012994  @MiamiUniversity pic.twitter.com/WaRriOvsLs

Amtrak’s Lake Shore Ltd turns 40!

kjprendergast on October 31, 2015

 

In the summer of 1973, William Lind had just finished four years of doctoral study at Princeton University with an eye to becoming a professor of history. Instead, he was about to create it. The 26-year-old had two loves – military history and railroads. But history professors weren’t in great demand that year so he returned home to Cleveland.

 

While back in Ohio for the summer, he saw that U.S. Senator Robert Taft Jr. was due to give a speech near his home. Mr. Lind’s attendance at that speech would result in Amtrak creating one of its most successful trains.

 

Among his comments, the Cincinnati-born Republican senator and grandson of the 27th President William Howard Taft told his audience why Ohio needed better passenger rail services.

 

“Cleveland used to be one of America’s greatest rail passenger centers and now was the largest city in the United States without Amtrak service,” Sen. Taft said, according to the Congressional Quarterly Almanac. Canton, Cincinnati, Columbus and Dayton had Amtrak services. Akron, Toledo and Youngstown did not. Youngstown and Cleveland were linked by a weekdays-only Erie-Lackawanna commuter train and nothing else.

 

Inspired by the senator’s speech, the young student of history drove back to his parents’ house and pulled out one of his 1960s Official Guide To the Railways that listed all passenger rail schedules in North America. With those as his template, Mr. Lind jotted down some new ideas for passenger train schedules to restore routes between Ohio’s largest cities and those in surrounding states. He drafted a cover letter and mailed the proposal to the senator.

 

It wasn’t long before Senator Taft’s Washington D.C. office responded to Mr. Lind in a most generous way: He was invited to become the senator’s transportation aide. Mr. Lind happily accepted and began work that autumn.

 

“Our first act was to restore passenger rail to Cleveland,” Mr. Lind said in a recent interview from his house in the Cleveland suburb of Middleburg Heights. While Senator Taft was a strong proponent of the Cleveland-Columbus-Cincinnati (3C) and Cleveland-Youngstown-Pittsburgh (CYP) corridors, he wanted to establish an east-west trunk route through Cleveland first.

 

READ MORE AND SEE THE PRESENTATION AT:

http://allaboardohio.org/2015/10/31/amtraks-lake-shore-ltd-turns-40/

How Rural Towns Succeeded in Keeping Amtrak's Southwest Chief Running

http://www.planetizen.com/node/82123?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=11122015

Congress passes 5-year transportation bill, incl. pass rail for first time, $20 mil/yr for resurrected/new services! https://t.co/DHwHfSW8QV

 

Congress OKs $20M/yr for @Amtrak expansion. In anticipation, AAO suggested how to invest it: https://t.co/Gk4G7vimAO

The National Association of Railroad Passengers has done a terrific job in summarizing and analyzing, section by section, the passenger rail portions of the 1,300-page federal transportation bill here:

 

http://www.narprail.org/news/blog/section-by-section-analysis-of-fast-act/

 

My comments? This thing could be a real game-changer -- especially the TOD provisions. While there still may be some tweaks, both good and bad, the general response is that this is very positive bill for passenger rail. Importantly, the funding totals are better than they have been in the past. But the real value in this bill is that it unlocks station-area developments as a potential driver of public-private funding for passenger rail -- much like what is happening with All Aboard Florida. The bill streamlines the $35 billion, largely untapped Rail Rehabilitation & Improvement Financing program and makes Transit-Oriented Developments at rail stations eligible for low-interest loans. For us in Ohio, where rail hostility in the halls of the State House remains entrenched, the bill includes $20 million in federal operating funds for resurrecting/enhancing passenger rail services. No doubt this is intended for reviving the New Orleans-Orlando Sunset Limited, but many modest, but nonetheless meaningful expansions (daily Cardinal, Pennsylvanian extension to Chicago via Wolverine Corridor, etc) could be afforded too. And it includes a $1.1 billion capital improvement program with a 25 percent set-aside for rural areas, so there's hope in that too.

Congressfolk in both parties lend #Ohio a hand to get back on the train again #FASTact #rail

https://t.co/udKy6ruT2h https://t.co/cXpXIsa3wt

Embedded links are in this article posted at:

http://allaboardohio.org/2015/12/04/feds-lend-ohio-hand-to-get-on-the-train-again/

 

One of the least heralded provisions of the new, 5-year federal transportation program could prove to be its most impactful. Train station-area development is now an eligible use for the largely untapped $35 billion Railroad Rehabilitation & Improvement Financing (RRIF) program. This could encourage copycats of All Aboard Florida’s synergistic downtown station-area real estate developments and 110-mph Brightline passenger rail project between Orlando and Miami. Shown here is Miami Central Station, now under construction.

 

Feds lend Ohio hand to get back on the train again

December 4, 2015

 

The Republican-controlled U.S. Congress has extended its hand to states and regions to get on board in giving its constituents more and better transportation choices. It did so by offering new financing tools for improved passenger rail and transit services in the new 5-year federal transportation law passed this week. Now Ohio’s state government, metropolitan areas within Ohio, and businesses should respond to their federal leaders by tapping these new federal funding mechanisms to expand passenger rail services and mass transit to create and access more jobs, promote travel and tourism, and improve Ohio’s quality of life.

 

There are many new federal financing tools for passenger rail in the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act. A thorough section-by-section description and analysis of the new law by the National Association of Railroad Passengers is available HERE. A broader but less detailed analysis of the overall public transportation and rail provisions of the FAST Act by Transportation For America is HERE.

 

“We hope that Ohio’s leaders in the State House as well as community leaders in the 24 regional/metropolitan planning organizations across Ohio will capitalize on this opportunity offered by their federal leaders in both parties,” said Ken Prendergast, Executive Director of All Aboard Ohio, a nonprofit citizens association that advocates for more and better trains and transit.

 

The new transportation bill gives Ohio an opportunity to modestly expand existing passenger rail services without the state having to take the lead on funding. Section 11104 “Restoration and Enhancement Grants” authorizes $20 million per year in operating funds to expand existing or resurrect previous passenger rail services. Since 2000, due to federal budget cuts, no two states lost more passenger rail service than Florida (1,419 daily train-miles cut) and Ohio  (1,008 daily train-miles cut).

 

While $20 million per year is a small amount for the entire country, at least two of All Aboard Ohio’s proposed expansions could be among the most affordable in the nation:

 

1. Expanding Amtrak’s Cardinal service through Cincinnati from thrice-weekly to daily; and

2. Linking the existing 110 mph Keystone and Wolverine corridors via Pittsburgh, Youngstown, Akron-area, Cleveland, Toledo and Detroit.

 

However, Amtrak is not legally allowed to act on its own in expanding services that require more funding support. It can do so only at the request of others such as a member of Congress, a state department of transportation, or a consortium of regional/local governments. All Aboard Ohio will be very busy in 2016 working with leaders to advocate for more trains in Ohio.

 

FAST also provides more state-of-good-repair funds for transit. Federal funding for Ohio’s public transit agencies will grow from $175 million in 2015 under current funding formulas to $195 million per year by 2020. That’s not counting grants that Ohio transit agencies, cities and metropolitan areas can compete for to achieve new transit services and intermodal transportation centers that will improve connectivity between trains, transit, bike and pedestrian modes.

 

Ohio’s business community recognizes the importance of quality public transit in creating and accessing more jobs and attracting Millennials to or retaining Millennials in Ohio’s cities. Consider Agenda 360 in Cincinnati which is making a strong case for more transit investment. In Columbus, a redesign of the Central Ohio Transit Authority’s network is underway called NextGen, promoted by civic and business leaders. And in Northeast Ohio, the Fund For Our Economic Future and the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland are highlighting the missed economic growth opportunities from the absence of a more expansive, multi-county transit system in their Job Accessibility in Northeast Ohio initiative.

 

Last but not least, FAST includes a section called “Subtitle F – Railroad Infrastructure Financing Improvement Act” to streamline federal funding reviews and open up rail infrastructure financing for train station-area real estate developments. It remains to be seen how impactful this feature will be, but it has the potential to be a game-changer if fully utilized. This provision was included by federal lawmakers from Illinois so that major improvements to Chicago Union Station could be eligible for Railroad Rehabilitation & Improvement Financing (RRIF) loans. But it opens up the door for much, much more.

 

The RRIF program, managed by the Federal Railroad Administration, has $35 billion in lending authority but sits largely unused. By expanding eligibility to include Transit Oriented Development (TOD) or station development and simultaneously shortening application review times, it could incentivize more private infrastructure investment. In fact, this change could encourage copycats of All Aboard Florida’s Brightline project to jointly develop rail and real estate. The project will link Orlando and Miami with new 110 mph passenger rail service in synergy with the company’s major real estate developments totaling nearly $2 billion in initial private investment at several downtown stations.

 

“Imagine a similar network of fast trains in the Midwest linking downtown stations surrounded by mixed-use towers in Chicago, Akron, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Detroit, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Toledo and Youngstown,” Prendergast said. “Fast trains and real estate can benefit each other in a fiscal feedback loop incentivized by the new Subtitle F. It could have the potential to be a real game-changer for the Midwest which is already one of the largest economies in the world.”

 

END

Could daily Cincinnati-to-Chicago train service come with transportation bill?

Dec 4, 2015, 2:43pm EST Updated Dec 4, 2015, 10:00pm EST

Chris Wetterich

Staff reporter and columnist

Cincinnati Business Courier

 

Ohio advocates for expanded intercity rail service hope that new transportation legislation passed by Congress will lead to funding for daily Amtrak service from Cincinnati to Chicago.

 

A provision in the $305 billion legislation, which is expected to be signed by President Barack Obama, calls for $20 million annually to re-establish discontinued rail service or expand existing service, according to All Aboard Ohio, a group that wants to increase intercity rail travel options in the state.

 

MORE:

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2015/12/04/could-cincinnati-to-chicago-train-service-come.html

Waterloo, IN to start work on new/renovated @Amtrak depot on Chicago-#Ohio-East Coast route

http://wane.com/2016/01/06/waterloo-ready-to-start-construction-on-amtrak-project/

 

 

Across river from Aberdeen, Ohio, @Amtrak OKs $500K to upgrade Maysville station on #Cardinal route

http://www.maysville-online.com/news/local/amtrak-plans-repairs-upgrades-to-maysville-station/article_99b1abf4-58f9-50b1-9a97-73219f1c9819.html

 

The cost of inaction on high-speed rail in the USA is substantial...

http://www.apta.com/resources/reportsandpublications/Documents/HPPR-Cost-of-Inaction.pdf

Cheap gas, drop in ridership to force Amtrak budget cuts

http://www.philly.com/philly/business/transportation/20160212_Internal_letter__Amtrak_CEO_to_seek_budget_cuts.html#qtJR1iVR7x5x32eR.99

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Let’s keep spinning our wheels

Written by  William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-Chief

 

The other day I found a buried snippet of information on the Federal Railroad Administration website pertaining to high speed rail. Dated March 11, 2016, it’s a “Notice of Request for Proposals for Implementing a High-Speed Rail Corridor.” Hmmm . . . This looks interesting. I wonder why it was kept so quiet?

 

Keep reading and you’ll find out.

 

The RFP abstract reads as follows: “FRA is soliciting and encouraging the submission of proposals to finance, design, construct, operate, and maintain a high-speed rail (HSR) system. Section 11308 of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, Public Law 114-94 (Dec. 4, 2015), requires the Department of Transportation to ‘issue a request for proposals for projects for the financing, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of a high-speed passenger rail system operating within a high-speed rail corridor.’ The FRA is encouraging interested parties to submit proposals that meet the requirements outlined in this request for proposals (RFP). Based on the proposals received, the Department of Transportation may establish commissions to further review and develop proposals.”

 

“Say, this is encouraging,” I thought. But then I kept reading:

 

MORE:

http://www.railwayage.com/index.php/blogs/william-vantuono/lets-keep-spinning-our-wheels.html?channel=00

Perhaps it would help if maintenance equipment wasn't left on active tracks....

The two workers paid for that mistake with their lives.

The two workers paid for that mistake with their lives.

 

I was under the impression it was passengers who got killed.  Guess not.

 

In that case, it sounds like they need the equivalent of lock-out-tag-out:  when work is being done on an active track, some way to make sure trains do not approach at speed. Radio controlled engine damper or something like that.

I was under the impression it was passengers who got killed.  Guess not.

 

In that case, it sounds like they need the equivalent of lock-out-tag-out:  when work is being done on an active track, some way to make sure trains do not approach at speed. Radio controlled engine damper or something like that.

 

The backhoe operator and a supervisor were killed.

 

Standard procedure when work is being done on an active track, including yard tracks, connecting tracks or mainline tracks (in this case, one where the timetable operating speed is 90 mph), is to notify the dispatcher who then codes a section of track between two switches on his computer screen as "out of service" and then gives radio permission to the construction or maintenance of way crew to occupy that track for a given period of time. If all of that happens, then a train cannot enter that section of track. Not only will the signals show red at the switch at the start of that section, but the computer system would have activated that switch to route the train onto a parallel track (there are four main tracks through this area). If for some reason the switch wasn't activated, the train would have been automatically stopped by the interactive signal system and prevented from entering that section.

 

So chances are either the maintenance crew didn't tell the dispatcher they needed to have that track taken out of service or the dispatcher didn't take the track out of service. Another more likely possibility is that the southbound train (the Palmetto) entered that stretch of track just after it was taken out of service as the maintenance crew was occupying it. This was 7:30 on a Sunday morning, about the time maintenance of way crews start first shift (most track work on the busy Northeast Corridor is done at night, but Sunday morning is the next best thing). Less likely but still possible is that the computer didn't accept the instruction to close that track, or it did accept it but "dropped" it, or the signal system didn't display/interact properly with what the computer system was telling it.

I was under the impression it was passengers who got killed.  Guess not.

 

In that case, it sounds like they need the equivalent of lock-out-tag-out:  when work is being done on an active track, some way to make sure trains do not approach at speed. Radio controlled engine damper or something like that.

 

The backhoe operator and a supervisor were killed.

 

Standard procedure when work is being done on an active track, including yard tracks, connecting tracks or mainline tracks (in this case, one where the timetable operating speed is 90 mph), is to notify the dispatcher who then codes a section of track between two switches on his computer screen as "out of service" and then gives radio permission to the construction or maintenance of way crew to occupy that track for a given period of time. If all of that happens, then a train cannot enter that section of track. Not only will the signals show red at the switch at the start of that section, but the computer system would have activated that switch to route the train onto a parallel track (there are four main tracks through this area). If for some reason the switch wasn't activated, the train would have been automatically stopped by the interactive signal system and prevented from entering that section.

 

So chances are either the maintenance crew didn't tell the dispatcher they needed to have that track taken out of service or the dispatcher didn't take the track out of service. Another more likely possibility is that the southbound train (the Palmetto) entered that stretch of track just after it was taken out of service as the maintenance crew was occupying it. This was 7:30 on a Sunday morning, about the time maintenance of way crews start first shift (most track work on the busy Northeast Corridor is done at night, but Sunday morning is the next best thing). Less likely but still possible is that the computer didn't accept the instruction to close that track, or it did accept it but "dropped" it, or the signal system didn't display/interact properly with what the computer system was telling it.

 

So someone dropped the ball communicating.  That happens, but when you’re working in industry lock-out tag-out standards require that something like this results in the equipment not working.  The equivalent in this case being the train not moving.  Indeed, situations like this are why lock-out tag-out exists.

 

A corrective action might be an automated GPS based signal that is automatically deployed whenever work is ongoing on an active track.  It could be over-the-air or in the scheduling network.  Considering the consequences of failure, probably both. 

 

What this signal would do is automatically begin to stop a train if it approaches within a certain distance/time of the minimum safe braking distance to the work area.  The signal could be overridden, but at this point there would be a loud and unignorable alarm triggered at both the worksite and the control center.

 

This may seem overly redundant or cautious, but it’s pretty much analogous to what OSHA requires under LO/TO.

 

Even from a quality assurance perspective, every time I hear the words "ask", "tell", or "notify" I get nervous.  For safety even more so.  It has to be automatic and redundant.

 

The out-of-service designation for that track is the same thing as a lock-out tag. If activated and working properly, the train would not be able to enter or function on that section of track.

The out-of-service designation for that track is the same thing as a lock-out tag. If activated and working properly, the train would not be able to enter or function on that section of track.

 

True, but the track is not the energy source, so the "if" is a big one.  The train is.  LO/TO strongly emphasizes focusing on the energy source.

 

Even if these two workers had gotten clear and survived, there's a big mess and the highest profile line of your system is down for a period of time.

But the coded signal in the rails that's picked up by the locomotive can slow or stop the train when the signal displays caution or stop.

But the coded signal in the rails that's picked up by the locomotive can slow or stop the train when the signal displays caution or stop.

 

"Can"

 

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/amtrak-run-scheduled-monday-deadly-derailment-38129369

 

"Amtrak introduced a set of new safety protocols effective March 15. It says violations are handled with zero tolerance, and some cases lead to immediate dismissal.

 

Rail safety workers said track workers are supposed to double-check their assignments with dispatchers to be sure they are not working on or around an active track."

 

If this was a private sector incident, OSHA would be looking for changes that are not based on individual compliance, but are automated with "default" being that that the train cannot even approach the worksite unless positive steps are taken and the worksite itself is warned, and indeed must acknowledge the warning.

Amtrak, BNSF Sue Kansas Feed Company in Connection with March 14 S.W. Chief Derailment

Amtrak and BNSF are suing a Kansas company in connection with a March 14 derailment of the eastbound Southwest Chief. The laws suit names Cimarron Crossing Feeders and claims that the company engaged in “gross negligence.” The suit alleges that company employees left a truck “unattended, out of gear and without any brakes applied” when it was loading grain March 13 into March 14. The truck later rolled downhill, crossed U.S. Highway 50 and struck the side of the railroad BNSF tracks, coming to rest on the tracks, the newspaper reported. Cimarron was then said to have called for a tow to remove the truck, but did not call BNSF or Amtrak to warn about the damaged track. A National Transportation Safety Board investigation has found that the tracks near the derailment site were a foot or more out of alignment. Amtrak train No. 4 derailed shortly after midnight near Cimarron, Kansas. Twenty-eight passengers were injured.

 

via https://csanders429.wordpress.com/2016/04/11/amtrak-bnsf-sue-kansas-feed-company-in-connection-with-march-14-s-w-chief-derailment/

 

 

I wonder what the punishment for causing unsafe conditions AND not reporting it is. I'm trying to think of some type of parallel to this. Oops, I accidentally snipped your brake line, but I'm not going to tell you about it. Oops, I accidentally collapsed a bridge, but I'm not going to tell you about it. Oops, I accidentally cracked a lock (as in seaway), but I'm not going to tell anyone. I suppose they are thinking.. Welp, its up to them train people to ensure their own safety, it looks like there's still track up on that track bed, looks good to me.

Will this legislation also require taxpayers in Northeast Corridor states to be the sole source of NEC capital funding too? Amtrak NEC profits *may* pay for my Ohio trains, but my Ohio taxes pay for your NEC infrastructure. If you want to keep your Amtrak NEC profits on the NEC, then I will want to keep my Ohio Amtrak taxes in Ohio. Fair is fair...

 

http://www.progressiverailroading.com/amtrak/article/Legislation-would-require-Amtrak-to-spend-NEC-profits-on-the-corridor--48345

 

URGENT! Contact Congress & urge support for max passenger #rail & public transit $$ in 2017!

http://allaboardohio.org/2016/05/25/urgent-action-alert/

BIG NEWS! @Amtrak Wins Argument That Passengers Go First and Freight Can Wait

https://t.co/sc5uCUoNxS

BIG NEWS! @Amtrak Wins Argument That Passengers Go First and Freight Can Wait

https://t.co/sc5uCUoNxS

 

That's HUGE news!  OTP on long distance trains has been terrible for so long.  I can't wait for the system to be reliable again!

"@Amtrak Wins Argument That Passengers Go First and Freight Can Wait"

 

Maybe this will help "The Cardinal", a nightmare of delays because of coal trains each of the four trips I've ridden it.

"@Amtrak Wins Argument That Passengers Go First and Freight Can Wait"

 

Maybe this will help "The Cardinal", a nightmare of delays because of coal trains each of the four trips I've ridden it.

 

Well there aren't going to be coal trains much longer.  So the irony is that with the disappearance of coal mining, the freight railroads will stop maintaining the track, meaning The Cardinal will have to slow down to 30mph from its current 60-70mph. 

BIG NEWS! @Amtrak Wins Argument That Passengers Go First and Freight Can Wait

https://t.co/sc5uCUoNxS

 

What's that going to do to the reliability of freight shipment timing? 

BIG NEWS! @Amtrak Wins Argument That Passengers Go First and Freight Can Wait

https://t.co/sc5uCUoNxS

 

What's that going to do to the reliability of freight shipment timing? 

 

I imagine not a ton. There aren't currently a lot of Amtrak trains operating. A lot of routes only have one train per day in each direction. Some (like the Cardinal) even less.

It's also not going to change several host railroads (FYI I don't like the term freight railroad because many railroads in the world and USA are both freight and passenger) policies toward passenger rail. Some of them already have performance-based contracts with Amtrak in which the freight railroad is awarded more money for on-time service. The freight railroads generally object to the public sector enforcing priority policies on them rather than arrive at those policies through negotiated agreements. Then again, the railroads shouldn't have signed on to join Amtrak in 1971 when Congress passed a law which said passenger trains should have priority over freight trains.

Sometimes America is good and beautiful. Sometimes not. This video shows the good/beautiful side of America, seen best from a train...

Here's an article that doesn't require a password...

 

Feds drop proposal to prioritize freight trains over Amtrak

http://thehill.com/policy/transportation/289648-feds-reverse-course-on-proposals-amtrak-said-would-increase-delays

"@Amtrak Wins Argument That Passengers Go First and Freight Can Wait"

 

Maybe this will help "The Cardinal", a nightmare of delays because of coal trains each of the four trips I've ridden it.

 

Well there aren't going to be coal trains much longer.  So the irony is that with the disappearance of coal mining, the freight railroads will stop maintaining the track, meaning The Cardinal will have to slow down to 30mph from its current 60-70mph.

 

For grins, I checked yesterday's Cardinal.  It arrived in Washington *one* minute late.  Maybe the decline of coal has already made a difference, although both the Chessie and N&W say they will continue to deliver lots of it to Hampton Roads for export.

For grins, I checked yesterday's Cardinal.  It arrived in Washington *one* minute late.  Maybe the decline of coal has already made a difference, although both the Chessie and N&W say they will continue to deliver lots of it to Hampton Roads for export.

 

All carload traffic is down. And CSX has reduced/detoured all traffic via its yards in Russell, KY (near Ashland). Plus the commonwealth of Virginia is investing nearly $50 million to upgrade the Buckingham Branch railroad east of Clifton Forge, through Charlottesville to Orange. Work includes new welded rail, passing sidings and PTC signals. That should allow the Cardinal to not only become more reliable, but to operate daily and possibly on a faster schedule.

"@Amtrak Wins Argument That Passengers Go First and Freight Can Wait"

 

Maybe this will help "The Cardinal", a nightmare of delays because of coal trains each of the four trips I've ridden it.

 

Well there aren't going to be coal trains much longer.  So the irony is that with the disappearance of coal mining, the freight railroads will stop maintaining the track, meaning The Cardinal will have to slow down to 30mph from its current 60-70mph.

 

For grins, I checked yesterday's Cardinal.  It arrived in Washington *one* minute late.  Maybe the decline of coal has already made a difference, although both the Chessie and N&W say they will continue to deliver lots of it to Hampton Roads for export.

 

I rode it in May...it was basically on-schedule the whole time and there were only two stops on sidings for passing trains in 500+ miles each way.  One was almost immediately after leaving Cincinnati on the Kentucky side of the bridge, another was in Virginia where the train incredibly backed back onto the mainline, so I guess we were hiding out on a freight spur, not a passing siding.  I hear that the Cincinnati > Chicago section is much worse, but I haven't ridden it. 

 

 

 

Ohio has lost another level-headed Republican. Former Ohio Rep. Steve LaTourette, 66, died today. When he was a Congressman, he knew Amtrak's subsidy was less per passenger than that for roads or air. Armed with information rather than emotion, he saved Amtrak trains in Ohio and elsewhere outside of the Northeast a decade ago. Yet this action in 2005 cost him his chairmanship of the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee:

 

House rejects cut in Amtrak's funding

http://archive.boston.com/business/articles/2005/06/30/house_rejects_cut_in_amtraks_funding/

 

We'll miss you, Steve. But we won't forget you.

It has come to my attention that Amtrak's Board has named the former CEO of Norfolk Southern, Wick Moorman as Amtrak's new president. Announcement made in the Wall Street Journal.

Amtrak Invests $2.4 Billion for Next Generation Trainsets and Infrastructure Upgrades

http://media.amtrak.com/2016/08/1610/

 

Amtrak Invests $2.4 Billion for Next Generation Trainsets and Infrastructure Upgrades

 

Will today's Acela trainsets replace conventional trains in the Northeast Corridor? Or will they be scrapped?

Amtrak Invests $2.4 Billion for Next Generation Trainsets and Infrastructure Upgrades

 

Will today's Acela trainsets replace conventional trains in the Northeast Corridor? Or will they be scrapped?

 

The units that are on long-term lease from Bombardier will be returned and the ones owned by Amtrak will be scrapped.

The units that are on long-term lease from Bombardier will be returned and the ones owned by Amtrak will be scrapped.

 

Thanks. That's what I was afraid of.  It's a pity that, running at a slower speed, the Acelas couldn't be made to last last longer. Maybe it's just not efficient to run them at 79 mph.  I frequently take "regional trains" from New Carrollton (a DC suburban station) to NYC and they could use a refresh if not a replacement.

 

Thanks. That's what I was afraid of.  It's a pity that, running at a slower speed, the Acelas couldn't be made to last last longer. Maybe it's just not efficient to run them at 79 mph.  I frequently take "regional trains" from New Carrollton (a DC suburban station) to NYC and they could use a refresh if not a replacement.

 

There was a rumor that the Acelas would be used in the Keystone service which is being upgraded from 110 mph to 125 mph. But no such luck. Amtrak says the Acela fleet will be retired. There is no replacement of the mid-1970s Amfleet I cars that comprise the Northeast Regional, Keystone, Empire and Downeaster fleets.

If Amtrak could even achieve 79mph, that would be a huge jump in performance. Current long distance trains average something closer to 50.  I've come to think that we have to wait for some of the current 110mph projects (Detroit-Chicago and Chicago-St. Louis) and Washington-Boston upgrades to start operating before the rest of the country wakes up to the advantages of rail and funds it.

 

Edit: sorry for this out-of-the-blue comment. I thought I was replying to an older-than-I-thought KJP post about speed limits.

Amtrak regularly reaches top speeds of 79 mph throughout the country. But it often has to slow down for curves, yards, or grade crossing that aren't timed for 79 mph. And then there's municipal speed restrictions, but thankfully railroads are getting more aggressive in contesting those.

I'm taking an Amtrak trip in October between Chicago and Fort Worth.  It will be my first long distance train ride, and I am looking forward to seeing what the experience is like.  Ever since I saw North by Northwest when I was a kid, I've wanted to take a trip like this.  Out of all of the stops, it stops for quite some time in St. Louis.  Is this because of transfers?

The 39-minute stop at St. Louis is actually pretty brief for a long-distance train for a refueling and crew-change location. Extended dwell times also exist as "recovery time." Amtrak has schedule padding to help keep trains closer to schedule at major enroute and terminating stations. Even so, trains regularly run an hour late or more. The longest dwell time on the Texas Eagle route you're taking is at San Antonio. There, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays the Texas Eagle hands off several cars to the Sunset Limited bound for Los Angeles. The through cars sit at San Antonio for nearly five hours before the Sunset Limited (if it's on time) can pick them up.

 

Treat your long-distance train ride like a camping trip and you'll enjoy it that much more. If you treat it like an airline trip and stay in your seat the whole time, you're going to be miserable. Get up and go to the lounge car (has floor-to-ceiling windows upstairs and a bar downstairs). Go to the dining car and have a decent meal. Meet people from all over the USA and the world. You can also bring your own food/snacks. Bring headphones, music, movies, books, etc. If you sit near a baby or a chatty person, the headphones will save your life. Bring a real pillow/blanket. But you will be lucky to sleep more than a few hours if you're in coach. If you have a sleeper, then you may be able to get a decent night's sleep.

Treat your long-distance train ride like a camping trip and you'll enjoy it that much more. If you treat it like an airline trip and stay in your seat the whole time, you're going to be miserable. Get up and go to the lounge car (has floor-to-ceiling windows upstairs and a bar downstairs). Go to the dining car and have a decent meal. Meet people from all over the USA and the world. You can also bring your own food/snacks. Bring headphones, music, movies, books, etc. If you sit near a baby or a chatty person, the headphones will save your life. Bring a real pillow/blanket. But you will be lucky to sleep more than a few hours if you're in coach. If you have a sleeper, then you may be able to get a decent night's sleep.

 

Thank you for the advice.  I've got a sleeper and I am traveling with a friend who has also wanted to travel long distance via train for some time (he has taken the train from Boston to New York City several times though).  I'm excited to be able to walk around, and I've been told to go to the lounge car to enjoy the scenery, which is what I plan on doing.  Also, I plan on utilizing the dining car as much as my ticket will allow!  I'm definitely excited to do this trip - we've planned this as an "experience"; fly in to Chicago, take the Blue line into the city and get a decent slice of pizza for lunch, catch the train at Union Station and enjoy the ride.  Sadly, I don't have enough vacation days to be able to take the return train... taking a boring old flight back to Cleveland.