Are the odds of daily rail service from Cincinnati to Chicago improving?

Sep 23, 2016, 2:52pm EDT Updated Sep 23, 2016, 3:02pm EDT

By Chris Wetterich

 

Dozens of representatives of communities along the Amtrak Cardinal line, which runs from New York to Chicago, gathered at the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber of Commerce's headquarters on Friday to start building a coalition to bring daily service to the line.

 

Rail advocates and Amtrak officials outlined the hurdles and potential opportunities as the nation's passenger rail service grows in ridership and revenue and coal traffic on the freight route the Cardinal runs on decreases. Amtrak ridership overall is up 47 percent since 2000 and subsidies to it have been cut in half since 2004. But train travel in America badly lags both the speed and reliability present in Europe and Asia.

 

MORE:

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2016/09/23/are-the-odds-of-daily-rail-service-from.html

I read an interesting post on another site speculating that, at least as a test, Amtrak will reroute the Lake Shore Limited at Toledo to Detroit and from there onto the new high speed Detroit-Chicago tracks.  No dates were given or proposed. The Capitol Limited would still serve the Indiana points.

 

This seems like an interesting idea for the LSL and I can't see any downside from a Cleveland point of view.

I read an interesting post on another site speculating that, at least as a test, Amtrak will reroute the Lake Shore Limited at Toledo to Detroit and from there onto the new high speed Detroit-Chicago tracks.  No dates were given or proposed. The Capitol Limited would still serve the Indiana points.

 

This seems like an interesting idea for the LSL and I can't see any downside from a Cleveland point of view.

 

Yes, it was originally proposed to be rerouted from Oct. 1-31 but was postponed, probably until spring. The primary reason was that Michigan's track and signal improvements aren't yet done for the 110 mph portion between Kalamazoo and Dearborn. The route west of Kalamazoo to Porter was upgraded to 110 mph several years ago. There is also a shortage of NS "pilots" to aid in the training of Amtrak engineers, as train & engine crews have to be qualified to operate over a given railroad. This is especially true for the Junction Yard Secondary track from River Rouge to Dearborn that will allow the Lake Shore Limited to run forward continuously without any time-consuming back-up moves over busy tracks in the SW side of Detroit. While this means that the Detroit station won't be served, the busiest station in Michigan is Ann Arbor followed by Dearborn and then Kalamazoo -- all of which will be served by the Lake Shore.

 

My preference is for the Capitol Limited to be rerouted through Michigan as Detroit to Washington is a very large travel market. So is Detroit-New York City, but I think that city pair could be better served by linking up a Wolverine Corridor train with an Empire Corridor train and operating nonstop across Ontario with the train doors locked so that a time-consuming customs inspection of train passengers and their luggage won't be necessary.

 

The reason for the reroute is to test the Michigan-East Coast market. If it does well, expect Amtrak to pursue another train to run from Chicago to the East Coast via Michigan -- also through Cleveland.

KJP, would the route through Michigan add to the Chicago-Cleveland journey time?

KJP, would the route through Michigan add to the Chicago-Cleveland journey time?

 

Yes, by about two hours. I'm told the departure times at Cleveland wouldn't change much if at all, however. This makes sense considering CSX has "windows" in their freight traffic schedules east of Cleveland into New York state and they want Amtrak's trains to stay in them (especially from Buffalo east where NYSDOT has three additional daily round trips operated by Amtrak).

 

It means the eastbound Lake Shore could depart Chicago at about 7:30 p.m. That would give Michiganders a more reliable connection from western trains (their latest train out of Chicago now is 6 p.m.) and let them enjoy an early dinner in downtown Chicago before heading to Michigan. I'm told The train would serve Dearborn about 1:00 a.m. It would maintain its current times from Toledo at 3:20 a.m. (after its 30-minute servicing stop) and at Cleveland at 5:35 a.m. And yes, the train would probably take two hours to go from Dearborn to Toledo, a distance of about 60 miles. About half of that time could involve the train snaking its way from Dearborn to River Rouge, a distance of about five miles!

 

In the other direction, the Lake Shore would continue to depart Cleveland at 3:45 a.m., Toledo at 6:15 a.m. (after its 20-minute servicing stop), then take two hours to get to Dearborn, pausing there at about 8:15 a.m. I'm told the westbound Lake Shore would arrive Chicago about noon, maybe a little bit before.

^^I weep for our country.  This corridor begs for high speed rail, and it takes 2 hours for a train to go Dearborn to Toledo?    Donald Trump had one thing right in the debate--we need to start spending on ourselves.  Airports, rail and bridges.  All putting Americans to work.

Yep. We get what we pay for. Countries like Iran and Botswana (no joke) spend more per capita on their rail systems than America does for its rail system.

Donald Trump had one thing right in the debate--we need to start spending on ourselves.  Airports, rail and bridges.

 

Except he said "we have a country that needs new roads, new tunnels, new bridges, new airports, new schools, new hospitals."  I doubt he had rail in mind.

Oh yes, let's compare ourselves to dictatorships and countries that have essentially no population.

 

Note that neither of those countries have interstate highways, let alone freeways that are remotely comparable to the United States. Note that both of those countries have far fewer railroad miles per capita.

 

* Botswana has 550 miles of rail total. All railroad passenger service was essentially removed in 2009, only to be partially reintroduced in 2016 with two nightly passenger trains. 10% of its population lives in one city alone - which doesn't have much in the way of public transport.

* It also has 6,300 miles of total roads, half of which is not paved.

 

* Iran has 6,942 miles of rail (4% passenger volume, 9% freight volume).

* It has 107,000 miles of total roads, about 3/4 of which is paved.

 

* The United States has 139,679 of class one rail. The lines carry whopping 40% of freight (trucks 33%), declining in recent years due to the decline of coal which accounts for 40% of tonnage. It carries 1.5 trillion ton-miles of freight in 2005, up from 750 billion ton-miles of freight in 1975. Compared to Europe, the United States carries 38% of its freight by rail while Europe carries just 8% by rail. (So we've become far more efficient per mile with our railroads through optimization, data mining and cost-benefit analysis.)

* While the United States has more miles of passenger lines than Iran and Botswana (and most countries), but it carries far less passengers per mile. I can't find those statistics anymore, so have at it.

* It has a little over 4 million miles of roads of which 65% is paved. We have 47,000 miles of interstate highways (not including freeways without designations) alone.

 

So let's compare apples to apples instead of apples to oranges?

Ok, my point was that countries which are so poor or authoritarian they can't afford to invest in much of anything still invest more in rail than does the United States.

 

If you want to see a comparison of the more developed nations, here's this chart (best I could find without spending much time on a search), although I'm sure sure you'll find something wrong with it too...

 

I mean, it's still not including Iran or Botswana. With what little information I can find on both examples, their spending per GDP is still paltry. I'm not finding faults with all of your statements, but providing sensational and unreliable examples only dilutes the argument.

 

While we know that other countries spend more on rail than US - we still carry the lion's share of freight compared to other nations. Does that mean that other nations prioritize spending on passenger rail, leaving freight customers to depend on trucks?

 

Of course, China spends vastly more on infrastructure because it's starting from essentially nothing. Up until the last few years, it had no interstate highway system, only a crude network of expressways and some freeways. It had no high speed rail. And even in some of those instances, there is controversy with quality, notwithstanding the political ramifications of shoving a line into Tibet. It's admirable that they have invested so much to catch up with mostly European and some Asian nations. And it's totally embarrassing that we don't invest more.

 

That's a good point to make.

In most places of the world, there are no passenger-only railroads or freight-only railroads. They're just railroads. So it's nearly impossible to separate the passenger investment from the freight investment. Even in Canada, VIA pays market-rate trackage use fees (unlike Amtrak which is required by law to pay only the incremental added cost of that passenger train to the rail line). So CN and CP invest private dollars into their rail corridors to improve freight and passenger service. Similarly, VIA has invested significant dollars into rail corridors it shares with freight to improve service for both (as has Amtrak or agencies on its behalf).

 

It means the eastbound Lake Shore could depart Chicago at about 7:30 p.m. That would give Michiganders a more reliable connection from western trains (their latest train out of Chicago now is 6 p.m.) and let them enjoy an early dinner in downtown Chicago before heading to Michigan. I'm told The train would serve Dearborn about 1:00 a.m. It would maintain its current times from Toledo at 3:20 a.m. (after its 30-minute servicing stop) and at Cleveland at 5:35 a.m. And yes, the train would probably take two hours to go from Dearborn to Toledo, a distance of about 60 miles. About half of that time could involve the train snaking its way from Dearborn to River Rouge, a distance of about five miles!

 

In the other direction, the Lake Shore would continue to depart Cleveland at 3:45 a.m., Toledo at 6:15 a.m. (after its 20-minute servicing stop), then take two hours to get to Dearborn, pausing there at about 8:15 a.m. I'm told the westbound Lake Shore would arrive Chicago about noon, maybe a little bit before.

 

The old New York Central Mercuries would do Cleveland-Detroit in less than three hours.  If that schedule is the best Amtrak can come up with, why bother? It seems like an experiment designed to fail. 

Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited also takes longer to go from Cleveland-Toledo than did the NYC Mercury (and 20th Century Limited, and Commodore Vanderbilt, and a few other trains). It also takes longer to go from Cleveland to New York City than many of the New York Central's trains. And yet Amtrak's 10- to 16-car Lake Shore Ltd is regularly sold out, carrying 450-550 passengers each way per day. So something other than speed is attracting passengers.

 

A slow 60-mile segment in the middle of a 1,000-mile-long route and in the middle of the night isn't going to make or break this experiment. Which is a good thing because Amtrak isn't going to spend big bucks to build (at minimum) passing tracks or (at maximum) elevated tracks to go over congested rail junctions in Detroit for an experiment. They will take into account the slow section and evaluate the results accordingly.

So something other than speed is attracting passengers.

 

I guess; I was surprised the times I've ridden it by how many Washington-Chicago passengers were on the Cardinal, not just slow over that distance, but slower than other trains. One ride on the Eurostar has made me impatient with 50mph trains.

All Aboard Ohio ‏@AllAboardOhio  1m1 minute ago

We are happy to report @Amtrak is now offering Business Class on its CHI-TOL-CLE-BOS Lake Shore Ltd. Details: https://www.amtrak.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=am/AM_Alert_C/Alerts_Popup&cid=1251643578803

Politics aside, is there anything in Trump's infrastructure proposal for Amtrak?  Or is that proposal completely undefined?

The details of Trumps infrastructure proposal are starting to come out and some could provide benefits for Intercity passenger rail, especially High-Speed Rail.

The details of Trumps infrastructure proposal are starting to come out and some could provide benefits for Intercity passenger rail, especially High-Speed Rail.

 

President Obama pushed for infrastructure improvements, including strengthening passenger rail and building HSR.  The Elephants rejected this as wasteful spending even though much of the program was to create thousands of new jobs... Now Trump may be pushing the same thing... Now what will the Elephants say?

GOPers don't like government grants to government agencies (ie: GCRTA) and government corporations (ie: Amtrak). But they do like using tax credits to private corporations, including railroads that are unique in the transportation world because they own most of their rights of way. That makes them a good candidate for Trump tax credit approach to infrastructure.

Low gas prices? No problem! Amtrak sets new ridership record and covers 94% of costs with revenues.

https://t.co/l5j3LQHzh3

Nice job, Amtrak

 

Hope all of you will enjoy your holiday travels.

Ever wonder how we get your ride ready for #Thanksgiving? Take a peek behind the scenes with @abcnews:

http://abcnews.go.com/US/scenes-amtrak-rail-giant-turns-trains/story?id=43727155

I have been reading that John Micah might be the next Sec. of Transportation or at least Head of the FRA. Any read on how this will impact rail and other transit projects, if confirmed?

Mica would be a disaster.

I have been reading that John Micah might be the next Sec. of Transportation or at least Head of the FRA. Any read on how this will impact rail and other transit projects, if confirmed?

Mica would be a disaster.

 

There seems to be a little bit of a pattern of putting up a name that infuriates liberals first (Bolton, Walker) and then coming out with a nominee that looks moderate by comparison.  Nikki Haley, and possibly Peter Kirsanow.  This mirrors sales tactics Trump has advocated.

All Ohio Amtrak trains originate/terminate here. Great to this beauty getting renovated. Amtrak is justly proud.

https://cdn.ampproject.org/c/chicago.curbed.com/platform/amp/2016/11/28/13764122/chicago-architecture-union-station-burlington-room-historic-preservation

Thankfully, it won't be John Mica.....

 

Elaine Chao expected to be Trump's Transportation secretary

By SEUNG MIN KIM, ANNA PALMER and ANDREW RESTUCCIA 11/29/16 10:40 AM EST

 

Former Labor Secretary Elaine Chao is set to be announced later Tuesday as President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to lead the Department of Transportation, multiple sources familiar with the decision confirmed Tuesday morning.

 

Chao, who ran the Labor Department under President George W. Bush, met with the incoming president at Trump Tower last week and discussed labor and transportation policy, Trump’s transition team said then.

 

The formal announcement is expected at 1 p.m., one source said.

 

The wife of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Chao is the first Asian-American woman to hold a Cabinet-level position. She also served as deputy secretary of transportation under President George H.W. Bush. Chao was also a member of Trump’s Asian Pacific American Advisory Council during the campaign.

 

MORE:

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/11/elaine-chao-transportation-secretary-231925

I'm not expecting much from any Republican SOT appointee, but Chao would have to be a step up from totally regressive John Mica.

The wife of Mitch McConnell? Yeah, no pay-to-play there.

She's also a fellow at the Heritage Foundation which historically has been very anti-rail and transit. Her family also runs a large shipping firm.

The wife of Mitch McConnell? Yeah, no pay-to-play there.

 

She is a rather established politician herself, having served in Bush's cabinet (the first Asian American woman to ever hold a cabinet position) and Deputy Secretary of Transportation for H.W. Bush. It's not like she was writing huge checks to Trump's foundation in exchange for a position, like so many Democrats were doing to get on Clinton's good side. She also hasn't relied entirely upon her husband success to get where she is (as opposed to someone like Hillary) - she was Deputy Secretary of Transportation prior to marrying McConnell.

 

Overall, I think she is a great choice, and I think Trump will be the most transit friendly Republican president we've had in a long time. He wants to see big infrastructure projects - the focus for anyone interested in transit should be to try and make as many of those projects as possible transit, instead of road.

http://allaboardohio.org/2016/12/20/boy-scouts-seek-daily-amtrak-cardinal/

 

Boy Scouts seek daily Amtrak Cardinal

kjprendergast on December 20, 2016

 

Dec. 20, 2016

For Immediate Release

 

Contact: Derek Bauman 513-262-0345

[email protected]

 

All Aboard Ohio and other passenger rail advocates seeking daily Amtrak Cardinal service have gained a major ally in the Boy Scouts of America.

 

In a Dec. 15, 2016 letter to Amtrak President Wick Moorman, BSA Chief Scout Executive Michael B. Surbaugh urged Amtrak to increase its Cardinal service from thrice-weekly to daily. He urged it on at least a temporary basis during July 2017 when the BSA will begin holding its annual National Jamboree at Summit Bechtel Reserve at Mount Hope, WV. An even larger event will occur in 2019 when the World Scout Jamboree is held at that location, near Amtrak Cardinal stations along the New River Gorge National River, a 70,000-acre recreation area.

 

BSA had been using the Philmont Scout Ranch near Raton, NM and large groups of scouts took Amtrak’s daily Southwest Chief from Los Angeles, Chicago and points in between, to get there. The same large passenger loads will descend upon the Cardinal, but will be limited by its three-days-per-week operation.

 

BSA became aware of proposals and issues surrounding expanding the Cardinal to a daily schedule when BSA representatives attended the Sept. 23, 2016 Cardinal Conference. That event was organized by All Aboard Ohio and Amtrak, and hosted by the Cincinnati USA Chamber of Commerce in Cincinnati, OH, a station stop on the Cardinal route.

 

“More than 100 people attended the Cardinal Conference,” said All Aboard Ohio Vice Chair Derek Bauman. “While stakeholders learned of the challenges involved in getting the Cardinal to run daily, we were also energized by the level of interest by people in the room to press forward and tackle those challenges. We are thankful to the BSA for its letter which shows that interest in this enhanced rail service remains strong.”

 

“I hope Amtrak will consider the opportunity to take advantage of the Jamboree window to operate daily service on the Cardinal and to work with local tourism representatives to maximize this unique opportunity,” Surbaugh wrote in his letter to Amtrak. “I know I speak for all when I say that enhanced service would be a welcome addition offering the possibility of increased ridership and visitors to the New River Gorge.”

 

The West Virginia Governor’s Conference on Tourism unanimously passed a motion in favor of daily Cardinal service in the Fall of 2016. In a 2010 Performance Improvement Plan, Amtrak projected that ridership on the Cardinal route would increase by 96 percent if the train operated daily. While Amtrak estimated the operating subsidy could increase by several million dollars per year, the subsidy per passenger was projected to decrease.

 

Amtrak cannot legally expand service that increases its operating losses without identifying funding to offset it. Congress provided that funding program in 2015 as part of its Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act by authorizing Restoration & Enhancement Grants with a total program ceiling of $20 million per year. However Congress has yet to appropriate any funding to that program. States and other political jurisdictions may also sponsor passenger rail services under Sec. 209 of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008.

 

Amtrak estimates it has enough locomotives and passenger cars to run the Cardinal as often as five days per week. A long-delayed order of 130 Viewliner II passenger cars from CAF USA in Elmira, NY is finally producing the promised baggage cars, diners, sleepers and baggage dorm cars. Enough cars may be on hand by July to offer daily Cardinal service for the BSA, if funding can be found to offset the added operating cost.

 

The last time Amtrak offered daily service on its Cardinal route was Sept. 30, 1981, when the train was discontinued due to federal budget cuts. Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV) got some funding restored, bringing the Cardinal back on Jan. 8, 1982 as a thrice-weekly service. The train was rescheduled from serving Cincinnati in daytime so it could serve West Virginia at more convenient times. The train is named the Cardinal because that is the state bird in every state through which the train passes.

 

END

Will Oxford Finally Get an Amtrak stop?

Oxford has been considering getting an Amtrak train stop since 2009 and a December meeting may put the idea one step closer.

December 19, 2016 7:46 pm ET

BY MARIEL PADILLA | Miami University Journalism Student

 

Securing an Amtrak stop in Oxford has been more like a roller coaster ride than rail service for officials working on a proposal for more than two decades.

 

City council members will again meet with Amtrak officials on Dec. 20 to discuss a new proposal for a stop near the corner of West Chestnut and South Main streets, which was identified by a committee earlier this year. But first it must secure at least $350,000 from both the city and Miami University.

 

The city, various study groups and Miami University students have been studying the issue since 2009 with limited success -- a full 15 years after an historic train station at South Elm Street was razed.

 

MORE:

http://patch.com/ohio/miamiuniversity-oxford/will-oxford-finally-get-amtrak-stop

Miami University sees your $350,000, city of Oxford, and will match it. This is from Trains Magazine....

 

Ohio city, Miami University pledge $700,000 for new Cardinal stop

By Chase Gunnoe | January 4, 2017

RELATED TOPICS: PASSENGER | INFRASTRUCTURE | MIDWEST | AMTRAK

 

OXFORD, Ohio — City leaders in Oxford and Miami University officials have each pledged $350,000 in support of a new station stop along the route of Amtrak’s Cardinal north of Cincinnati. The unmanned station would feature a platform and shelter area.

 

Derek Bauman, vice chair and director of Southwest Ohio at All Aboard Ohio, a passenger rail advocacy group, tells Trains News Wire that he is both proud and excited that [Oxford] has made a commitment to funding a new Amtrak station.

 

“They’ll be bringing inter-city rail back to Oxford for the first time in nearly half a century and allowing 18,000 students and the residents of Oxford and the surrounding region to easily connect to Cincinnati, Indianapolis, and Chicago as well as the east coast.”

 

Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari tells Trains News Wire that Amtrak has long favored the idea of stopping the Cardinal at Oxford and have been working with the community and the host railroad on project.

 

MORE:

http://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2017/01/04-ohio-city-miami-university-pledge-700000-for-new-cardinal-stop

^Looks like tiny Oxford may get an Amtrak station-stop before the State's largest city... Oh yeah I forgot, Columbus doesn't want Amtrak, at least according to our illustrious Gov. Kasich and his friends. 

 

... truth is, though, the Oxfordians are the smart ones.  They recognize clearly the formula: Large University + passenger trains = smooth functioning and Smart Growth.

^Looks like tiny Oxford may get an Amtrak station-stop before the State's largest city... Oh yeah I forgot, Columbus doesn't want Amtrak, at least according to our illustrious Gov. Kasich and his friends. 

 

Actually, the mayor is being more of a hindrance at this point. He's fallen in love with driverless cars, even though they won't help Honda execs in Marysville get to Chicago fianciers and O'Hare airport any faster. Ohio's 3C mayors have become quite the hindrance to rail and transit improvements lately.

Has Jackson, too, become a rail hater/roadblock? We know he certainly no rail enthusiast or supporter, and his Public Square moves lately have been disastrous (though I too would rather no buses through PS; it just should have been handled much better)

 

Oxford agrees to pitch in for Amtrak stop

 

 

The city of Oxford has agreed to help pay for a new Amtrak stop, FOX19 reports.

 

The home of Miami University has said it will pitch in $350,000 of the more than $1 million needed to add a stop there.

 

More below:

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2017/01/05/oxford-agrees-to-pitch-in-for-amtrak-stop.html

So the City of Oxford, Ohio, population 21,470, provides $350,000 for an Amtrak station. The City of Columbus, population 822,553, has so far offered $0 to the first step in the project development process for building Columbus-Chicago 110 mph passenger rail. So that's why the PDP is focusing only Lima-Ft Wayne-Chicago at this time.

 

If Columbus gave funding like Oxford did but on a per-capita basis, it would be like the City of Columbus providing $13.4 million (and being matched by another $13.4 million from The OSU).

1/5/2017

Rail News: Amtrak

Amtrak unveils corporate restructuring plan

 

Amtrak will streamline its corporate structure by cutting in half the senior management team into six direct reports, the railroad announced yesterday.

 

The move is part of a plan to improve passenger service and make Amtrak more competitive, said Amtrak President and Chief Executive Officer Wick Moorman in a press release.

 

"This new structure aligns with our focus on improving the way we do business, modernizing and enhancing the customer experience, and investing in the future," Moorman said.

 

MORE:

http://www.progressiverailroading.com/amtrak/news/Amtrak-unveils-corporate-restructuring-plan--50520

dubz

Wait till the newly empowered, newly emboldened Republicans on the Hill start their privatizing, downsizing Amtrak crap once again.

Gonna miss ya, Uncle Joe. Thanks for your leadership in creating the largest federal capital improvement program for passenger rail in American history.

 

Several days ago, he tweeted:

Jan 20, Jill and I will head home to Delaware the same way I have for 44 years: by train. Serving this country has been our greatest honor.

There's a good report in yesterday's WSJ. The FRA wants to spent $120 billion to replace 35 miles of track in Rhode Island and eastern Connecticut in order to take 45 minutes off the Boston-NYC running time. Three and a half billion per mile does make you wonder if there isn't some more economical route.

^Pretty sure sure that the $120B would be for improvements to the entire NEC, including badly needed tubes under the Hudson, not just the eastern CT stretch that article focuses on.

There's a good report in yesterday's WSJ. The FRA wants to spent $120 billion to replace 35 miles of track in Rhode Island and eastern Connecticut in order to take 45 minutes off the Boston-NYC running time. Three and a half billion per mile does make you wonder if there isn't some more economical route.

 

The $120 billion figure is for upgrading the entire 400+ mile Washington-Boston Northeast Corridor. Costs per mile of new high-speed rail corridor is typically about $50 million per mile. The entire new corridor through Rhode Island and Connecticut will probably cost about $2 billion. Getting the travel time between Downtown Boston and Midtown Manhattan to under three hours will be an economic boon to the Northeast.

^^  Ok, that makes MUCH more sense; I must have misread the story. However, the article also said that the FRA is getting so much opposition to doing anything in CT that they are focusing on projects south of NYC.

Gonna miss ya, Uncle Joe. Thanks for your leadership in creating the largest federal capital improvement program for passenger rail in American history.

 

Several days ago, he tweeted:

Jan 20, Jill and I will head home to Delaware the same way I have for 44 years: by train. Serving this country has been our greatest honor.

 

Awesome photo.  It totally captures the down-to-earth nature of Joe Biden... I actually had the honor of shaking hands with him on an Amtrak train to D.C. back in the late 1980s while he was just returning to his duties in the Senate after his near-death aneurysm.  He was skinny as a rail, but had his textbook warmth and smile; he greeted everyone and, of course, we all were happy he had survived.  The fact Joe has suffered so many family tragedies he's shared publicly while, yet, keeping his same positive and friendly demeanor is a large part of what makes him special in my book.   

^^  Ok, that makes MUCH more sense; I must have misread the story. However, the article also said that the FRA is getting so much opposition to doing anything in CT that they are focusing on projects south of NYC.

 

The new high-speed alignment away from the historic, twisting, curving rail line just a few feet above the water along the coast is not an urgent issue. Much more urgent is to add two more Hudson River tunnels, rebuild the old ones, replace the Portal bridge, and all the other components of the $20 billion Gateway program between Newark and Manhattan. Also essential is a new tunnel alignment on the southwest side of Baltimore that bypasses the Civil War-era tunnels, replace the Susquehanna River bridge, ease some curves near Philadelphia (including the one at Frankford Jct that claimed a Northeast Regional train in May 2015), and of course the upgrades already funded that will allow train speeds to be increased from 135 mph to 160 mph in New Jersey and Maryland.

 

Of course, all of the little towns along the coast of Connecticut and Rhode Island from New Haven to east of Westerly don't want to see the main line moved away from them. But many of the Northeast Regional trains probably won't be rerouted out of those communities. The Acelas will be rerouted, but they don't stop in Westerly, Mystic, New London or Old Saybrook anyway. I suspect the political clout of New York City, Boston, Providence, New Haven, Stamford etc. will overcome the smaller coastal towns east of New Haven. And if they don't force the new alignment, rising sea levels along the coast will.

 

This is in New London. Not a high-speed alignment....

 

Much of the Northeast Corridor east of New Haven is only a few feet above the Long Island Sound, especially at river crossings (many have movable bridges -- a no-no on a high-speed rail line!) like this one at the Niantic River. At least the 105-year-old bascule bridge was finally replaced with a new, more reliable movable bridge in 2012 for $105 million...