Other People's Rail: Amtrak, commuter rail, rapid transit news & views outside New England

[#bancars]

Look at that cameo!

Related:

 

[Semass]

It looks like the massive Albany Central Warehouse may finally be coming down. It is immediately adjacent to the Amtrak line and falling debris has halted trains in the past. Will this ever help facilitate more or better service on the Empire Service or Lakeshore? Who knows, but I don't think anyone will miss this building.

Albany Central Warehouse’s days are numbered as demolition contractors come on

Negotiations are under way to demolish Albany’s Central Warehouse.

www.wamc.org

 

[themissinglink]

South Dakota Senate votes down Amtrak resolution - Trains

PIERRE, S.D. — South Dakota’s Senate has voted down a bill calling for support for introduction of Amtrak service in the state. House Concurrent Resolution 6008 calls for state’s congressional delegation and the Trump administration to work for development of a route through the state connecting...

www.trains.com

 

[themissinglink]

Fuck everything about this.

Elon Musk suggests the U.S. should privatize the Postal Service and Amtrak

During a remote appearance at a technology conference in San Francisco, Musk told attendees the U.S. should privatize "as much as possible."

www.nbcnews.com

 

[BostonBoy]

Fuck everything about this.

Elon Musk suggests the U.S. should privatize the Postal Service and Amtrak

During a remote appearance at a technology conference in San Francisco, Musk told attendees the U.S. should privatize "as much as possible."

www.nbcnews.com

Amtrak already is a "Private Corporation" This guy is not a genius; he's a con man on the spectrum

 

[HenryAlan]

Amtrak already is a "Private Corporation" This guy is not a genius; he's a con man on the spectrum

As for the post office, while not a private corporation, it essentially functions like one already. And unlike Amtrak, it's Constitutionally established, so I don't think Musk can simply privatize it on a whim. Complete jackass.

 

[bakgwailo]

I also don't get the USPS angle, either.

As for the post office, while not a private corporation, it essentially functions like one already. And unlike Amtrak, it's Constitutionally established, so I don't think Musk can simply privatize it on a whim. Complete jackass.

Franklin is rolling in his grave.

 

[Stlin]

Looking at the MTA / Metro North's battery locomotive procurement, it appears that their press release very strategically took place before the release of board materials that included the cost: for 13 locomotives, the MTA will be paying just shy of $305M, for ~23.5M per locomotive for delivery in 2029-30.

Spoiler: Rant about the illogic of this procurement for Metro-North

That said, I (and apparently the NYC rail folks) am confused by the utility of these for Metro North ... its weird. Apparently earmarked for New Haven Line & Penn Station Access (PSA), which is using the Amtrak / NEC Hell Gate, which has already been in the process of constructing the substations for the past 3 years for a tiny segment of 750V 3rd rail to allow the M8s to run into NYP. Even if they're doing an 11th hour change of plan, given the proposed frequencies, the 13 they're buying won't be able to replace M8 service volumes, and as they'll have catenary pantographs and no 3rd rail shoe, they're not useful for the Hudson/Harlem lines to access Penn or LIRR... the only logic I can see is slushing some PSA funding to cover electrification of the Danbury/Waterbury branches, but that would be much more of a CT thing rather than one announced by the NY Gov, especially since they already just bought a full complement of new diesel dual modes (the original order these battery locomotives are option orders of) . Plus their new RFP for coaches when CTDOT already ordered new coaches for Hartford & the CT New Haven Branches with plenty of options for the rest of Metro-North? The decision making down there doesn't make any sense to me.

Compared to their Dec 24 procurement of Diesel-Electric dual modes, 44 of which will cost $787M for ~18M each, or even compared to TRE's Feb 24 procurement of 5 straight diesels for $63M / 12.5M each, that 5.5/11M markup is severe, but doesn't seem too bad compared to Caltrains battery premium. It appears that costs are getting rationalized in this space, and more "off the shelf" - those numbers seem to actually compare favorably when you put them next to the T's most recent electrification estimates per mile. They're a little funky for Metro North - Amtrak compatible AC pantograph and no 3rd rail shoe - but that means these are basically perfect for the T's current vision, if the T doesn't want to build out the infrastructure immediately absent major power dollars for the southside.

Governor Hochul Announces Metro-North to Operate First-in-the-Nation Battery- and Electric-Powered Locomotives for Penn Station Access

Governor Hochul announced details of a major expansion of Metro-North Railroad’s railcar fleet, unveiling plans to add new trains that will provide New Haven Line service to Penn Station and four additional stations in the Bronx.

www.governor.ny.gov

Alternative propulsion solutions for commuter trains

Removing the diesel engine and adding alternative methods of propulsion

www.mobility.siemens.com

 

[F-Line to Dudley]

Looking at the MTA / Metro North's battery locomotive procurement, it appears that their press release very strategically took place before the release of board materials that included the cost: for 13 locomotives, the MTA will be paying just shy of $305M, for ~23.5M per locomotive for delivery in 2029-30.

Spoiler: Rant about the illogic of this procurement for Metro-North

That said, I (and apparently the NYC rail folks) am confused by the utility of these for Metro North ... its weird. Apparently earmarked for New Haven Line & Penn Station Access (PSA), which is using the Amtrak / NEC Hell Gate, which has already been in the process of constructing the substations for the past 3 years for a tiny segment of 750V 3rd rail to allow the M8s to run into NYP. Even if they're doing an 11th hour change of plan, given the proposed frequencies, the 13 they're buying won't be able to replace M8 service volumes, and as they'll have catenary pantographs and no 3rd rail shoe, they're not useful for the Hudson/Harlem lines to access Penn or LIRR... the only logic I can see is slushing some PSA funding to cover electrification of the Danbury/Waterbury branches, but that would be much more of a CT thing rather than one announced by the NY Gov, especially since they already just bought a full complement of new diesel dual modes (the original order these battery locomotives are option orders of) . Plus their new RFP for coaches when CTDOT already ordered new coaches for Hartford & the CT New Haven Branches with plenty of options for the rest of Metro-North? The decision making down there doesn't make any sense to me.

Compared to their Dec 24 procurement of Diesel-Electric dual modes, 44 of which will cost $787M for ~18M each, or even compared to TRE's Feb 24 procurement of 5 straight diesels for $63M / 12.5M each, that 5.5/11M markup is severe, but doesn't seem too bad compared to Caltrains battery premium. It appears that costs are getting rationalized in this space, and more "off the shelf" - those numbers seem to actually compare favorably when you put them next to the T's most recent electrification estimates per mile. They're a little funky for Metro North - Amtrak compatible AC pantograph and no 3rd rail shoe - but that means these are basically perfect for the T's current vision, if the T doesn't want to build out the infrastructure immediately absent major power dollars for the southside.

Governor Hochul Announces Metro-North to Operate First-in-the-Nation Battery- and Electric-Powered Locomotives for Penn Station Access

Governor Hochul announced details of a major expansion of Metro-North Railroad’s railcar fleet, unveiling plans to add new trains that will provide New Haven Line service to Penn Station and four additional stations in the Bronx.

www.governor.ny.gov

Alternative propulsion solutions for commuter trains

Removing the diesel engine and adding alternative methods of propulsion

www.mobility.siemens.com

It's a scandal. The 2016-exercised supplemental order of Kawasaki M8's, which was supposed to inoculate for Penn Station Access fleet increases, was for $3.85M per car. Assuming they really are still hard-up for cars, taken with inflation another supplemental order of M8's is still going to be less than the $5.25M per car they're paying Alstom for new regular-assed push-pull coaches, plus the bath they're taking on these wild-ass unicorn locos. I can't fathom why they'd want to run such a much-hyped Urban Rail service into a very dwell-constrained terminal on piggish push-pull ops with coaches that not only have an inferior door configuration to the M8's, but have an inferior door configuration (vestibule-only doors instead of the additional center doors on a good chunk of the Shoreliner coach fleet) as the P-P coaches they're replacing. Especially since Penn Station Access is going to be run solely from electric territory Stamford or New Haven...no Danbury or Waterbury sojurns (they're already buying considerably cheaper conventional diesel+third rail Charger dual-modes to cover the future of the branches into Grand Central). Even if the M8 fleet is load-bearing for this service, schedules are going to have to be plotted out against the poorer-performing P-P's with their longer door dwells that could be taking any turn in the rotation so it's not going to be as tightly-run a service as it deserves to be.

Just total incoherence of a plan. At least buy a Sprinter for half the price if Not Invented Here syndrome is just begging for an injection of slovenly push-pull ops on the fucking New Haven Line. Or, better yet, don't at all.

 

[themissinglink]

Bill for Amtrak Cascades improvements passed by Washington House - Trains

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Legislation calling for increased frequencies and reduced travel times for Amtrak Cascades service has passed the Washington state House of Representatives and moved to the Senate. House Bill 1857 passed by a 68-29 vote last Wednesday, March 12, beating a deadline for bills to...

www.trains.com

The bill calls for service to be more than doubled, to a minimum of 14 daily round trips between Seattle and Portland, Ore., and five between Seattle and Vancouver, British Columbia, and for infrastructure improvements to improve trip times

 

[fatnoah]

Elon Musk suggests the U.S. should privatize the Postal Service and Amtrak

In the interest of "efficiency" maybe it's time to combine the two and bring back the mobile post office, mail trains, and attaching mail freight to passenger trains.