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

ceo

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Brattle Loop

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ceo said:
The article says the new cars "would run on routes like the California Zephyr between Chicago and San Francisco and the Cardinal between New York and Chicago". Does that mean they're looking at replacing both the single-deck and double-deck fleet, or did the article get it wrong?
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Amtrak's own statement is similarly a little vague (not mentioning the Cardinal, for one, but mentioning the Crescent). It's an RFI, so it doesn't sound like they're completely set on what, specifically, they're buying. Obviously a single-level design could replace the existing single-level fleet as well as the Superliners, though that might well come with some...issues in terms of capacity and accessibility. (Cue the funding for a bajillion mini-highs in Superliner territory?)
 
Jahvon09

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ceo said:
[yanked from other thread]

The article says the new cars "would run on routes like the California Zephyr between Chicago and San Francisco and the Cardinal between New York and Chicago". Does that mean they're looking at replacing both the single-deck and double-deck fleet, or did the article get it wrong?
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Amtrak, as of late, has ordered tons of new equipment, ranging from the brand new Acelas, to Chicago passenger cars to the latest order. which is the new Airo equipment for the NEC, Downeaster & other routes, so it can be quite confusing as to where & how to post the info. Hopefully, & maybe, the mods can come up with an idea on where & how to post things, & in what category. Could any of the mods please look into this? Thanks. :)
 
Brattle Loop

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Jahvon09 said:
Amtrak, as of late, has ordered tons of new equipment, ranging from the brand new Acelas, to Chicago passenger cars to the latest order. which is the new Airo equipment for the NEC, Downeaster & other routes, so it can be quite confusing as to where & how to post the info. Hopefully, & maybe, the mods can come up with an idea on where & how to post things, & in what category. Could any of the mods please look into this? Thanks. :)
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The titles of the two threads can help a bit. The other thread is basically anything touching the Northeast Corridor (Acela, the Regionals, the Keystones, things like the Downeaster), and this thread is for everything outside the NEC and New England (including Amtrak's long distance services), if that helps. (Note to the mods: it might be helpful to have notes on that distinction (with links to the other relevant thread) at the top of the thread, like in the Reasonable/Crazy Transit Pitches threads.)
 
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I really hope that the open gangway pilot goes well, because every American transit agency is watching. They are already basically the global standard and really should be part of every future order for NYC and indeed the US generally.
 
stick n move

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Definitely, also the platform screen door pilot in nyc is important for the same reason. If it goes well there itll be adapted elsewhere in the us.
 
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fatnoah said:
While this is indeed a big screw-up, a more accurate headline for that article was that the DESIGNS are for trains that are too big for the tunnels. There are no trains yet. It's still a costly mistake due to the design rework required, though.
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Didn't the French do something similar about 10 years ago for a much bigger order of like $20B and 2000 trains, and only found out after they took delivery of the first few hundred? If I recall correctly, they hadnt measured old station platforms, only more recently built ones and they had to modify something like 1500 platforms.
 
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Stlin said:
Didn't the French do something similar about 10 years ago for a much bigger order of like $20B and 2000 trains, and only found out after they took delivery of the first few hundred? If I recall correctly, they hadnt measured old station platforms, only more recently built ones and they had to modify something like 1500 platforms.
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Yup. BBC News link from 2014 about that fairly epic dang-it.
 
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Didn't the French do something similar about 10 years ago for a much bigger order of like $20B and 2000 trains, and only found out after they took delivery of the first few hundred? If I recall correctly, they hadnt measured old station platforms, only more recently built ones and they had to modify something like 1500 platforms.
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While I generally am not a fan of government waste, I only wish we were in a position to have some egg on our faces resulting from a $20B passenger rail investment.
 
Jahvon09

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WOW!!!! Why couldn't the MBTA get trains like those, instead of the ones from China that they're getting now?!! I like the open gangways!! Washington Metro was going to have gangways put into the 8,000's, but it changed it's mind. :unsure:
 
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The Federal Railroad Administration recently released its study of long distance rail routes. The slide deck is huge but very interesting

Meeting Materials

Meeting Materials FRA is engaging with State DOTs, Amtrak, Class I Railroads, metropolitan planning organizations, regional passenger rail authorities, local officials, federally recognized tribes, and the broader stakeholder community as we evaluate how to better connect people with...
fralongdistancerailstudy.org fralongdistancerailstudy.org
This is required by the IIJA to evaluate former routes for potential restoration. No impact on New England but a pretty fascinating study.
 
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Semass said:
The Federal Railroad Administration recently released its study of long distance rail routes. The slide deck is huge but very interesting

Meeting Materials

Meeting Materials FRA is engaging with State DOTs, Amtrak, Class I Railroads, metropolitan planning organizations, regional passenger rail authorities, local officials, federally recognized tribes, and the broader stakeholder community as we evaluate how to better connect people with...
fralongdistancerailstudy.org fralongdistancerailstudy.org
This is required by the IIJA to evaluate former routes for potential restoration. No impact on New England but a pretty fascinating study.
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The map comparison between what we have now and what was lost is pretty stark.

LD1.png

LD2.png
 
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Ok so the Greenbush is slow and prone to delays along with old colony. What’s the next worst? It’s clear that not every line is created equal. What’s the best? Fitchburg seemed fast but honestly it’s still hour+ headways at peak which makes it hard to rely on. Mbta just sucks in general every mode. The boat is the prob the best bc it’s completely outsourced. Wish it ran later and on weekends.
 
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