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

aquaticko said:
considering that we know it's just physically impossible to overhead any railways in America beyond those that already have it--it just can't be done; it's science
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I myself am very very very skeptical about electrification getting done quickly at all, but I would not say it’s physically impossible. Can you explain more?
 
www.tcpalm.com

Why was Stuart selected over Fort Pierce for Brightline train station? Follow the money.

Stuart officials say they will be getting a Brightline station that Fort Pierce was also hoping to land. The decision probably all came down to money.
www.tcpalm.com

Interesting article related to the news before the official announcement of the first Treasure Coast Brightline station addition in Stuart, FL. Picked over the more bustling Fort Pierce.

The Port St Lucie Metro Area is a busy and expanding area of a few major cities in Florida and will benefit from a stop for those looking to go to Orlando or Miami (and hopefully eventually Tampa). With a co worker in Miami who took the Brightline to a conference in Orlando today, I am starting to hear anecdotal approval from non-afficianados of transit too. It's just better than getting to MIA 1-2 hours early, dealing with MIA's crazy crowds at security and terminals, and you keep wifi/cell network the entire time. Plus, legroom. I really want Brightline Florida and Brightline West to succeed because it seems like our faster higher speed rail development that keeps moving along in progress in relevant travel corridors. CA High Speed Rail seems like a never ending process. Acela? Well you know. I last rode it in 2019 and enjoyed my 1 hour ride from West Palm to Miami. It's more of an airline train experience.
 
Very good points, Andrew, about people who aren't transit geeks understanding the time and comfort component of the overall value proposition. For what it's worth, I think Acela achieves this, too. Yes, it's far from perfect, but it is still, for me, a far preferable way to get to New York. I don't ride it just because I'm a train geek, I ride it because it is the most comfortable and convenient option. The more Brightline can demonstrate that such a concept isn't exclusive to the North East corridor, the better it will be for future high speed corridor proposals.
 
HenryAlan said:
Very good points, Andrew, about people who aren't transit geeks understanding the time and comfort component of the overall value proposition. For what it's worth, I think Acela achieves this, too. Yes, it's far from perfect, but it is still, for me, a far preferable way to get to New York. I don't ride it just because I'm a train geek, I ride it because it is the most comfortable and convenient option. The more Brightline can demonstrate that such a concept isn't exclusive to the North East corridor, the better it will be for future high speed corridor proposals.
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As someone who rides the BOS-NYP segment for work, and just got back from vacation in Japan, it's a damn near shame (and carbon disaster) that we even have airplanes flying between BOS <> NYC <> DC. For comparison, the Tokyo <> Nagoya route, which is about 225 miles and roughly the same distance as BOS > NYC, has a 90-minute shinkansen trip time with >95% market share. And that's even before the new Chuo Maglev is built shortening that trip to *gasp* 40 minutes.
 
sneijder said:
As someone who rides the BOS-NYP segment for work, and just got back from vacation in Japan, it's a damn near shame (and carbon disaster) that we even have airplanes flying between BOS <> NYC <> DC. For comparison, the Tokyo <> Nagoya route, which is about 225 miles and roughly the same distance as BOS > NYC, has a 90-minute shinkansen trip time with >95% market share. And that's even before the new Chuo Maglev is built shortening that trip to *gasp* 40 minutes.
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Brother I’m just trying to reliably get from Quincy to Boston in 40 minutes
 
sneijder said:
As someone who rides the BOS-NYP segment for work, and just got back from vacation in Japan, it's a damn near shame (and carbon disaster) that we even have airplanes flying between BOS <> NYC <> DC. For comparison, the Tokyo <> Nagoya route, which is about 225 miles and roughly the same distance as BOS > NYC, has a 90-minute shinkansen trip time with >95% market share. And that's even before the new Chuo Maglev is built shortening that trip to *gasp* 40 minutes.
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I think the restricted speeds in CT + the loop through Queens are the biggest hurdles Amtrak doesn't plan to get around to speed up Acela anytime soon, unfortunately...

I think the best High Speed Raul to Rival other countries isn't going to be Cal Rail (is that the right name) or Amtrak, but another private company or Brightline (if they can have higher speeds).
 
Great puff piece profile of MTA repair ops with some solid photography.

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www.nytimes.com

Inside the Massive Repair Shops Where Subway Cars Go for a Makeover

An in-depth look at the process that overhauls every single wheel, motor, brake, axel, wire and door on every car in the New York City system.
www.nytimes.com www.nytimes.com
 
AndrewOnTheMBTA said:
I think the best High Speed Raul to Rival other countries isn't going to be Cal Rail (is that the right name) or Amtrak, but another private company or Brightline (if they can have higher speeds).
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CAHSR is being built to platinum standards, so it will definitely rival other countries whenever it is completed. However, it is taking too long, so I agree that something else will likely be the proof of concept. Also, I think the California project is a lightning rod within our political culture that can simply never be seen by a large minority as a good thing. Brightline West may be the most likely candidate. It should open in early 2028, and there will be section on which it runs in the 180 MPH range. It also has some flaws, but I don't think they will kill the overall concept.
  1. It has a rather large last mile problem in Los Angeles, and by mile, I mean last 30 miles. Terminating at Rancho Cucamonga is a way to get the project done, without having to figure out a path through a large urban area, but it also is strongly counter to what makes HSR a useful mode.
  2. Though it will reach some high speeds, it also is going to be traversing some steep grades that will significantly reduce the average speed.
I nevertheless expect it to be a success, and something that will point the way toward more medium distance lines being built (I hope).
 
PennDOT just released a study for several new passenger rail lines in the Lehigh Valley.
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The quote below made me chuckle until I realized that there's a separate plan to connect Reading to Philadelphia. The overall context of a longer-term Harrisburg, Reading, Allentown, NYC route is also pretty interesting, but I know nothing of the area or whether this is realistic or not.
Downtown Reading may not have the same travel demand characteristics of New York and Philadelphia.
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On Pennsylvania:

Pittsburgh <> Philadelphia is a corridor that is extremely underserved by rail. There is only one daily round trip. It takes 5.5 between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg (a 3.5 hour drive). In some ways, it's a similar situation to the Springfield <> Boston corridor. Pittsburgh is further from Philly, but also a much more major city. Improving that trunk would allow so many other piggyback service increases.

I know this is a non-sequitor, as the topic is Eastern PA not Western PA, but Western PA is criminally underserved, relatively speaking.
 
bigeman312 said:
On Pennsylvania:

Pittsburgh <> Philadelphia is a corridor that is extremely underserved by rail. There is only one daily round trip. It takes 5.5 between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg (a 3.5 hour drive). In some ways, it's a similar situation to the Springfield <> Boston corridor. Pittsburgh is further from Philly, but also a much more major city. Improving that trunk would allow so many other piggyback service increases.

I know this is a non-sequitor, as the topic is Eastern PA not Western PA, but Western PA is criminally underserved, relatively speaking.
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Thankfully the Pennsylvanian is slated to get a second daily round trip in 2026. It might not be much, but at least it's better than what we've got today.
 
This is a great step in the right direction for the LA Metro's huge Purple Line extension project, and they keep having success with securing funding and approvals for projects. There are a lot of sorely needed other projects proposed in LA, but to see a complete new subway tunnel project moving along well is phenomenal. The 2028 Olympics are definitely a big driving force though...

tunnelingonline.com

Tunneling Complete for LA Metro D Line Subway Extension Project

LA Metro announced 2 that it has completed tunneling for the D Line Subway Extension Project that will connect downtown L.A. with West L.A.
tunnelingonline.com tunnelingonline.com
 
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