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Originally Posted by jpIllInoIs
^Agreed. The rail rejection by WI, OH FL concentrated the nations HrSR investment into areas that had more demand for rail and had programs in place to put the money to use. ILL got an additional $186mil for the Joliet to Dwight upgrades and the NE corridor became eligible for much of the HrSR funding. Also NC, VA and CA all benefited.
Ohio's rail future hinges on East-West connections. The CHI-FTW-Columbus-PIT line comes to mind. Especially connecting in PIT with the Pennsylvanian which has 90-110mph capabilities.
Also adding a second round trip between Cincy-Indy-Chi that offers daytime arrivals and departures in Cincy would be a logical first step.
Alas all Ohio connection must involve Indiana. And aside from a vocal business group in Fort Wayne, the state is ho-hum on rail service.
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I think the only part of the Pennsylvanian that has 90-110mph capabilities is between Harrisburg and Philadelphia. McCormick Taylor did a corridor study for Pittsburgh to Harrisburg and they concluded that 90-to-110 mph was not feasible. Norfolk Southern owns the track, and there are only 3 tracks along much of the alignment. Plus, there are numerous curves in place. You could build tunnels, but you'd need several in order to have a more direct alignment between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg...
Believe me, I'd love to see Pittsburgh served by bullet trains. Traveling from Philly to Pittsburgh via a 150-plus mph bullet train would be awesome...