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  #261  
Old Posted Aug 6, 2020, 3:16 PM
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^ It's not too different from how state railways in Europe have different branding for different tiers of service.

Deutsche Bahn has a red livery for regional trains and a white livery with red stripe for long-distance trains.
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  #262  
Old Posted Aug 6, 2020, 4:57 PM
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That rendering looks pretty snappy, but since I have to find some fault in everything, I still am not a fan of the insect headlights... would prefer something a little more timeless like a nice flush oversize round lens. And that livery is tasty. I too wish Amtrak would rebrand with a set of graphic standards that were applied to regional trains as well. Anything but those silly halftone gradients on the new midwest trainsets. Gimme a break with the stuff, its about 20 years out of style imo. A solid bold color would have been so much more appealing. All white? Yes. Charcoal? Yes. Some white, some grey, some stupid blue bars and dots and a red stripe for good patriotic measure? No thanks. Looks like design by committee.

Compare to the sophisticated livery GWR released a few years ago over in Britain:


_



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Originally Posted by ardecila View Post
^ It's not too different from how state railways in Europe have different branding for different tiers of service.

Deutsche Bahn has a red livery for regional trains and a white livery with red stripe for long-distance trains.
Compared to Deutsche Bahn's thoughtful and cohesive corporate branding, Amtrak is a literal trainwreck.
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  #263  
Old Posted Aug 20, 2020, 4:04 PM
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Atlanta - Charlotte high speed rail

Not Amtrak-related but this is interesting.

Atlanta to Charlotte
Passenger Rail Corridor Investment Plan

"The Tier 1 Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Draft EIS) for the proposed Atlanta to Charlotte Passenger Rail Corridor Investment Plan (the Project) is now available for public review. The Tier 1 DEIS has been published in the federal register as of September 20, 2019. The 45-day public and agency review and comment period occurred between September 20, 2019 and November 4, 2019 and is now closed. The purpose of the Tier 1 Draft EIS is to establish the Project’s Need and Purpose and evaluate the potential environmental impact of three Corridor Alternatives and a No-Build Alternative."

http://www.dot.ga.gov/IS/Rail/AtlantatoCharlotte/EIS

Here is the link for the Executive Summary: http://www.dot.ga.gov/InvestSmart/Ra...%20Summary.pdf
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  #264  
Old Posted Aug 20, 2020, 5:03 PM
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Originally Posted by 202_Cyclist View Post
Not Amtrak-related but this is interesting.

Atlanta to Charlotte
Passenger Rail Corridor Investment Plan
The Tier 1 DEIS has been published in the federal register as of September 20, 2019. The 45-day public and agency review and comment period occurred between September 20, 2019 and November 4, 2019 and is now closed.

http://www.dot.ga.gov/IS/Rail/AtlantatoCharlotte/EIS

Here is the link for the Executive Summary: http://www.dot.ga.gov/InvestSmart/Ra...%20Summary.pdf
The chart on page 0-10 of the executive summary is probably the most important generally for all proposed HSR corridors in the USA. Let's see if I can effectively repost it with text here.
Corridor Alternatives
Criteria>Southern Crescent<I-85>Greenfield
Capital Costs($2012)>$2.0B-$2.3B<$13.3B-$15.4B>$6.2B-$8.4B
Top Operating Speed(mph)>79 to 110<125 to 180>125 to 220
End to End Travel Time(hrs:mins)>4:35 - 5:34<2:42 - 2:50>2:06 - 2:44
Projected Annual Ridership(2050)>0.94 M to 1.18 M<5.50 M to 5.62 M>5.38 M to 6.30 M

Breaking it down for the masses, (A) the cheapest solution is to do nothing and watch ridership maintain itself to present levels, (B) the next cheapest is to spend around $2 Billion on sharing Norfolk Southern tracks for a million per year ridership increase, (C) the next more expensive solution is to spend $6-8 Billion building an entirely new HSR line for 5 million per year ridership increase, and (D) the most expensive solution is spend $13-16 Billion to build new HSR corridor within the I-85 ROW for 6 million per year ridership increase.

To date Brightline has chosen to do mostly alternatives (B) and (D) in Florida, mostly (D) in California and Nevada, while Texas Central has chosen to do mostly (C) in Texas with a little bit of (B) approaching the terminating cities.

This route will not choose it's preferred solution for most of the route until the completion of its Tier 2 EIS process and issues a DEIS, and will not finalize the route until the completion of the FEIS.

To be fair, Texas Central's cost estimation for a (C) greenfield solution costs have risen far over $8 Billion, so do not place absolute faith into any of these cost estimations - although relative cost estimations between them are probably somewhat factual.
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  #265  
Old Posted Aug 20, 2020, 5:05 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 202_Cyclist View Post
Not Amtrak-related but this is interesting.

Atlanta to Charlotte
Passenger Rail Corridor Investment Plan
The Tier 1 DEIS has been published in the federal register as of September 20, 2019. The 45-day public and agency review and comment period occurred between September 20, 2019 and November 4, 2019 and is now closed.
Here is the link for the Executive Summary:
The chart on page 0-10 of the executive summary is probably the most important generally for all proposed HSR corridors in the USA. Let's see if I can effectively repost it with text here.
Corridor Alternatives
Criteria>Southern Crescent<I-85>Greenfield
Capital Costs($2012)>$2.0B-$2.3B<$13.3B-$15.4B>$6.2B-$8.4B
Top Operating Speed(mph)>79 to 110<125 to 180>125 to 220
End to End Travel Time(hrs:mins)>4:35 - 5:34<2:42 - 2:50>2:06 - 2:44
Projected Annual Ridership(2050)>0.94 M to 1.18 M<5.50 M to 5.62 M>5.38 M to 6.30 M

Breaking it down for the masses, (A) the cheapest solution is to do nothing and watch ridership maintain itself to present levels, (B) the next cheapest is to spend around $2 Billion on sharing Norfolk Southern tracks for a million per year ridership increase, (C) the next more expensive solution is to spend $6-8 Billion building an entirely new HSR line for 5 million per year ridership increase, and (D) the most expensive solution is spend $13-16 Billion to build new HSR corridor within the I-85 ROW for 6 million per year ridership increase.

To date Brightline has chosen to do mostly alternatives (B) and (D) in Florida, mostly (D) in California and Nevada, while Texas Central has chosen to do mostly (C) in Texas with a little bit of (B) approaching the terminating cities.

This route will not choose it's preferred solution for most of the route until the completion of its Tier 2 EIS process and issues a DEIS, and will not finalize the route until the completion of the FEIS.

To be fair, Texas Central's cost estimation for a (C) greenfield solution costs have risen far over $8 Billion, so do not place absolute faith into any of these cost estimations - although relative cost estimations between them are probably somewhat factual.

Another generality to be gathered from this executive summary are the train's maximum speeds between the choices presented;
90-110 mph sharing an existing freight railroad ROW, 125-180 mph within an existing Interstate Highway ROW, and up to 220 mph in a brand new greenfield ROW.
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  #266  
Old Posted Aug 20, 2020, 9:25 PM
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It's true that interstate ROWs aren't a silver bullet for building cheap HSR, the way transit agencies have used them for cheap light rail.

If the median is not available, or has steep slopes or sharp turns, then the rail line has to go to one side. In most cases this means threading through every interchange ramp and Citgo/Cracker Barrel commercial zone. Lots of expensive flyover ramps to build and expensive property to purchase. In rural areas, land near freeways is usually the highest value land, while land away from freeways is very cheap and undeveloped, with plenty of room to build bridge approaches, etc to keep the rail line grade separated.

In some cases, though, the land along freeways is undeveloped too. This is the case with Brightline along SR-528 in Florida, it is arrow straight across flat land and no development between Cocoa Beach and the Orlando airport. Also, Brightline isn't using the median but a greenfield ROW that is several hundred feet north or south of the freeway. The I-12 alignment between Victorville and Las Vegas is the same. Hundreds of miles of undeveloped desert land with zero development except for 4-5 towns.

Also, even if the median of a freeway is available, wide enough, and features no sharp turns or steep grades, it's still the median of a freeway. It's a highly constrained worksite, surrounded by constant traffic 24/7. Not exactly a cheap or easy place to do major construction.
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Last edited by ardecila; Aug 20, 2020 at 9:36 PM.
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  #267  
Old Posted Aug 25, 2020, 10:30 PM
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Amtrak newest Acela 21 testing between HAM and COUNTY on the NEC - Princeton Junction

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  #268  
Old Posted Feb 5, 2021, 3:59 PM
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Amtrak proposes five Ohio routes

http://allaboardohio.org/2021/01/29/...e-ohio-routes/

Quote:
.....

- Amtrak representatives are making the rounds in Ohio, meeting with leaders in cities where they plan to expand services according to a blueprint the passenger rail company developed in conjunction with state and federal transportation officials. The goal, the Amtrak representatives said, is to pursue passenger rail expansion on five routes that would be initiated using 100 percent federal funds through a proposed new rail program.

The five new routes are:

• Cleveland-Columbus-Dayton-Cincinnati (3C) Corridor: three daily round trips with intermediate station stops;

• Cincinnati-Indianapolis-Chicago: four daily round trips with intermediate station stops;

• Cleveland-Toledo-Detroit-Pontiac: three daily round trips with intermediate station stops, including a possible extension of Wolverine Corridor train service from Chicago;

• Cleveland-Buffalo-Albany-New York: two daily round trips with intermediate station stops;

• Cleveland-Pittsburgh-New York: one daily round trip with intermediate station stops via an extension of Keystone Corridor train service.

.....



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  #269  
Old Posted Feb 5, 2021, 4:38 PM
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Hopefully we get a massive budget increase for Amtrak soon
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  #270  
Old Posted Feb 6, 2021, 8:55 AM
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Hopefully we get a massive budget increase for Amtrak soon
Here is where the last stimulus package transportation department funding went:
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 - WikipediaTransportation
Total: $48.1 billion, some in the form of Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) Grants
$27.5 billion for highway and bridge construction projects
$8 billion for intercity passenger rail projects and rail congestion grants, with priority for high-speed rail
$6.9 billion for new equipment for public transportation projects (Federal Transit Administration)
$1.5 billion for national surface transportation discretionary grants
$1.3 billion for Amtrak
$1.1 billion in grants for airport improvements
$750 million for the construction of new public rail transportation systems and other fixed guideway systems.
$750 million for the maintenance of existing public transportation systems
$200 million for FAA upgrades to air traffic control centers and towers, facilities, and equipment
$100 million in grants for improvements to domestic shipyards

$8 Billion for intercity passenger rail projects and rail congestion grants, with priority for high-speed rail
Where was that $8 Billion ultimately spent?
In $Millions
Chicago Hub/Ohio 2617
California 2343
Florida 1250
Southeast 620
Pacific Northwest 598
Northern New England 160
Empire 152
Northeast 112
Keystone 27

Congress allocated an additional $2.5 billion in the FY 2010 budget
In $Millions
California 898
Florida 800
Chicago Hub 428
Connecticut 121
Southeast 45

Of the $10.5 Billion set aside prioritized for High Speed Rail, around $290 Million was spent effectively, actually delivering high speed rail projects within 10 years on Keystone, Empire, and Northeast Corridor tracks. Much of these corridors already had high speed rail as defined by the US government. An additional $3.241 Billion was given to California to help build its High Speed Rail project, none of which is in service yet, and only 171 miles of phase 1's 520 miles is under construction. The total CHSR system is promised to be around 800 miles. California has yet to buy true (>125 mph) high speed rail train sets.

The US Government defines High Speed Rail per Wiki as
"Inter-city rail with top speeds between 90 and 125 mph (140 and 200 km/h) is sometimes referred to in the United States as higher-speed rail."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-s..._United_States

Let's assume this time around all of the $10.5 Billion stimulus for prioritized high speed rail projects was given to Amtrak. Amtrak would still be short around $5 Billion for the Gateway Tunnels. Hopefully the Port Authority will be able to make up the difference.
Do you really believe there will be money to spend on high speed rail elsewhere? And if some was spent elsewhere, will there be enough left over to build the tunnels the Northeast Corridor supposedly needs now?
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  #271  
Old Posted Feb 6, 2021, 1:58 PM
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Man you are one seriously depressing pessimist.
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  #272  
Old Posted Feb 6, 2021, 3:33 PM
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Man you are one seriously depressing pessimist.
I would prefer the word realist.

I do not act like a small kid given enough money to spend on "any" toy at the local toy store thinking I can buy "every" toy in the store.

Why do transit proponents think they can? There will never be enough money to build every project all at once. Prioritizing which project should be built in whatever order politically acceptable is how the real world should operate.

Yet, we do not get that from the proponents of these projects, it is build all of them as soon as possible, as if money grew on trees.

FYI: If money grew on trees, our money standard would be worth as much as tree leaves. I got about 10 pounds of fallen leaves on my yard that I will eventually pay someone $50 to get rid of, either by raking or mulching.

As it is, a $Billion is a lot of money when compared to a $million.
If you spent a thousand dollars a day, a million dollars would be spent in a thousand days, around 2.7 years; and a billion dollars would be spent in a million days, around 2,739.7 years.
As you can see, a thousand times larger is much more significant than changing the letter m to a letter b.

Last edited by electricron; Feb 6, 2021 at 3:45 PM.
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  #273  
Old Posted Feb 6, 2021, 5:07 PM
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You must have a sign hanging on your wall that says THE POSSIBILITIES ARE LIMITED. How inspiring that must be.
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  #274  
Old Posted Feb 7, 2021, 4:53 AM
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You must have a sign hanging on your wall that says THE POSSIBILITIES ARE LIMITED. How inspiring that must be.
No, you got that wrong. The possibilities of "what" you can do are unlimited, it is the possibilities of "how much" you can do that is limited. And they are two entirely different things.
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  #275  
Old Posted Mar 2, 2021, 5:07 PM
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Amtrak Service Returning Next Year To The Gulf Coast. But Not To Pensacola Or Atmore.

http://www.northescambia.com/2021/03...cola-or-atmore

Quote:
.....

- Amtrak has confirmed it intends to begin passenger rail service between New Orleans and Mobile in 2022. The daily passenger rail service will feature two business friendly round trips each morning and evening, with stops in Bay St. Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi, and Pascagoula. --- “Having worked tirelessly with federal, state, and local officials on this project, we are thrilled that a departure time is in sight for passenger rail service on the Gulf Coast,” said Wiley Blankenship, chairman of the Southern Rail Commission. “Since the 2016 inspection train, which brought out thousands of citizens across the Gulf Coast demonstrating enthusiastic support for passenger rail, this is one of the major milestones we have been working toward.” --- While the Amtrak inspection train was enthusiastically welcomed to Pensacola and Atmore, Mobile will be the end of the line. That will leave Atmore, which was designated by the Alabama Legislature as the state’s official rail welcome station, without passenger train service. And service will not return to Florida.

.....



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  #276  
Old Posted Mar 3, 2021, 7:00 AM
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Originally Posted by ardecila View Post
In some cases, though, the land along freeways is undeveloped too. This is the case with Brightline along SR-528 in Florida, it is arrow straight across flat land and no development between Cocoa Beach and the Orlando airport. Also, Brightline isn't using the median but a greenfield ROW that is several hundred feet north or south of the freeway. The I-12 alignment between Victorville and Las Vegas is the same. Hundreds of miles of undeveloped desert land with zero development except for 4-5 towns.
That's not entirely true. The Brightline ROW hews quite close to SR-528, by my reckoning only about a hundred feet or so away. They're even closer to the freeway in Cocoa IIRC, because they're using the southern edge of the available easement which is wider in SR-528 than it is in Cocoa Beach. This results in some rather impressive bridge structures.
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  #277  
Old Posted Mar 4, 2021, 10:57 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by M II A II R II K View Post
Amtrak Service Returning Next Year To The Gulf Coast. But Not To Pensacola Or Atmore.

http://www.northescambia.com/2021/03...cola-or-atmore






The stops in Atmore and Pensacola are really not worth it. I could be inclined to say Pensacola would be worth it if the route skipped Atmore, but I don't believe there is a rail connection between Mobile and Pensacola that would significantly shorten the journey.

Not sure if this was in the article posted, but Mobile officials are pondering 2 stops in downtown Mobile on the east end of the route. The first eastbound stop in Mobile would be at Brookley Aeroplex where the city is planning to build an airport to replace the existing Mobile Regional (located way too far from the city center to be any more successful than it already is); the second eastbound stop would be in the city center closer to the convention center and cruise ship terminal.
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  #278  
Old Posted Mar 8, 2021, 10:05 PM
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AmeriStarRail proposes privatizing Amtrak NEC service

https://www.progressiverailroading.c...service--62879

Quote:
.....

- Under its proposal, the private group says it will expand Amtrak's NEC capacity to meet travel demand over the next 20 to 40 years. The group would operate 160 mph trains and include "triple-class service" for coach, business and first class on each train. --- "For the first time, all passengers including senior citizens, students and families will have affordable, equal access to high-speed rail service in America which is funded by all taxpayers," the company's proposal states. --- Additionally, the group says it would extend NEC service to new routes, "eliminate inefficient terminal operations" in New York City and Washington, D.C., reduce train congestion and delays, and create additional track and yard capacity.

.....



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  #279  
Old Posted Mar 8, 2021, 11:45 PM
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I hear the deposed prince of Nigeria is also lining up now that the proverbial blood in the water in big $$$ Amtrak investments is on the horizon with a new progressive federal government. Wonder where they were for the last four years...hmmm.
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  #280  
Old Posted Mar 12, 2021, 11:01 PM
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Quote:
Hours After Congress Passes COVID Relief Bill, Amtrak Announces Return of Daily Service

Hours after the House of Representatives cleared a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package with emergency funds for intercity rail and transit on March 10, Amtrak announced that it will restore 12 long-distance routes to daily service between May 24th and June 7.

Signed into law by President Joe Biden on March 11, the bill includes $1.7 billion in emergency funding for Amtrak, paired with important congressional mandates that Amtrak return daily service to long-distance routes within 90 days of passage and bring back railroad workers furloughed due to the pandemic . . . .


Rail Passengers Association Newsletter
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