Baton Rouge - New Orleans, again

[York1]

This has been talked about for years, but never goes any further than talk.

 

https://www.nola.com/news/business/article_22a441d6-579a-11ec-8a6a-bb99ef860c6a.html

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

CP appears willing to start with a single round trip with minimal upgrades and see where it goes from there.

[Overmod]

The article says that it taps into the $$$ to be available in the Biden infrastructure bill.  Presumably the money to be spent on passenger 'improvements' will increase freight capacity...

[CMStPnP]

CSSHEGEWISCH

CP appears willing to start with a single round trip with minimal upgrades and see where it goes from there.

Yes, CP stated that if the merger with KCS were approved it would offer one RT passenger frequency with zero extra for line improvements.    When people compare CP with CN they never mention that CP is far more adept and politically saavy when it comes to local politics and extracting financial concessions for line improvements.    CP knows that Amtrak desires 3 RT minimum on this line and this is a foot in the door to get money for line improvements for the other two RT in the future and I am willing to bet CP uses the other 2 RT to extract line improvements.    The first freebie was an enticement.

CP's Amtrak relationship with Wisconsin is pretty good as well.   As a consequence, CP is well over the $200 million for line improvements mark in Wisconsin which dwarfs whatever CN got so far.    While it is true CP might be inconvienced with dispatching at times due to passenger trains.   No evidence of overall harm to freight operations due to the accomodation made to passenger trains.

[Gramp]

I'd have to see it before I believe it. Three years from now, not much will have changed. I just remember the half a loaf of Chi-Stl. The Bloomington, Il station has a nice plaque on it regaling Obama though. 

[JayBee]

Overmod

The article says that it taps into the $$$ to be available in the Biden infrastructure bill.  Presumably the money to be spent on passenger 'improvements' will increase freight capacity...

 

CP doesn't expect any significant traffic growth on the line. The line is currently Dark Territory with TWC. The line is littered with 25 mph slow orders, and the bridge over the Bonnet Carre Spillway has a 10 mph slow order. The only signals on the line are on the short stretch just out of New Orleans where KCS has trackage rights over CN(ex-IC).

[JC UPTON]

JayBee

 

 

The only signals on the line are on the short stretch just out of New Orleans where KCS has trackage rights over CN(ex-IC).

 

 

What about the signals at either end of the 6800 ft Essen siding, or the ?ABS? signal near Perkins Rd in Ascension...