1. Sound transit: Construction starts Wed Jun 8 on final trackage to connect line to Lakewood including a bridge over Pacific Blvd. This line connection will be used by Amtrqk as well allowing a 15 minute reduction in schedule time. Also since the shore line south of Tacoma is BNSF single track Amtrak should not be subject to delays that often occurr.
2. NY HrSR: Empire State Passenger Association has come out supporting CSX's bid to limit speeds to 90 MPH instead of 110. They appear to want something to happpen with the 110 speed to be settled later?
You must crawl before you can walk! 90 MPH is still faster than 65 or 70 on the highway.
3. Maine Downeaster: Station construction is progressing on the Brunswick Main St. Station.. Platform work for a 400 ft platform ( high level) at the station started this week with piles the first work started. Completion is expected in September but may take longer due to faster progress of the station building. When the platform in Brunswick is complete the platform contractor will go to Freeport, Me and build the 400' ft platform there. (mostly low level due to track curving into the platform). Both platforms expected completion by end of year.
http://www.trainridersne.org/
4. Mass -- US DOT $72.8M grant to Ma DOT for track work Springfield - East Norfield for Vermonter route
5. Ca HSR: City of Palmdale has filed suit to prevent Ca HSR from studying alternate routes for valley HSR routes that would by-pass Palmdale. Guess we could call that anti - NIMBY. City says voters voted to get HSR Palmdale station.
6. Hiawatha: Friday evening aboout 1800 AMTRAK HI apparently had loco failure in or near Deerfield. A Metra train pushed it thru an interlocking so the METRA could pass around the failed HI. About 1930 the AMTRAK loco was restarted (?) and continued on.
7. Tampa. AMTRAK announced MAY O&Ds at Tampa of 12,990 a 13% increase over 2010.
8. BOS MBTA: -- MBTA had cancelled a few commuter trains because of equipment shortages ( vague and no further info)
9. WASH MARC (Camden and Fredrick lines) & VRE (Fredricksburg line). : The last few days there have been a large number of delays on the CSX lines due to "switch and signal problems" . Wonder if the high heat has caused the problems and if there is enough ventilation in the signal bungalows?
10. Desert Express: FRA give go ahead to begin engineering phase.
11. Pennsylvania Keystone route: LaHood announced PA DOT has received a notice to proceed for eliminating the last three grade crossing PHL - Harrisburg. This will allow the eventual upgrading the route speed in places to be 125 mph. That speed may allow a 1 hr timekeeping the 104 miles for a non stop [ maybe even an Acela? ] Should reduce the timing quicker than the nec as the slow locations are less on that route [ no problem as Amtrak has in / out NYP ]. Work should eventually allow regional trains PHL - HAR 1:25 down from 1:35.
12. Pa Keystone route -- For subsidized Keystone service FY ending June 30 ridership up 5% to 1.33m riders. This is along lines of general Amtrak ridership increases.
13. Maine -- The Northern New England Passenger Rai Authority approved the location of the $4M train maintenance facility at the location closest to Main Street Station in Brunswick Maine. The facility will be an enclosed 800 ft long building capable of holding 3 [ ? ] complete train sets. Design work is still to be done. This is in conjunction with the extension of the Downeasters from Portland - Brunswick.Service expected to start in 2012.
14. Maryland Amtrak -- LaHood announces 22M grant for preliminary engineering for expansion of Susquehanna river bridge from 2 tracks chokepoint to 4 tracks.
15. Hope Arkansas -- City council is going to close a grade crossing to enable a platform at its station to be built hopefully for an Amtrak stop.
16. Downeaster --- NNEPRA announced August ridership up 4% from 2010 to 50,825. FY to date up 6% to 101,904 passengers August average is ~ 164 passengers per trip. Since is unknown how many cars on train 3 Coaches & 1 business = ~ 220 seats or 74% average load factor?
4 coaches & 1 business = ~ 280 seats or 58% average load factor?.
17. Queens NY -- NY MTA announced that beginning Saturday that AMTRAK is starting a project to replace all track structure in all 4 east river tunnels. expected completion is sometime in 2015. Guess this may be in response to the derailments in those tunnels in the close past. Too bad that only work on weekends is going to strech to work out.
blue streak 1 16. Downeaster --- NNEPRA announced August ridership up 4% from 2010 to 50,825. FY to date up 6% to 101,904 passengers August average is ~ 164 passengers per trip. Since is unknown how many cars on train 3 Coaches & 1 business = ~ 220 seats or 74% average load factor? 4 coaches & 1 business = ~ 280 seats or 58% average load factor?.
There are 78 coach seats in a "corridor" Amfleet coach. So train capacity would be more like 270 seats. The trains appear to be 3 coaches plus one cafe/business class car.
-Don (Random stuff, mostly about trains - what else? http://blerfblog.blogspot.com/)
blue streak 1 17. Queens NY -- NY MTA announced that beginning Saturday that AMTRAK is starting a project to replace all track structure in all 4 east river tunnels. expected completion is sometime in 2015. Guess this may be in response to the derailments in those tunnels in the close past. Too bad that only work on weekends is going to strech to work out.
MTA has a press release.
http://mta.info/news/stories/?story=397
oltmannd blue streak 1: 16. Downeaster --- NNEPRA announced August ridership up 4% from 2010 to 50,825. FY to date up 6% to 101,904 passengers August average is ~ 164 passengers per trip. Since is unknown how many cars on train 3 Coaches & 1 business = ~ 220 seats or 74% average load factor? 4 coaches & 1 business = ~ 280 seats or 58% average load factor?. There are 78 coach seats in a "corridor" Amfleet coach. So train capacity would be more like 270 seats. The trains appear to be 3 coaches plus one cafe/business class car.
blue streak 1: 16. Downeaster --- NNEPRA announced August ridership up 4% from 2010 to 50,825. FY to date up 6% to 101,904 passengers August average is ~ 164 passengers per trip. Since is unknown how many cars on train 3 Coaches & 1 business = ~ 220 seats or 74% average load factor? 4 coaches & 1 business = ~ 280 seats or 58% average load factor?.
Don: Checked with NNERPA -- They are using Capstone cars ( 70 pass see fleet plan ) or Amfleet IIs (60 Passenger ) . Business class in lounge car is usually 20 so I was wrong. 4 car trains ~ 230 pass and 5 car train 300 pass. That is assuming no Amfleet IIs. Since early this summer they have run 5 car trains with P-42 on one end and F-40 NPCC on other end.
18. EMD -- Announces development of a 200 Km / hr ( ~ 125 MPH ) 4 axel passenger loco with a Catepillar teir 4 prime mover.
19. Michigan -- 2 days after LaHood announced a grant for improvements and purchase of the Kalamazoo - Ann Arbour - Dearborn NS line; Michigan announced final purchase agreement and an intermin track upgrading by NS to commence immediately. Hopefully the Wolverine trains will get back on time after they posted a 0% on time arrivals in the June report. 180 trains not a single one on time at end points!
20. Maine -- Brunswick -- Downeaster : Due to lack of funds Amtrak maintenance facility in Brunswick postponed. This will cause only 2 RTs Brunswick - Portland and on to Boston. Original plan was 3 RTs all going on to BOS.
http://www.pressherald.com/news/brunswick-facility-for-train-work-still-alive_2011-12-28.html
21. Blain Wa, --- city council comes out for Amtrak stop. No funds yet found for a station? Note Canadians that live near there really want this stop. A problem may turn out to be not enough seats on the 2 Vancouver BC Cascades trips ? Maybe one or more of the bus trips can become a train that turns at Blaine? That would depend on the state of Washington.
http://www.news1130.com/news/local/article/379016--amtrak-stop-at-the-border-secures-new-support
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