Will this improve the ride on the NEC ?
https://www.rtands.com/passenger/intercity/amtrak-to-invest-370-million-over-3-years-in-new-equipment/
If actually used it shouldn't hurt.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Many/most of the railroads contract this type of activity out to specialized suppliers. I wonder why Amtrak chooses to do it in house.
Most railroads don't have the concentrated high volume need for track maintenance that Amtrak has between Boston and Washington on the NEC. 2 - 3 - 4 tracks on the Main Lines and extensive complicated terminals give Amtrak the opportunity to keep the equipment in near constant use. Amtrak also has very tight maintenance windows to operate in with many of them being night time opportunities.
The benefit of Contractors to other carriers is that they provide services that are only needed on a intermittent basis. Investing in high cost equipment for intermittent use would be a inefficient use of scarce capital. Contractor become just another business expense.
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.