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Sunday NY Times (4/24) carried an article, " Acela, Built to Be Rail's Savior, Bedevils Amtrak at Every Turn" about the breakdown of Acela service in the NEC. The article mentioned that a working Acela train can only travel at its touted 150 mph for only 28 miles of the distance between Washington and Boston (18 mile stretch in RI and 10 mile stretch in MA). Why? Lack of a dedicated, fairly straight trackline and obsolete catenary. AMTRAK doesn't own the right of way and must yield to the whims of railroad owners who are more in their freight transport business. The article also mentioned the machinations of AMTRAK and our government, which in part, contributed to a train that was 4" too wide to properly lean into the curves at high speed because the lack of clearance between adjacent tracks. I also wonder whether any American turnout (switch) employs a frog rather than the sliver of steel that moves back and forth and can present a high-speed track a real danger if there is even a slight gap between the two rails and a track meets it head on. We also have the problem of frequent crossover for frieght trains to deliver goods at a particular siding. America has never supported the idea of a national railroad system that works. Read the article at http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/24/national/24acela.html?th&emc=th <br />
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