Posted on 07/10/2012 10:32:59 AM PDT by Olog-hai
Amtrak announced a $151 billion improvement plan on Monday that includes 37-minute trips from New York to Philadelphia at speeds approaching 220 miles per hour (354 km per hour).
However, the U.S. passenger railroad will need substantial financial support from both state and federal governments to make its ambitious plan to transform rail travel in the Northeast a reality.
The railroad predicted that super-fast train trips along the East Coast could be a reality by 2040. Travel times from New York to either Washington or Boston—both about 200 miles (350 km) in distance—would also be slashed, to 94 minutes, the report said.
Current travel times from New York to Philadelphia on Amtrak's sleek Acela trains are 1 hour, 15 minutes. Travel between New York and Washington currently takes 2 hours, 45 minutes and New York to Boston takes 3 hours, 41 minutes, according to Amtrak's website.
"The NEC (Northeast Corridor) region is America's economic powerhouse and is facing a severe crisis with an aging and congested multi-model transportation network that routinely operates at or near capacity in key segments," Amtrak's President Joe Boardman said in a statement.
The traditionally cash-starved railroad is funded by Congress, where Republicans have been reluctant to finance prior plans to develop high-speed rail in the United States. …
The newest Amtrak improvement plan also calls for direct links to airports and listed Newark, Philadelphia, Baltimore and White Plains, New York, as possible candidates for Amtrak service. Some are already served by local commuter rail lines, such as Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, which connects to the Philadelphia International Airport. …
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
I defer to your knowledge of prices currently to/from wherever. I submit that when the debacle is instantiated, all that goes out the window for Obama’s people. Done before, will be done again.
again?
this report / projection is recycled every time amtrack feels threatened by budget cuts.
Trains are pointless except for cargo.
Driverless cars are the future.
If the politically correct stay in control and ignore the Elephant named “Islam’, it will be a high speed rail line between two smoking, radioactive holes in the ground.
if its Reuters its WRONG.
In Philly's case, it would be an improvement.
(ducking for cover)
Today there are about 200,000 railroad employees ~ most of them employed in freight operations. Rail right of way is probably nearly 140,000 miles, but active mileage is cited as low as 45,000 miles ~ depending on who is doing the counting, there are great differences in the mileage estimate.
The expectations are for even less employment as the roads adopt labor saving mechanization, automation, computerization and robotics. The need for miles of track will continue to drop as improved work methods and analysis will combine with intermodal technology to eliminate the need to operate less than optimal right of way.
British and French HSTs have amazing crashworthiness specs and record.
But alas i know you are right, on all counts.
:)
We shall breakout the Popcorn,eh?
Nice historical research but I'm not talking about 'employees'....think construction, BIG DIG, WTC Memorial.....UNION. YEARS OF IT. Trillions by the time they're done if you're talking $260 Million/mile.
Automation technology currently being developed for cars, trucks and buses will most likely reduce local congestion substantially.
Now, not to defend Amtrak, but the highest costs and lowest income from fares occur everywhere but the East Coast between Boston and Washington.
The subsidy is in "the West" as seen from Hyannis Port.
You left out the part about clicking your heels together.
So who paid for the roads for the RR’s competitors?
There's little real employment to be had in building railroads ~ ballast gets hauled in and dumped by machines. It gets tamped by machines. Concrete is mixed by machines. Steel is laid down and manipulated by machines.
The big bucks are made by non union analysts and designers!
Yea....like I’m gonna believe that.
Will the unionized conductors still have to be paid 2.5 hours for each trip?
Machines, huh? Automated machines, I guess. Machines that don’t need concrete truck drivers, drivers for pilings, drivers for bed gravel, drivers for ties, steel for bridges, welders, fitters and all the digger crews/operators.
I’ve actually studied railroad maintenance and replacement. Sure the machines are as automated and as efficient as you can get - at least here in Georgia where the Unions don’t control the support infrastructure support. In the northeast, it will be much worse. You only need look to Boston’s Big Dig to see that. Automation is great, if you can remove the human, and by human I mean UNION component from it. There, you cannot.
It’s how they’re gonna keep Pennsylvania a blue state.
The imported voters will be able to cast multiple ballots in Philly and be back to the Bronx before the Knicks game tips off.
The current rail route won’t support those speeds so new land will have to be acquired/seized and/or the track will be elevated. Between the environmental, safety, aesthetic and other lawsuits, it will never happen.
The problem with trains is that you either have to fork out for first class, or you are stuck in steerage with the most disgusting people! $200 for first class Acela, or $90 for steerage? I go with first class every time.
I can walk and be there long before 2040.
I shall never get in a “driverless” car.
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