The newspaper article does not seem to understand the difference between the funds just released and the previously released funds. The bus substitutes have nothing to do with the $72.8 million grant. They are not even to the same railroad. The $72.8 million is to Pan Am, which the older of us here know as the Boston and Maine. Right now this line has no passenger siervice at all. Based on the article, this line is getting a 100% rail replacement.
The first grant was for the New England Central part north of Massachusetts. There is a L B Foster press release relating to the rail in the trains shown in transit54'sink.
L.B. Foster Supplying 28,500 Tons of CWR Rail for NECR Vermont Upgrade
Company-Owned CWR Trains Delivering to New England Central Railroad Jobsites
PITTSBURGH, PA - December 22, 2010 - L.B. Foster Company (NASDAQ: FSTR) of Pittsburgh, PA has begun delivering 28,500 tons of 115# standard continuous welded rail (CWR) to New England Central Railroad (NECR), an operating subsidiary of RailAmerica, Inc. for upgrading approximately 140 miles of track. L.B. Foster's specially-equipped CWR trains will complete 18 shipments of welded rail by mid-2011 for installation at various locations throughout Vermont. The track improvements are included in the Federal Railroad Administration's High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Program award to the State of Vermont and funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
The 115# rail is being manufactured in 240ft lengths by L.B. Foster's strategic partner, Steel Dynamics, Inc. (SDI), and then welded into 1600ft strings at SDI's state-of-the-art Columbia City, Indiana facility. "We provide the highest quality standard rail possible, in the longest lengths possible, and welded with the best equipment and control procedures in the western hemisphere," comments Paul Kotsenas, Manager - Rail and Special Products, Steel Dynamics.
The new rail will improve the speed of the State of Vermont sponsored Amtrak Vermonter intercity passenger service and add capacity for freight carloads. L.B. Foster's personnel are managing trackside off-loading in Vermont. "The convenience of our own weld train and jobsite management helps to expedite deliveries and minimize off-loading along this busy track," said Greg Lippard, Vice President, L.B. Foster Rail Sales.
RailAmerica, Inc. (NYSE: RA) owns and operates short line and regional freight railroads in North America, operating a portfolio of 40 individual railroads with approximately 7,300 miles of track in 27 U.S. states and three Canadian provinces.
Since this is a press release, I am assuming that it is OK to quote it in full.
My calculation: 28,500 tons of 115RE rail gives you 141.5 miles of track. That is relay of 73% of the total distance from St. Albans to the Massachusetts state line, as that distance is about 192 miles.
Proporinate to the ridership, this is a lot of money, more than $500,000 per person for the daily passenger count. If on the same per passenger mile basis, this should be able to get the Southwest Chief trackage between Kansas City and Albuquerque all new rail so it could go back to a smooth riding 90 mph if not 110 mph.
Parenthetical thought" Since after the work is completed, the speed limit will be 79 mmph in the signaled territory and 59 mph in the non signaled territory and curves will make the 79 mph limit more theoretical than real on most of its portion, this is not really high speed at all, but simply getting the line back up to the limits it had in years past.