… I'm wondering, though, how they're expecting to knock that much time off of the trips. ...
...
I attended the meeting in Chicago for this project and one thing that caught my attention was on a handout, so I'm not sure if it's in the DEIS. The handout, which details ongoing improvements along the corridor in IL, IN, and MI notes that:
"Once the proposed track work and signal upgrades are completed, MDOT will increase the speeds up to 110 miles per hour from Kalamazoo to Battle Creek and from Ypsilanti to Dearborn. Speeds from Battle Creek to Ypsilanti will remain at 79 miles per hour or less until MDOT performs future track projects that allow faster speeds."
I guess I had just assumed that the current work in MI involved increasing speeds along the entire Kalamazoo-Dearborn portion (or at least where possible).
It was also noted that the West Detroit Connection is scheduled for completion in late 2015.
Don't think it's in the Draft EIS.
I'd also assumed that most of the Kalamazoo-Dearborn stretch would be
upgraded to 110-mph capability. In fact, it's in print that 75% or 80% of
the track will do 110 mph. But then, I found in a 2010 Press Release from
Michigan's Senators, "The state will receive $150 million to purchase
and restore the 135-mile track between Kalamazoo and Dearborn. The
project will restore intercity passenger
rail speeds up to 79 miles per hour,
with an ultimate goal of creating a rail segment capable of speeds of up to
110 miles per hour."
http://www.levin.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/?id=2bdb0757-9e8c-465a-93ec-f4ba85d038e5#sthash.aF2bpbNk.dpuf
Well, they're leaving themselves plenty of room for improvement.
And I stand corrected on the West Detroit Connection completion date.
Except that I'm always skeptical of deadlines of this sort. LOL.
But it would be great to grab that 10 or 12 minutes a.s.a.p. When the train
slows to 10 or 15 mph, then stops, reverses onto a wye --- no, no, no, no.
Every bad impression of slowness and apparent incompetence is reinforced.
So fixing this one worst bottleneck should improve the
Wolverines' Customer
Satisfaction scores all by itself.