NEC HSR update

[jis]

Here are some salient points mentioned by Drew Galloway Amtrak Assistant VP for Northeast Corridor (based on meeting notes put together by Les Wolfe):

1. Amtrak now has 73% of the air-rail market for NYP - WAS and 93% for PHHL - WAS.

2. By 2040 Amtrak and Commuter agencies estimate they will require 37% more train miles and expect 60% more passengers in the BOS - WAS segment of NEC.

3. Amtrak is carrying on with the planning for 200 - 220 mph HSR for NEC with target running time of 1.5 hours for both NYP - WAS and NYP - BOS. The first segment of new alignment is targeted for 2023 with completion of the new alignment by 2040. Estimated infrastructure and fleet cost between 2016 and 2040 is $116 billion for the HSR elements and $40 billion for the Master Plan elements. HSR is projected to have an operating surplus above the rails of $1.3 billion per year.

4. Initial steps will be to double Acela service using 160mph capable new equipment between NYP and WAS by 2020. An updated master plan will be published by the end of this year.

5. It is anticipated that FRA is going to publish a Tier III standard for very high speed (speeds above 160 and upto 220 mph). This standard apparently be based on Tier I buff strength, and hence when these trains operate in mixed operation they will be restricted to Tier I speeds (i.e. 125mph) but on dedicated RoW will be allowed to travel at upto 220mph. Tier II trains will be allowed to operate at upto 160mph. This make it necessary to get separate RoW on the NEC to get speeds above 160mph. That is in any case inevitable since the current RoW will also not be able to accommodate the larger track center distances necessary for speeds above 160mph.

6. The currently funded work on New Brunswick to Trenton is going on schedule. Two new substations will be built at Metuchen and Hamilton. All tracks in the entire section will get constant tension catenary. This will be the first 160mph section in the US.

7. The UIC will hold its 8th Worldwide Congress in Philadelphia from July 10 to 13, 2012.

 

[Anderson]

3. Amtrak is carrying on with the planning for 200 - 220 mph HSR for NEC with target running time of 1.5 hours for both NYP - WAS and NYP - BOS. The first segment of new alignment is targeted for 2023 with completion of the new alignment by 1940. Estimated infrastructure and fleet cost between 2016 and 2040 is $116 billion for the HSR elements and $40 billion for the Master Plan elements. HSR is projected to have an operating surplus above the rails of $1.3 billion per year.

Damn, those GG-1s sure can move!

On a slightly more serious note, I'd like to read a sci-fi novel that featured something like that.

And on a serious note:

1) Interesting to see that they're seriously moving ahead on the super-HSR plan. I'm a bit nervous about the costs (sorry, but we couldn't even get the old plan from the 70s accomplished without this sort of sticker shock...good luck getting over $150 billion rounded up...and also, good luck not having that cost estimate keep rising).

2) How many trainsets would the Acela need to double up service? I'm guessing they're planning 30-ish trains each day in each direction, but I don't know how many sets they'd need for that.

3) $1.3 billion in operating surpluses...how far would that go in covering maintenance costs and dealing with new equipment purchases? This is particularly relevant because that much money might leave funds "spilling over" into other areas (in particular, areas such as Amtrak being able to beef up feeder lines into the NEC without Congress screwing around with them...upstate NY leaps to mind here, as does NYC-Montreal).

4) Tier I, Tier II, and Tier III...que?

4) What's the UIC?

5) Good grief, I'm going to be 53 by the time this gets done, assuming it stays on schedule.

 

[Oldsmoboi]

I'm sad that it can't be built faster.

 

[MattW]

The Tier III crash standards sound interesting, and it sounds like the FRA is finally coming to the realization that no matter how safe a block of lead with wheels actually is, that that just can't fly when speed is the name of the game.

 

[jis]

The UIC (French: Union Internationale des Chemins de fer), or International Union of Railways, is an international rail transport industry body.

For a quick summary see UIC in Wikipedia.

 

[MattW]

One thing I didn't think about until today, but will the new Tier III crash standards (if they get implemented) affect any of the high speed rail plans (really just California right now)? As I understand most of the 220mph plans, they would have required whole new right of way along the entire route in order to keep the "non-compliant" HSR trains away from the freight and conventional passenger trains. But now (again, assuming the FRA actually publishes Tier III), will trains in this country be able to do what they do in Europe and use "classic" lines for the first few miles to get out of a city before switching onto the high speed lines?

 

[jis]

One thing I didn't think about until today, but will the new Tier III crash standards (if they get implemented) affect any of the high speed rail plans (really just California right now)? As I understand most of the 220mph plans, they would have required whole new right of way along the entire route in order to keep the "non-compliant" HSR trains away from the freight and conventional passenger trains. But now (again, assuming the FRA actually publishes Tier III), will trains in this country be able to do what they do in Europe and use "classic" lines for the first few miles to get out of a city before switching onto the high speed lines?

Yes they will be able to use classic lines provided they limit their top speed on classic lines to 125mph, of course provide the track is equipped for PTC capable of supporting 125mph running which sort of implies something like CSS+ACSES or some form of ERTMS. In Europe they can do upto 140mph I believe, but it is a good start for the US I think.

I understand FRA will be publishing Tier III Regulations for comments in the near future.

 

[MattW]

Sounds good, thanks. I wouldn't really expect the HSR trains to exceed even 90 anyways on the "classic" lines except near the NEC.