Yeah that doesn’t really mean much, back when Amtrak was testing for 90mph operation on the Lincoln Service they used P42s and Pacific Bend. The new shunt device being tested is using a locomotive that will never run over those routes. The point is don’t look too deep into what equipment is used for test runs.Notice it ran with a P42, not a Midwest or LD Charger. Think about it.
Where will the St P - Chi train be wyed ?
Coon Rapids has also been mentioned as a new Empire Builder stop too, but the current schedule of the builder wouldn’t line up with the NLX.THe NLX (Duluth train) will NOT go to St. Cloud; it will be splitting off from the BNSF mainline that the Northstar uses to then head north to Duluth, starting on the Hinckely Subdivision (ex. Great Northern line, now BNSF as well). And there is a 99.9% chance it will be Amtrak...there's essentially no one else who could/would operate it. Also, I agree with Silophant that there is a lot of reason to be optimistic that the TCMC will be extended to TFS! Honestly, there will be political pressure if the TCMC--and later, the NLX--are successful.
I said this yesterday in the NLX thread, but I'll say here too: It's important to note that (unless something changed that I am unaware of) part of the passenger rail funding package approved by the MN State Legislature this past session included money to build the long-planned Foley Blvd. Station in Coon Rapids that would serve the Northstar commuter rail line, the NLX, and, along the lines of what you mentioned, Amtrak25, an extended TCMC to Fargo. Now, some people have bandied about the idea of terminating the TCMC in Coon Rapids, but that would never happen, logistically speaking.
With Superliners in apparently short supply, why use them here?Amtrak ran an inspection train over the route today consisting of a P42, three Superliners, and an inspection car.
The route would be the same route between Duluth and the Twin Cities.What routing would the new Duluth service have in common with the old Amtrak North Star ?
I do remember it sitting pretty late one night in CUS in 1978: F40, baggage, 10-6, Amdinette, 2 or 3 Amcoaches, ready to depart for an overnight run.
Could Amtrak possible be doing something smart and road-testing recently repaired Superliners on a multi-hour trip, doubling up the utility of the inspection train? If so (and the cars passed the test!), they should be back in revenue service in a few days. One can always hope.With Superliners in apparently short supply, why use them here?
According to Trains News Wire, this three Superliner with one business car was run as a salute to CP and its top train handling rating. CP employees and families were invited to ride it. I doubt if there was any "road testing" involved.Could Amtrak possible be doing something smart and road-testing recently repaired Superliners on a multi-hour trip, doubling up the utility of the inspection train? If so (and the cars passed the test!), they should be back in revenue service in a few days. One can always hope.
Amtrak originally called the Pioneer the Columbia River Express. It was changed at the last-minute, avoiding squawks from the portions of the route that followed the Snake River or that had a Great Salt Lake.Thanks for the update even if it's not quite yet the news we're hoping for.
Glad to see Great River doesn't seem likely to stick as the name. Less then 1/3 of the CHI-STP trip runs along the Mississippi. And while the strech of river Amtrak follows from LaCrosse to St Paul is a broad, major river with boats and barges, it's not what comes to mind when speaking of "life on the Mississippi" and river city culture. Twin Cities Hiawatha still sounds good to me but other good options are probably out there.
For quite awhile both Wisconsin and Minnesota were saying the train could start in late 2023 possibly as a 3x weekly run. Wisconsin likely jumped the gun with announcing a September 2023 start seeing as all the service agreements are even signed yet.Yep, count me among those who are not fans of the Great River name. My preference has been for something along the lines of Twin Cities Hiawatha or Minnesota Hiawatha. I'm also not surprised that the startup date has slipped from 2023 to 2024. The talk about the actual startup date has seemed rather vague all along, with lots of perhapses and maybes and sometimes. Until I hear an actual startup date, I'll assume it remains quite a ways away.
Yes, I remember those technically unofficial, yet officially communicated, announcements! I agree that Wisconsin really jumped the gun and was the primary reason the general public started thinking that fall 2023 when in reality, a few years ago the original start years were (at least from some MN sources) communicated as 2024 or even 2025. The funny thing to me is that a few social media rail advocate people broadcast the "September 2023 start" from those state of Wisconsin documents very, very widely, to the extent that someone renamed this new service's Wikipedia page to the "Great River service" and listed that WI source to claim it would start in September. I'm not aFor quite awhile both Wisconsin and Minnesota were saying the train could start in late 2023 possibly as a 3x weekly run. Wisconsin likely jumped the gun with announcing a September 2023 start seeing as all the service agreements are even signed yet.
The North Star Hiawatha would be a good name!Why not revive the original Amtrak name for the Duluth service…The Arrowhead…or the later North Star?
I don't mind the idea of the Arrowhead, but seeing as that name referred specifically to the Arrowhead region of northeast Minnesota, of which Duluth is a part, it wouldn't fit as well. Unfortunately the North Star cannot be used (it would be an equal name to the TC Hiawatha, in my opinion) because the commuter rail service from Minneapolis to Big Lake, MN is called the Northstar. Would be far too confusing for MN people--and the Northstar has a terrible reputation in MN.Why not revive the original Amtrak name for the Duluth service…The Arrowhead…or the later North Star?
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