Tower 55

[frequentflyer]

My wife is on the Eagle that arrived into FTW 15 minutes, two hours later, still waiting to cross Tower 55, they need to fix that junction and fix it quick.

 

[Bob Dylan]

My wife is on the Eagle that arrived into FTW 15 minutes, two hours later, still waiting to cross Tower 55, they need to fix that junction and fix it quick.

I agree! I'm in Temple waiting on #21 and Julie is telling me that it is running 2 Hours Late, left FTW @ 4:04PM!

This track work is scheduled to continue for 3 months and will result in Re-Routes and Bustitutions for the Eagles starting Mon 4/28 on certain days! Its much needed as is the Re-Route of the Eagles on the TRE Route between FTW and DAL!!!

 

[frequentflyer]

My wife is on the Eagle that arrived into FTW 15 minutes, two hours later, still waiting to cross Tower 55, they need to fix that junction and fix it quick.

I agree! I'm in Temple waiting on #21 and Julie is telling me that it is running 2 Hours Late, left FTW @ 4:04PM!

This track work is scheduled to continue for 3 months and will result in Re-Routes and Bustitutions for the Eagles starting Mon 4/28 on certain days! Its much needed as is the Re-Route of the Eagles on the TRE Route between FTW and DAL!!!

I think I saw you in Temple, we're you inside the guy inside the station?

 

[frequentflyer]

21arrived in FTW early but had to wait as freights cleared Tower 55.

 

[Bob Dylan]

My wife is on the Eagle that arrived into FTW 15 minutes, two hours later, still waiting to cross Tower 55, they need to fix that junction and fix it quick.

I agree! I'm in Temple waiting on #21 and Julie is telling me that it is running 2 Hours Late, left FTW @ 4:04PM!

This track work is scheduled to continue for 3 months and will result in Re-Routes and Bustitutions for the Eagles starting Mon 4/28 on certain days! Its much needed as is the Re-Route of the Eagles on the TRE Route between FTW and DAL!!!

I think I saw you in Temple, we're you inside the guy inside the station?

Yeah, I was the guy that looked like Brad Pitt! LOL We were 2 1/2 Hours Down into Austin due to UP Freight Traffic around Taylor!

 

[the_traveler]

Brad Pitt when he is 257 years old!

 

[frequentflyer]

Yeah I remember you I was the Black guy sitting by the wall for a little bit.

Looks like that same consist is 4 hours down at FTW as train 22. They reallllly need to fix Tower 55 junction .

 

[frequentflyer]

From a post on train orders why 21 was so late leaving Austin. Freight ahead of it hit a trespasser, held 21 for 5 hours at AUS station. You got off just in time Jim.

http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?4,3391815

 

[afigg]

Yeah I remember you I was the Black guy sitting by the wall for a little bit.

Looks like that same consist is 4 hours down at FTW as train 22. They reallllly need to fix Tower 55 junction .

The stated estimated completion date for the Tower 55 project is September, 2014. Which is only 5 months away.

 

[neroden]

Unfortunately the changes currently being made to Tower 55 will not actually eliminate most of the conflict movements -- it'll still be an at-grade diamond, and Amtrak will still have to cross it three times on every Texas Eagle visit to Ft. Worth.

We'll see how much improvement the various signalling and speed and capacity improvements make. They should make some improvement, but I wouldn't expect a lot; this is no diveunder.

 

[the_traveler]

Unfortunately the changes currently being made to Tower 55 will not actually eliminate most of the conflict movements -- it'll still be an at-grade diamond, and Amtrak will still have to cross it three times on every Texas Eagle visit to Ft. Worth.

If the TE switches to the TRE tracks between FTW and DAL (as have been proposed) instead of using the UP tracks (as they do now), they only have to cross once.

 

[battalion51]

Not to mention if they switch over to the TRE routing they can avoid having to make the backup move every trip. It'd be nice if they can work out the liability issues and make the change, maybe even add a stop at Centreport/DFW Airport...

 

[frequentflyer]

Still does not fix the Tower 55 at grade problem. It takes 15-17 minutes for a two mile coal train to get through the junction, the Eagle getting stuck at FTW or just outside of FTW while two or three of these freights go through the junction is what causing the problem.

 

[the_traveler]

Once the TE switches to the TRE tracks, it will enter FTW from DAL from the north (pulling straight in), stop at FTW and pull straight out going south. It will only have to cross the Tower 55 crossing once. By the above example, the biggest delay would be 15-17 minutes - during which time it's still at the station platform.

 

[Ryan]

Does someone have a map handy for those of us unfamiliar with the local geography?

 

[afigg]

Not to mention if they switch over to the TRE routing they can avoid having to make the backup move every trip. It'd be nice if they can work out the liability issues and make the change, maybe even add a stop at Centreport/DFW Airport...

Have there been any reports or reliable sources on the status of the discussions/negotiations to move the TE to the TRE tracks? Is it still be discussed or worked on? Or it is a plan that is effectively dead in the water?

 

[neroden]

If the TE switches to the TRE tracks between FTW and DAL (as have been proposed) instead of using the UP tracks (as they do now), they only have to cross once.

I haven't heard a damn thing on this project in 2 years.
It was stalled in arguments over insurance. TxDOT managed to wangle something where USDOT committed the money to TxDOT in advance of TRE and Amtrak settling their differences, but apparently the money is just sitting at TxDOT and TRE and Amtrak have not settled their differences. If it isn't spent by 2017 the ARRA money for this project goes away. USDOT probably should not have agreed to TxDOT's proposal to sit on the money.

 

[Bob Dylan]

During the ongoing trackwork in FTW the Eagles will be re-routed on the TRE Route from FTW thru Irving to Dallas on posted days!

I'm not sure if this is a Limited arrangement between Amtrak, UP and TRE/DART??? I have been on this re-route several times and it quicker and smoother than the old T&P Mainline that is now the UP Route between FTW and Dallas and that has heavy freight traffic?

Seems like if its OK for Amtrak on these days there is no reason except beauracrtic turf wars preventing the re-route!

 

[afigg]

I haven't heard a damn thing on this project in 2 years.

It was stalled in arguments over insurance. TxDOT managed to wangle something where USDOT committed the money to TxDOT in advance of TRE and Amtrak settling their differences, but apparently the money is just sitting at TxDOT and TRE and Amtrak have not settled their differences. If it isn't spent by 2017 the ARRA money for this project goes away. USDOT probably should not have agreed to TxDOT's proposal to sit on the money.

The project that is tied to allowing Amtrak to use the TRE tracks is the Valley View Double Track project, correct? The $7.4 million grant is listed as a FY2009 project, so it does not have the deadline that the ARRA funds do. A search turned up a January 2013 TXDOT status sheet on the TRE project with a projected May 2014 completion date. Unless a contract was awarded and construction work started last year, presumably that schedule has slipped.

Digging into the TRE website, I found this agenda list for a February 20, 2014 TRE Advisory Committee Meeting with an Item 9: Update on Amtrak Service on TRE Corridor [15 minutes]. I do not see minutes for the meeting or presentations on the TRE website for that meeting or any other meeting, so that is all I can find. It appears that TRE and Amtrak are still talking, but what ever is going on could be grinding through the wheels of bureaucracy very slowly. At a speed that makes a snail look like an HSR train.

 

[battalion51]

I'm sure it's mostly items going back and forth between the lawyers which is why there hasn't been much public forward progress. I would love to see minutes from one of these public meetings, but have never seen them be posted, just the agenda. It's somewhat amazing to me that Amtrak has been able to come to agreements with all sorts of commuter/state agencies (Coaster, MBTA, Metra, Tri-Rail, SunRail, Metrolink, RailRunner) but for whatever reason they can't work it out with TRE. Everything is bigger in Texas, including the problems.

 

[neroden]

The project that is tied to allowing Amtrak to use the TRE tracks is the Valley View Double Track project, correct?

Sounds right though I don't remember.

The $7.4 million grant is listed as a FY2009 project, so it does not have the deadline that the ARRA funds do.

I'm pretty sure that's actually a change. There were a number of other delayed projects which were originally ARRA-funded which had their funds "swapped" with FY2009 funding for projects which were running on time (money is fungible). One of those was the Iowa City train service; I think those funds are still in limbo, but maybe they've been reallocated by now.

A search turned up a January 2013 TXDOT status sheet on the TRE project with a projected May 2014 completion date. Unless a contract was awarded and construction work started last year, presumably that schedule has slipped.

By a lot.

 

[afigg]

The $7.4 million grant is listed as a FY2009 project, so it does not have the deadline that the ARRA funds do.

I'm pretty sure that's actually a change. There were a number of other delayed projects which were originally ARRA-funded which had their funds "swapped" with FY2009 funding for projects which were running on time (money is fungible). One of those was the Iowa City train service; I think those funds are still in limbo, but maybe they've been reallocated by now.

The TX Valley View Double Track project was listed as a FY2009 project in a 2011 HSIPR project list document I have a copy of. It is a relatively small project with the state providing 1:1 matching funds, so I expect it was a FY2009 grant from the start. The Chicago to Iowa City grant was a FY2010 award, it was not "swapped" from the ARRA funding pot. AFAIK, the portion of the grant that was set aside for Iowa, after IL had their part obligated, is still in limbo.

 

[neroden]

The Iowa City grant was definitely swapped. It was originally announced as an ARRA award for the whole Chicago - Iowa City route (insufficient to complete the route), followed by a FY2010 award for the whole route; after trouble in the Iowa legislature, this was redefined as an ARRA award (perhaps plus an FY2010 award) for Chicago to Moline, and an FY2010 award from Moline to Iowa City.

"Swapping" happened after the announcement and prior to the official paperwork.

 

[afigg]

The Iowa City grant was definitely swapped. It was originally announced as an ARRA award for the whole Chicago - Iowa City route (insufficient to complete the route), followed by a FY2010 award for the whole route; after trouble in the Iowa legislature, this was redefined as an ARRA award (perhaps plus an FY2010 award) for Chicago to Moline, and an FY2010 award from Moline to Iowa City.

"Swapping" happened after the announcement and prior to the official paperwork.

This is getting off-topic and is really a minor point, but the Chicago to Iowa City corridor service award was a FY2010 grant from the (then) $2.4 billion that was allocated in the FY2010 budget. There was NO swapping with the ARRA grants. Here is the FRA press release from October 28, 2010 announcing the FY2010 selections. Which you will note includes the Chicago to Iowa City project. Really not that difficult to look these things up.

The House Republicans later rescinded $400 million from the FY2010 allocation in the FY2011 appropriations bill (the $400M came out of the returned Florida HSR money), but that has nothing to do with Tower 55.

 

[neroden]

In that case, I'm thinking of the "Midwest Corridor" equipment purchase funds, which *ARE* ARRA funds, and which Iowa was originally scheduled to participate in.

There was definitely money-shuffling.

It doesn't help that all the agencies tend to delete records of premature announcements.