Work to improve Wolverine speeds to begin later this month

[eagle628]

http://trn.trains.co...e%20speeds.aspx <-- subscription only, I believe, so the interesting bits:

• Work will begin Aug. 22 to raise speeds on 24 miles of Norfolk Southern right-of-way that hosts Amtrak's Wolverine Service trains. Track conditions have restricted speeds to 30 mph on that portion of the line.
• The track work will take place Monday through Thursday Aug. 22-25, Aug 29-Sept. 1, and Sept. 5-8 during the day. As a result, Amtrak will terminate morning eastbound Wolverine 350 at Jackson, Mich., on those dates, turning the equipment there for Chicago-bound train 353. Buses will substitute for trains between Jackson and Pontiac., Mich.

I guess this is part of the track that NS placed under slow orders earlier in the summer.

 

[AlanB]

Note: Only those who subscribe to Trains Magazine and who have registered online will be able to view the story at the link above.

 

[afigg]

There was a Michigan DOT press release last week that was mostly about the new Pontiac Transportation Center opening on August 8, but further down in the MI DOT release, there was some information about the repair work on the NS track to get the Wolverine service back to decent speeds: http://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,4616,7-151-9620_11057-260428--,00.html

Excerpt from Michigan DOT release:

"Two of the Amtrak routes in Michigan have been plagued by service delays since June due to speed restrictions imposed by the host freight railroad. Steudle announced that a $4.2 million maintenance agreement with Norfolk Southern Railway would begin soon and improvements completed by mid-September. The work to be done by Norfolk Southern includes replacing ties, smoothing the track, and improving grade crossings on a 135-mile section between Ypsilanti and Kalamazoo. Train speeds of 60 mph will be restored on this segment, in preparation for even higher speeds in years to follow."

 

[eagle628]

There was a Michigan DOT press release last week that was mostly about the new Pontiac Transportation Center opening on August 8

http://en.wikipedia....on_Center_(2011) (Shameless self-promotion.)

Excerpt from Michigan DOT release:

"Two of the Amtrak routes in Michigan have been plagued by service delays since June due to speed restrictions imposed by the host freight railroad. Steudle announced that a $4.2 million maintenance agreement with Norfolk Southern Railway would begin soon and improvements completed by mid-September. The work to be done by Norfolk Southern includes replacing ties, smoothing the track, and improving grade crossings on a 135-mile section between Ypsilanti and Kalamazoo. Train speeds of 60 mph will be restored on this segment, in preparation for even higher speeds in years to follow."

I'm assuming Michigan is paying for that, then? Seems an awfully low price for 135 miles, but I suppose the tracks were at those standards until June, so it shouldn't be too hard to bring them back up to specs.

 

[afigg]

I'm assuming Michigan is paying for that, then? Seems an awfully low price for 135 miles, but I suppose the tracks were at those standards until June, so it shouldn't be too hard to bring them back up to specs.

The $4.2 million of track work is probably much of what was described in the Michigan DOT application for $5.1 million to perform deferred maintenance on the NS line that did not get selected by the FRA. The FRA picked the $196.5 million application for the Kalamzaoo to Dearborn SDP and upgrade to 110 mph speeds.

The application with the descriptions of the work is the second one on the page for the deferred maintenance project: http://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,4616,7-151-11056-254087--,00.html

"Project funding would be used for deferred maintenance including an interim spot tie replacement (approximately 24,000 ties) and some minor ballast fill throughout this section of the corridor, in the FY 2011 construction season. This will prevent further degradation of the infrastructure and existing intercity passenger service (ridership and revenue) this year."

 

[jdcnosse]

I might be leaving out of KAL (to CHI) on either the Wolverine or the Blue Water on that Monday Aug 22nd, does this mean that the delays they're claiming might not be so long? I know right now I can't book the 353 and 354 Wolverines for a same day trip to CHI to check bags because there's not enough time from when the 353 would arrive (plus delays) to when the 354 would leave. Otherwise it would be just the perfect amount of time to get off, get bags checked on the SWC for my trip to FLG, then come back.

 

[Trogdor]

I might be leaving out of KAL (to CHI) on either the Wolverine or the Blue Water on that Monday Aug 22nd, does this mean that the delays they're claiming might not be so long? I know right now I can't book the 353 and 354 Wolverines for a same day trip to CHI to check bags because there's not enough time from when the 353 would arrive (plus delays) to when the 354 would leave. Otherwise it would be just the perfect amount of time to get off, get bags checked on the SWC for my trip to FLG, then come back.

Wha?

Why would you take the train to CHI to check bags for your trip, but not actually take the trip?

 

[rrdude]

I might be leaving out of KAL (to CHI) on either the Wolverine or the Blue Water on that Monday Aug 22nd, does this mean that the delays they're claiming might not be so long? I know right now I can't book the 353 and 354 Wolverines for a same day trip to CHI to check bags because there's not enough time from when the 353 would arrive (plus delays) to when the 354 would leave. Otherwise it would be just the perfect amount of time to get off, get bags checked on the SWC for my trip to FLG, then come back.

Wha?

Why would you take the train to CHI to check bags for your trip, but not actually take the trip?

Other than the proverbial TIME KILLER at Porter, IN, I don't think ANY of the proposed trackwork would impact a KAL-CHI trip, unless of course the train ARRIVING in KAL is delayed because of that, which is a real possibility.

 

[jdcnosse]

I might be leaving out of KAL (to CHI) on either the Wolverine or the Blue Water on that Monday Aug 22nd, does this mean that the delays they're claiming might not be so long? I know right now I can't book the 353 and 354 Wolverines for a same day trip to CHI to check bags because there's not enough time from when the 353 would arrive (plus delays) to when the 354 would leave. Otherwise it would be just the perfect amount of time to get off, get bags checked on the SWC for my trip to FLG, then come back.

Wha?

Why would you take the train to CHI to check bags for your trip, but not actually take the trip?

I'm taking the trip the very next day lol my home station is GRR, but nowhere on the Pere Marquette line has checked baggage, and there`s only one train. 371 leaves GRR at like 6am, arrives in CHI at like 9am; 370 leaves CHI at 5:20pm? and arrives back in GRR at 10:20pm. KAL is about only an hour driving time away, and has many more opportunities for trains, especially so I`m not gone for nearly 18 hours the day before my GRR to FLG trip.

 

[Trogdor]

Other than the proverbial TIME KILLER at Porter, IN, I don't think ANY of the proposed trackwork would impact a KAL-CHI trip, unless of course the train ARRIVING in KAL is delayed because of that, which is a real possibility.

It certainly will impact a KAL-CHI trip, because right now you have a 0% chance of your KAL-CHI trip departing on time. After the trackwork, the chance for an on-time trip increases to significantly higher than 0.

I'm taking the trip the very next day lol my home station is GRR, but nowhere on the Pere Marquette line has checked baggage, and there`s only one train. 371 leaves GRR at like 6am, arrives in CHI at like 9am; 370 leaves CHI at 5:20pm? and arrives back in GRR at 10:20pm. KAL is about only an hour driving time away, and has many more opportunities for trains, especially so I`m not gone for nearly 18 hours the day before my GRR to FLG trip.

Still, I don't understand why you don't just check your bags on the day of your trip.

 

[jdcnosse]

Still, I don't understand why you don't just check your bags on the day of your trip.

The Pere Marquette has no checked baggage, and I'll have 4 (at most 5) bags with me. 3 will be checked when I arrive in Chicago. So I either go the day before, I try and get all 4/5 bags on the train at the same time. Not impossible no, but hard to do when two of them are decent size boxes (not to mention Amtrak's rule about each passenger only allowing 2 carry-ons).

 

[George Harris]

The work to be done by Norfolk Southern includes replacing ties, smoothing the track, and improving grade crossings on a 135-mile section between Ypsilanti and Kalamazoo. Train speeds of 60 mph will be restored on this segment, in preparation for even higher speeds in years to follow."

I'm assuming Michigan is paying for that, then? Seems an awfully low price for 135 miles, but I suppose the tracks were at those standards until June, so it shouldn't be too hard to bring them back up to specs.

It would take at most something in the range of 400 to 500 ties per mile to get from FRA class 2 (30P/25F) to class 3 (60P/40F). Throw in some minimal addition of ballast and a run of a tamper, and you are not talking a large amount of money.

 

[rrdude]

Work is actually progressing. Here is a LINK to a short story, with video.

 

[PerRock]

I passed a section of the Michigan Line yesterday while in School (Field Trip!) here in ARB, and noticed that there were stacks of new ties along the tracks near the access point (this section of the line is fenced off).

peter

 

[Tony]

Thanks rrdude. The video is fascinating and also has some nice shots of Ypsilanti's Depot Town in the background.

 

[rrdude]

Thanks rrdude. The video is fascinating and also has some nice shots of Ypsilanti's Depot Town in the background.

No worries. I think it was pretty interesting too, and I've done my share of "manual" track-work in the past. I would have given my left nut to have had those machines on our short-line.
Real props go to MARP, one of their members produced it. None-the-less, well done, good quality, informative, and certainly not boring.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Yeah, big thanks to RRDude for the link and MARP member Larry Krieg for the interesting video!

 

[PerRock]

How track work is done in Europe:



peter