jay.barnes wrote:Quick question for 'those in the know' (and I understand if there's no clear cut answer because, this CT River Line rehab job is not often done):
How does the line get its re-rating for higher speed? Is it done gradually, as new rails are laid down, crossings are redone, new switches installed, and new signals put into place? Or does it happen all at once, after all the work is completed?
Does Pan Am designate it for a new speed limit? Or does the FRA have to come through the line and inspect it, in order for it to pass muster?
Just curious, thanks,
-Jay
The FRA administratively has to be the one to up the track class to its ultimate Class 4 rating. But of course a line can have a native Class 4 rating and not have anything close to a native Class 4 speed limit because of track geometry, localized conditions, temp restrictions, etc. It's an arbitrary designation about maintenance standards more than a speed limit.
It really doesn't matter--nor is it easy to tell--which came first: the FRA inspection and uprate between MP
x and MP
y or the stamping-out of a natural speed restriction. Presumably you could get the uprate but still have it dotted with temp restrictions where work is finishing up. It's especially difficult to track with freight, because Pan Am's not likely to adjust its schedules at all until it has actual Amtrak slots to schedule around. They don't run anything time-sensitive down the branch, and they will likely keep padding for daily construction delays even if they are moving physically faster on some stretches.
Most likely what you'll see with the first Amtrak schedules in Dec. is similar to how it went with the VT speed increases. Track work advances and gradually closes the gaps but the train makes roughly the same time, smooths out its speed without necessarily taking advantage of the new highest-speed stretches, and banks the improvements as on-time padding. Then the next set of schedules show a much more dramatic shortening of travel time as all that accumulated padding gets traded in and they start pushing to the new track speed. You won't be able to pinpoint exactly which lengths of track went to higher speed in what sequence relative to each other because the timetable still rules when the train is slated to arrive in Brattleboro from Springfield. So whatever's not done by the first Amtrak passenger timetables in 12/2014 will get cashed in on the first adjusted timetables in Spring 2015. Then maybe rinse/repeat on the next set of schedules in late-Summer if there's still mop-up work going on in a year. With Pan Am probably having more subtle timetable changes.
