General US High Speed Rail Discussion

There already is over in the Amtrak forum. Which is the proper place, as A) this forum is supposed to be about topics where Amtrak is not necessarily involved (and they certainly are involved in developing their new car specs) and B) these aren't for Acela replacements, but Amfleet successors, and therefore not high speed cars.

EDIT: Found the thread. See here: http://railroad.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=74888

Missouri will apply for $973 million. $298 million is for railway track and structures, especially between Lee's Summit and Pleasant Hill, and bridge replacement at 12th Street in Kansas City. $75 million is for new trainsets. $600 million is for planning and future improvements.
http://www.kansascity.com/2011/03/29/27 ... rvice.html

goodnightjohnwayne wrote:I can't believe that South Shore would qualify for HSR funding, despite technically being an "intercity" operation As far as the elimination of Michigan City street running, it isn't a Federal obligation, despite the PTC mandate. In the end, the NICTD can either obtain a waiver, truncate service, or find the money by some other means.

Sorry for replying to an older post, but I just noticed this. NICTD would absolutely be eligible under the "emerging high speed rail" category (corridor of 100-500 miles, maximum speeds of 90-110 mph). With PTC in place, South Shore trains could absolutely operate at a maximum speed of 90 mph. Many sections of the line are arrow-straight. The elimination of street running would increase average speed along the line.

California has applied for all of it; actually, more than all of it.

An extension from Merced northward, $960 million
An extension from Bakersfield southward, $1.3 billion
A grade separation at Van Nuys Boulevard and San Fernando Road, $70 million

12 conventional rail improvements to the Capitol Corridor, San Joaquin, and Pacific Surfliner routes, $382 million.
http://www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov/pr_ca ... ction.aspx

jstolberg wrote:California has applied for all of it; actually, more than all of it.

Considering the idea is to not only spend this money but to create a list for the next appropriation (if any) it is extremely wise to file all the projects a state can. Not only does it put the projects in line for any future funding (beyond the $2.4 Billion) but it gives a tangible "need" that can be presented to Congress.

There is a press release on the US DOT website on the applications submitted for the Florida HSR funds at http://www.dot.gov/affairs/2011/dot4411.html with a list of the states that submitted applications. Quoting from the release: "We have received more than 90 applications from 24 states, the District of Columbia and Amtrak for projects in the Northeast Corridor, with preliminary requests totaling nearly $10 billion dollars."

List of the states and the total amounts I have found with google searches:
California - over $2.43 billion!
Connecticut - $100 million for New Haven to Springfield corridor (but have to confirm)
District of Columbia
Georgia
Illinois
Kansas
Massachusetts - $98.4 million to replace the Merrimack River Bridge in Haverhill
Maryland - $415 million total?: $299 million for BWI Airport station and 4th track, $116 million for PE for Bush, Gunpowder, Susquehanna River bridge replacements
Maine -
Michigan
Minnesota
Missouri - $937 million total
North Carolina - $624 million total including $300 million to buy the CSX S-Line from near Petersburg VA to Cary, NC
New Mexico
Nevada
New York - $517 million total for 8 projects
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island - $31 million total
South Carolina
Texas
Utah
Vermont - $80 million for Ethan Allan western corridor expansion but have not confirmed if this is the federal request or total amount
Washington - $120 million for Cascades projects
Wisconsin - $150 million for Hiawatha service for new rolling stock and maintenance facility. Gov. Walker says hi.

I'm disappointed that Virginia did not submit something for a DC to Richmond project or two.

Anybody know where we can find copies of the applications? I'm curious to see what PA applied for.

j653 wrote:Anybody know where we can find copies of the applications? I'm curious to see what PA applied for.

So far, the info I have is coming from press releases and news articles - usually based on press releases. Which gloss over the details - often by a lot. Some of the state DOTs may put the application in a documents area on their website.

As for PA, they applied for $248 million for the Keystone East corridor, but it is only described by a Penn DOT spokesperson as upgrading 5 switches (interlockings to be correct). $248 million has to cover more than that, but probably have to wait for the specifics to be announced or released.

afiggatt wrote:List of the states and the total amounts I have found with google searches:
California - over $2.43 billion!
Connecticut - $100 million for New Haven to Springfield corridor (but have to confirm)
District of Columbia
Georgia
Illinois
Kansas
Massachusetts - $98.4 million to replace the Merrimack River Bridge in Haverhill
Maryland - $415 million total?: $299 million for BWI Airport station and 4th track, $116 million for PE for Bush, Gunpowder, Susquehanna River bridge replacements
Maine -
Michigan
Minnesota
Missouri - $937 million total
North Carolina - $624 million total including $300 million to buy the CSX S-Line from near Petersburg VA to Cary, NC
New Mexico
Nevada
New York - $517 million total for 8 projects
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island - $31 million total
South Carolina
Texas
Utah
Vermont - $80 million for Ethan Allan western corridor expansion but have not confirmed if this is the federal request or total amount
Washington - $120 million for Cascades projects
Wisconsin - $150 million for Hiawatha service for new rolling stock and maintenance facility. Gov. Walker says hi.

Here are a few more details:

Amtrak's applications total $1.3 billion:
$570 million for the Portal Bridge replacement
$450 million for power, signal and catenary improvements NYP to Phily to increase running speed to 160 mph
$188 million for preliminary engineering/environmental work on 2 new tunnels under the Hudson River
$50 million for preliminary engineering/environmental work on Penn Station South to add track and platforms
$15 million for preliminary engineering/alternatives analysis for the Pelham Bay Bridge replacement.
http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/BlobServe ... kSeeks.pdf

Connecticut - $227 million
http://www.ctpost.com/news/article/Conn ... 324289.php

Illinois - $186.4 million including $68 million between Joliet and Dwight.

And a joint 4-state application by Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and Missouri for $806.8 million to pay for new rolling stock.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/loca ... 9140.story

The $806 million multi-state joint application for rolling stock with Illinois as the lead with Missouri, Michigan, Wisconsin is for 100 bi-level cars and 31 locomotives. The application has a 20% reserve and lists the price for the bi-levels as $4.3 million each so it is very padded. The application is entirely for stimulus money with no state matching provided, so it is a long shot application for a award this time around. If I was the FRA, I would want to see the states to have some skin in the game with 20% or more contribution so the states have an incentive to negotiate a good price for the equipment.

Other states:
Michigan: $196.5 million for Kalamazoo to Dearborn section of the Chicago-Detroit corridor for upgrades to 110 mph, $5.2 million for Kalamazoo-Dearborn Deferred Maintenance Program that could begin this summer, $2.9 million for the West Detroit Connection Track Universal Crossover; $3.5 million for an intermodal station in Ann Arbor.

I'm adding the amounts and projects to a list of the states. When I have a more complete and updated list, I'll post it.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-04-0 ... -plan.html

CSX Corp. (CSX) “can’t be part of” President Barack Obama’s rail vision because passenger trains don’t make money and high-speed trains don’t belong on freight tracks, Chief Executive Officer Michael Ward said.

“I’m a corporation. I exist to make money, OK?” Ward said today in an interview at Bloomberg’s New York office. “You can’t make money hauling passengers, so why would I want to do that? That wouldn’t be fair to my shareholders.” CSX is the third-largest major freight railroad in the U.S. by revenue.

If CSX were to advocate for high-speed rail, he said, “it’s then ‘why aren’t you donating part of your infrastructure to that?’ which I can’t do and be true to my obligation to my shareholders.”

While moving more people by train might make sense for society, letting passenger trains traveling faster than 90 miles per hour share tracks with freight trains doesn’t make business sense, said Ward, whose Jacksonville, Florida-based railroad owns 21,000 miles of track east of St. Louis.

tweeted @railroadnet

I don't see anything particularly shocking there. There's nothing in it for CSX, so why should they support it?

FatNoah wrote:I don't see anything particularly shocking there. There's nothing in it for CSX, so why should they support it?

That's capitalism for ya *rolls eyes*..... and people wonder why progress is so hard to come by in the States nowadays.....

Who said anything about sharing, Mr. Ward? The grand design is to nationalize your industry, and change the name of your company to CS-Ex. If it could happen to GM, it could happen to you. Too bad you divested the Greenbrier; you could have hid out in the bunker there during the takeover.

Full disclosure: I am a former CSX shareholder.

If he can't see that there's money to be made out of higher speed passenger AND freight trains , then he shouldnt be CEO . At least the cards are on the table , let him run his slow inefficent freight trains , and build high speed lines parrallel to them , see what he thinks in 20 years time .