Worcester-Springfield Commuter Rail

CSX Conductor wrote:

l008com wrote:What is the top speed of standard MTBA commuter rail trains? Make it a high speed line that goes from spring field to worcester non stop. At 90 or so (can they go that fast) that could make it competitive... I don't know how much 90MPH track costs to build though.

As discussed in the MBTA Forum before, all coaches are restricted to 80MPH. As for the B&A, the max speed will never be higher than 60MPH for passenger trains.

Just curious CSX: why do you say that passenger trains will never exceed 60? Isn't freight speed 50 in a lot of areas? If so, that means the track is already maintained to Class 4. And Class 4 allows for 79 MPH passenger speeds. Of course, the curves would have to be reworked and braking distances would have to be checked; but the possibility is there.

DAW

130MM, as for track, I believe you since that is your craft.

As far as the B&A, freights can do 50MPH between:

CP-4 & MP 12.4 (Wellesley Farms)

CP-22 & MP 42.2

CP-64 & MP 75.8

MP 76.3 & CP-83

CP-83 & CP-92

MP 104.6 & MP 112

CP 150 to MP 171 (minus two 40 MPH restrictions)


The rest is mostly 40mph, except for a few 30mph spots.

So if we can do 50MPH in these stretches, how come pax trains are limited to 60 MPH???? Why are Pax trains limited to 40MPH west of 150?!?

CSX Conductor wrote:130MM, as for track, I believe you since that is your craft.

As far as the B&A, freights can do 50MPH between:

CP-4 & MP 12.4 (Wellesley Farms)

CP-22 & MP 42.2

CP-64 & MP 75.8

MP 76.3 & CP-83

CP-83 & CP-92

MP 104.6 & MP 112

CP 150 to MP 171 (minus two 40 MPH restrictions)


The rest is mostly 40mph, except for a few 30mph spots.

So if we can do 50MPH in these stretches, how come pax trains are limited to 60 MPH???? Why are Pax trains limited to 40MPH west of 150?!?

That is a question for the CSX Engineering Department. I guess it has to do with the amount of superelevation in the curves. It's a balance between the pax and freight speeds as to wearing the gage face on the high rail vs. the crushing of the low rail. I could go on with a more technical discussion if anyone is interested

But should we ever assume maintenance on parts of this track I'm sure it will become my task to answer that question.

DAW

I hear you guys are getting New Bedford & Fall River in the next couple of months.

I agree with DAW. Faster passenger train speeds would mean a greater superelevation in the curves. Because of the high freight tonnage on the Boston Line, this would lead to greater rail wear. Because railroads are making the transition towards 315K gross tonnage as a standard, this would only complicate the matter.

Keep in mind that most of the money the state blows in the "east" doesn't actually benefit urban Boston in any way--for example Greenbush, all the new stations between Framingham and Worcester, Newburyport, etc. These projects cost billions to build and operate, and they exist solely for the benefit of a few well-to-do thousand.

Meanwhile, in the city, the buses are literally falling apart, the subways suffer catastrophic failures, and the Green Line extension, which would serve an area populated by about 100,000 people, is nowhere close to being built. Don't even get me started on the 2/3 of the "Silver Line" that they tried to build.

For the Springfield line to make sense, we have to see real potential in Springfield as a city (now at what seems to be its lowest point). It's encouraging that this plan is on the drawing board, and it's even more encouraging that CT DOT is also investing heavily in the New Haven-Springfield Corridor. But we need proof that jobs are going to stay in Springfield, and that people are going to take the train(s) to those jobs.

I also thing the Fall River/New Bedford line would help those two cities a lot. Even if no one commutes in, professionals could commute out. They'd bring with them money for much-needed improvements to each decrepit downtown.

And why don't we electrify the whole commuter rail system while we're at it...?

CSX Conductor wrote:I hear you guys are getting New Bedford & Fall River in the next couple of months.

I've been hearing the same thing since about 1998.

And what limits are you hearing? Cotley? Weir Jct.? Attleboro?