110 mph in Illinois this year?

There are still a few (6, I believe) grade crossings on the Northeast Corridor in eastern CT. Most are on low speed sections, but one is on a 90 mph stretch of track.

This line had some previously as JWB pointed out. As part of the upgrades, more were added. What they now feature is a sensor to raise the appropriate gate to allow a vehicle that is trapped inside to get out.

Amtrak has run several test trains this spring. And as mentioned, they did run a public test train last year.

wafer wrote:This line had some previously as JWB pointed out. As part of the upgrades, more were added. What they now feature is a sensor to raise the appropriate gate to allow a vehicle that is trapped inside to get out.
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4 quadrant gates have been widely used in the UK at least for as long as there have been train/road interfaces and I've not heard of this being an issue.

And you'd think that if by some freak turn of events you did find yourself between gates, that you'd simply drive through the gate to save yourself from a sudden high speed impact?!

but I digress

thanks for the info

And you'd think that if by some freak turn of events you did find yourself between gates, that you'd simply drive through the gate to save yourself from a sudden high speed impact?!

I agree, but perhaps in the confusion of lights, bells and oncoming locomotives, this could help those who "freak out". Plus, it might save them from having to replace gates every so often?

My sincere hope for this service is that they do achieve the 110 mph speed by the end of the year. If this increases ridership and support, then maybe previously discussed new trainsets could be reviewed again. Or even overhauled Horizon cars.

wafer wrote:My sincere hope for this service is that they do achieve the 110 mph speed by the end of the year. If this increases ridership and support, then maybe previously discussed new trainsets could be reviewed again. Or even overhauled Horizon cars.

That would be nice (whatever happened to the "Lakeliner" Talgo proposal?), but even the existing equipment is decent. The Horizon and Amfleet equipment on the route provides comparable accomodations to most non-Acela Express corridor service in the northeast.

hsr_fan wrote: whatever happened to the "Lakeliner" Talgo proposal?

IIRC the lakeliner was for MWHSR and would be persued when more of the MW routes are more certain. It's my understandin gthat the Illinois test was to form the basis for future MWHSR expansions, so I would assume this would be contingent on the general MWHSR program going forward. Unfortunately with the major players facing budget issues this has not happened yet.

wafer wrote:

And you'd think that if by some freak turn of events you did find yourself between gates, that you'd simply drive through the gate to save yourself from a sudden high speed impact?!

I agree, but perhaps in the confusion of lights, bells and oncoming locomotives, this could help those who "freak out". Plus, it might save them from having to replace gates every so often?

As far as crossing gates, I think instead of having four gates covering each part of the road, there ought to be one gate for each side, with a median on each side approaching the crossing, preventing/discouraging vehicles from driving around. That way, you wouldn't find yourself "trapped" between the gates, but it would still be tough to drive around.

The X-ing gate arrangement you note, Mr. Madison, actually exists in at least one location within Illinois.

In Burbonais.

I MUST wonder why!!!!!!

Gilbert B Norman wrote:The X-ing gate arrangement you note, Mr. Madison, actually exists in at least one location within Illinois.

In Burbonais.


I MUST wonder why!!!!!!

I can think of several I see on a regular basis. there have been a few studies of late that pointed out that medians reduce crossing transgression and was one of the requirements outlined by the FRA for maintaining a horn ban. (although this is not yet in effect)

However 4 quadrant gates are more effective, but for some reason unpopular. I can only speculate that the railroads don't want them for fear that someone would be stupid enough to get trapped and would sue their pants off. Too bad we are such a litigious society.

The four-quadrant gate arrangement is nothing new. It was quite common in thev era of manual gates, and in locations where two gates sufficed each gate usually was long enough to span the entire street.

If anyone has insight into why two half-gates became the standard when automatic gates were introduced, please share. I suspect it comes down to one word: money.

the new high speed line is going to go through Burbonais?

No, it doesn't. Bourbonnais (correct spelling) was cited only as an example of a location with four-quadrant gates.

I don't know why they're so unpopular, except that you can't drive around them, and having lived in Blue Island, that's a favorite sport, in spite of the stiffer fines put in place a few years ago.

Illinois has past this year's Budget late again. I am looking foward to 110 MPH Trains I would ride and their is a Report that their could be 2 More Round Trips to STL and CHI.

AmtrakFan

So, where are we at with higher speed passenger rail on the Illinois corridor?

I don't know the answer to the question, but I do know that this thread is almost two years old, and we still don't have high speed running there yet.
As one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world, this situation is ridiculous. Personally, I think it's a matter of everyone wanting to protect their derriere: we don't want any lawsuits resulting from "moving too quickly; let's do it right". Or.........
maybe we're NOT one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world. China and Korea seem to be, though!