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According to the WSJ : "The increase in customers has outstripped Amtrak's ability to keep up with maintenance needs." Twelve months ago I would have predicted declining demand with the ARRA cars allowing the fleet to get to good working order. Instead they seem to be going to capacity get...

ne plus ultra wrote:I had no idea that Phoenix lost service as a result of "saboteurs" in 1995 causing a derailment that damaged track beyond the value of repair.

So, it was possible to send a train to Madison in 1976. Is it still possible? FWIW here's the current WiDOT map (pdf) and project site . Actual roadwork and signaling should begin this year. Trying to cross purpose Madison service into a future Minneapolis-Chicago corridor (that hasn't gone beyond ...

Good question. MARC's bi-levels do 125mph and the California Cars are claimed to be designed for 125. Gallery cars are lighter so presumably with the right running gear it's possible. If not use the bi-levels. 50 year old design ??? Talgo's history as a bit player in US rail passenger car design goe...

big promises How about presenting re-warmed tech like articulation, tilt and self propelled diesel as a game changer? What's not to love about higher operating costs, more downtime and less flexibility on account of the gee-whiz? It's going to be orphan equipment. I'd go with upgraded Metra style g...

Do you have any sense whether the bridges in those days had central supports, limiting barges to less than half the width of the river? Or was the foreground water in an area that would now be on shore and under a riverside high-rise? Prior to the omnipresent bascule bridges, river crossings were s...

P.S. Is anyone reading this forum??

Ridership projections can't be all that great. The majority of land use in its catchment area is parking and empty lots. CTA runs #19 bus for event crowds and the Blue Line entrances aren't much farther than a potential Pink Line stop.

Problems with CN? Good thing IDOT submitted the all CN route (with a station in South Elgin) to Dubuque for Federal funding. 2012-ish is the start-up time frame. Does that seem long for Amfleet\Amshack regional service? The City of Springfield, UP and the state lege are going round about adding a se...

Air and Water Show

The Carroll Avenue Transitway. Looks like it traces the C&NW Navy Pier branch except the bit that steps around the parking lot north of NBC Tower. (PDF Map)

Anyone with any evidence either way? The desire for commuter rail gets frequent mention in the Rockford press (click the Related Stories button). Local leaders pushed for the different route because they believe it could not only shave 20 minutes off a one-way trip, but also draw more passengers be...

Here is the Amtrak feasibility study (pdf) of Chicago-Rockford-Galena-Dubuque service.

Here's a pic of the MAX cars on the Brown line. As you can see not all the seats were removed, actually not half even. Engineers discovered if all the seats were removed and if the passengers filled all the empty space, the weight would far exceed design limits of the 3200s. So only a select amount...

Did the Wilmington section get CTC? It was track warrants with automatic block signals.

http://www.gmohs.org/SecondaryPages/Maps.htm

http://www.railroad.net/articles/column ... 050510.php