DOT-FRA-RPD Passenger Train Friendly in Biden Administration

red wolf. I would add the Potomac river 2nd bridge.

west point wrote: ↑Sun Nov 08, 2020 7:44 pm red wolf. I would add the Potomac river 2nd bridge.

How much speed-up would that allow? I figured on prioritizing things that would cut the run time (including add capacity). Gateway's a bit more important due to Sandy and volume, and will expand capacity in the long term. B&P Replacement will speed the line from 30 MPH to 79 MPH and expand capacity. BWI's essentially a 2-track station when it needs to be a 4-track, 3 platform station -- you can speed up even the Accela with a rebuild.

But then I'd also 4-track as much as possible through the line.

Biggest bang for the buck electorally is probably cutting trip times from NC to the NEC. So the new Long Bridge, speeding VA planned improvements and the S-Line are all investments that will pay dividends in NC at election time. Unfortunately these dollars would not serve as many riders as new Baltimore and Hudson tunnels. The visibility of NC-centric improvements should also improve as Charlotte Gateway station opens, and a route shift to the S-Line will make Amtrak ‘seen’ by lots more NC residents (trains will move through central portions of Charlotte and Raleigh on elevated ROW rather than trenches and industrial districts).

Atlanta-Charlotte is another desperately needed pork-project. However, I fear that Brightline’s headfakes on the corridor may encourage Washington to ignore it, but after the Las Vegas bond offering I think we can assume Brightline’s interest here to be dead. Unfortunately an Atlanta-Charlotte corridor will be orders of magnitude more expensive than routes North.

Some of what all y’all propose may make an infrastructure bill, but from my observation post, the incoming Administration’s first focus will be dealing with COVID, and other matters will take a back seat. Be patient.

Quick thoughts:
We have a divided capital, for better or for worse. We also have one chamber led by a Senator who has made a point of bragging about being obstructionist.
In addition, as much as I like him, I highly suspect Biden may end up being a 1 term president.
I think that ties his hands.
That said, I think he'll be a master of what's possible.

Gateway - will happen. He'll negotiate in good faith and get NJ and NY to come to an agreement and Congress to kick in the rest.
Baltimore tunnels - maybe
New Baltimore Penn, I don't think it has enough exposure, but might be part of another deal.
BWI - only a maybe.

Amfleet 3 order - almost certain. It'll be a multi-year deal packaged as part of a jobs program.

New routes - only if states pony up, the administration won't do much here, but won't actively try to harm it.

Superliner 3 order - distant possibility but not a high priority.

Basically he'll get stuff done that's a huge and visible priority and brag about it.
He'll help get funding for a good state of repair as part of a general transportation bill, but won't make a huge deal of it.
And beyond that, if he can couch it as jobs program, he's got a chance of making it happen.

But we won't see amazing things. We won't see Amtrak double in size, etc.
He's a fan, but practical and knows how much political capital he has.

Agreed on Gateway. I also think B&P is a firm yes - it’s a good way to tout bipartisanship with Gov. Hogan (R-MD). Hopefully he will put the pedal to the metal on CREATE too finally.

Joe has three tasks during his upcoming term:

• Leave the country in better shape than he found it
• Fight like hell to rebalance political power
• Ensure his chosen successor is successful in her term as President.

One of the ways he can ensure her success is by having successful projects complete in her term - so whatever infrastructure projects he can start, the better.

mtuandrew wrote: ↑Mon Nov 09, 2020 6:09 pm One of the ways he can ensure her success is by having successful projects complete in her term - so whatever infrastructure projects he can start, the better.

I would add "can start building, shovel in hand and track being laid, the better." This stuff is so close to starting it's not even funny.

218+51+1.
We think there's 218
We think there's 1
Now, about the 51...

Lets get rid of covid first,then start on Gateway that his(Biden's) plan from 01/20/2021

I'm not sure how much infrastructure accomplishments figure at all into the political calculus. I think they come as part of an economic stimulus of some kind rather than a stand-alone achievement.

I DO think it is clear that Biden is a friend to Amtrak and Amrak will do well. But this won't be Biden's signature focus.

As others have said: CoVid is the first priority, then economy.

Christopher

John_Perkowski wrote: ↑Mon Nov 09, 2020 8:48 pm Now, about the 51...

Best case for any legislation, beyond, say, paying the light bill, is 50 + Kammy.

But as I've noted at a political forum, "we the people" voted for divided government. We made the bed; now we sleep in it.

Gilbert B Norman wrote: ↑Tue Nov 10, 2020 7:44 am

John_Perkowski wrote: ↑Mon Nov 09, 2020 8:48 pm Now, about the 51...

Best case for any legislation, beyond, say, paying the light bill, is 50 + Kammy.

But as I've noted at a political forum, "we the people" voted for divided government. We made the bed; now we sleep in it.

I'm not too sure about that. Mr. Biden spent 40 years in the Senate. He knows how things work. If the price of a new North River Tunnel is a new I-275 around Lexington, well-- maybe some paving contractors in Kentucky are going to have a happy 2021.

Just how 'shovel ready' is Gateway anyway. That project appears the most critical. I mean we have heard this all before a few times.

I am certain that Mr.Biden is receptive to public transportation, but just what is ready and how far do we have to go through endless studies before something physical happens?

Just how much more time saving has to be expended for in the NEC that will mean much. I mean, a lot more travel has been made redundant since the forced use of virtual meetings have shown the world goes on without wasting time on getting to and from meetings. Amtrak already beats the air travel time between New York to Washington.

So far, all the projects mentioned are important, but they are concentrated on the NEC and extensions into Virginia and North Carolina.

mtuandrew wrote: ↑Sun Nov 08, 2020 12:36 pm Aside from the electoral college point you mentioned, which we can’t really tackle here:

NH2060 wrote: ↑Sun Nov 08, 2020 11:18 amAnd for what it’s worth a reasonable approach to Amtrak regardless of who wins would be to try to make Amtrak as self sustaining as possible by turning it into more of a real estate company than just a transport agency, allowing them to lease parcels of land to developers, restaurants, etc. and collect more revenue that way (much like Fortress with Brightline).

With that kind of model they won’t need to keep depending on getting checks from the Feds.

Amtrak does this already to an extent, at least where they own or manage properties. Sunnyside, Ivy City, and maybe Southampton St. already have active overhead development plans - 8th St (LA) and Chicago Coach Yard should be their next targets for development. (Possibly Hialeah, NOUPT, and Cedar Hill too, for industrial and commercial purposes if not retail, office & residential.) Not sure whether they already develop buildings along their self-owned rights of way, though I recall fiberoptic, gas, and electric power line leases as part of their business portfolio.

If you’re advocating that Amtrak be reassigned Federal non-railroad land that would otherwise be managed by NPS, BLM, DOD or other agencies though, or that BLM manage land for Amtrak and give them the profits, I’d like to hear more.

While there were plans for overhead development at Widett Circle/Southampton Street as part of the Boston Olympic bid, I haven't heard anything about such a project since (and I live in Massachusetts and work in construction, so such a project would probably have caught my attention, but I can't swear I didn't miss an announcement).

troffey wrote: ↑Tue Nov 10, 2020 5:17 pmWhile there were plans for overhead development at Widett Circle/Southampton Street as part of the Boston Olympic bid, I haven't heard anything about such a project since (and I live in Massachusetts and work in construction, so such a project would probably have caught my attention, but I can't swear I didn't miss an announcement).

I don’t live in MA, and was confusing Southampton with Beacon Park. Sorry!