Ken W2KB wrote: ↑Sun Jan 10, 2021 12:11 pm
To confirm RedWolf's excellent analysis, the FAA has issued a preliminary notice for the 19th rail movement, likely to be followed by additional Temporary Flight Restriction ("TFR") information. The Notice can be found here: https://www.faasafety.gov/files/notices ... ry.doc.pdf
Not only it's confirmation of some parts, but it gives me more to refine. The whole process is between 1pm to 6pm. To condense things...
Exceptions to the below are anything in support of the US Secret Service, and any military, federal/state law enforcement, and air ambulance operations who call ahead and let the coordinating office know (Probably to send word up to the first to update their "Friend or Foe" systems). Those can fly.
- 1p to 5p: Anything that isn't commercial passenger/freight aircraft taking off/landing at local airports inside of a 10 mile radius around Wilmington are prohibited from flying. Between 10 and 30 mile radius local aircraft with working transponders landing/launching at local airfields can fly but only away from the 10 mile radius restriction.
- 3:30p to 5p: Anything flying within 3 miles of the NEC between Wilmington and Perryville is banned.
- 3:30p to 5:30p: Anything flying within 3 miles of the NEC between Perryville and Baltimore is banned. Anything inside a 30 mile radius of Baltimore follows the first restriction.
- 4:00p to 6:00p: Anything flying within 3 miles of the NEC between Baltimore and Washington is banned.
This tells me the train leaves at 3:30p and it's going to be a bit of a slow-poke. There's probably going to be a speech at Wilmington, Baltimore Penn Station, and Washington DC. The critical point will be between 4p and 6p. That's rush hour for MARC northbound...
The timing sucks, big time. If I take a look at the schedules and assume the likely worst...
- MARC 426 will be the last northbound train out before it's locked down and it'll terminate at BWI Airport right before 4pm, with a bus bridge.
- MARC 537 will be the last full run down to DC from Perryville before the lock-down.
- MARC 532 (4:17p WAS departure) and 634 (4:45p WAS departure) will be canceled or swapped to later times. Depending on what happens, MARC 536, 440, and 642 (5 o'clock hour WAS departures) may also be canceled or moved.
- MARC 641 (3:50 MSA departure) and 443 (4:52p BAL departure) will be canceled or moved. Later southbound trains will not meet up with the Biden train unless something bad really happens (in which the whole line is shut down for 4 hours). I'm more guessing that we'll see 445 and 447 make runs instead of 641 and 443.
Amtrak will probably cancel northbound trains between 3p and 6p, and southbound trains will get speed limited, if not a few canceled.
Good time to stay at home and watch the mess on TV.