SEHSR Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor

The route mentioned was Louisville -> Chattanooga -> ATL ...

Somewhat reminiscent of the old L&N routing that went Louisville, Etowah, and onwards into GA ... although I'm sure on vastly faster trackage. L&N sure loved those twisty mountain railroads ...

- litz

litz wrote:The route mentioned was Louisville -> Chattanooga -> ATL ...

Somewhat reminiscent of the old L&N routing that went Louisville, Etowah, and onwards into GA ... although I'm sure on vastly faster trackage. L&N sure loved those twisty mountain railroads ...

- litz

I doubt if Louisville-Nashville-Chattanooga-Atlanta could ever be a candidate for HSR. Too many hills. Yet Delta can start a flight from Chattanooga to Detroit. The new VW plant changes some travel plans. Not sure if Atlanta could be used for a flight to Germany & VW HQ?

Hills aren't much of a problem for HSR - it's curves that slow it down.

True, high-speed trains can tolerate higher grades than most other ones can, but it's usually around 3.5% to 4% instead of 1%. Existing high-speed lines thus often have lots of viaducts and tunnels in mountainous terrain, and an Atlanta - Louisville line is no exception.

lpetrich wrote:True, high-speed trains can tolerate higher grades than most other ones can, but it's usually around 3.5% to 4% instead of 1%. Existing high-speed lines thus often have lots of viaducts and tunnels in mountainous terrain, and an Atlanta - Louisville line is no exception.

Exactly .. this is why the "old" line northeast from Marietta (L&N Hook 'n' Eye, also known as Etowah Old Line) now runs shortline freight and tourists ... and the "new" line northeast from Kennesaw (L&N Etowah Line) runs CSX freight.

- litz

the existing CSX rail main from atlanta to chattanooga and indeed to nashville.. could not be used for high speed rail or even on-time passenger trains at all... like mentioned before.... too many curves, not just curves, but sharp ones. not to mention that line is VERY heavily used by freight.. slow freight.
the best option to build HSR from ATL to Chatty would be to run it up I-75..

I wonder thanks to Wisconsin and Ohio, if GA might be in line to get some federal funding for projects afterall.. however, the new governor coming in is not looking promising....

I wonder thanks to Wisconsin and Ohio, if GA might be in line to get some federal funding for projects afterall.. however, the new governor coming in is not looking promising....

Not a snowball's chance in hell. GA did not submit any meaningful applications for HSR stimulus because the state government has actively worked against developing passenger rail for a long time. The stimulus funds that WI and OH are working hard to give back to the Federal Government are only available for other high-speed rail projects that have some level of shovel-readiness. GA has nothing of the sort to work with. Any reallocated funds from those two states will likely wind up in CA,FL,NC,VA or IL.

You also have to remember that in order to get from GA to the northeast corridor, the train would have to go through SC. If GA's state government is indifferent to passenger rail, SC is even worse.

The poster above with the comment about the buffet lunch had it right. GA is just not interested. Resolutions to seek federal money are not putting your money where your mouth is. NC has put over $250 million of its own dollars into rail service, and VA is stepping up with their own funding.

Write it down. The Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor will stop at Charlotte, NC and not extend further south before 2040.

Thought I'd start a catch-all topic on this project, which involves Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida.

http://www.tidewaternews.com/2012/01/14 ... peed-rail/

Brief, fair-use quotes:

RICHMOND—Advocates of a high-speed rail system through Virginia and North Carolina will seek federal funding this year and hope to begin service around the year 2030.

“We are going to go to Washington sometime in the summer or fall to meet with congressional representatives to talk about federal funding for rail transportation with an emphasis on high-speed rail,” said state Delegate Richard Anderson, R-Woodbridge.

The Virginia-North Carolina initiative is part of a bigger project called the Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor, which would begin at Harbor Park in Norfolk and cut through Chesapeake and Suffolk, over Route 58 and run parallel to Route 460 going through Windsor and onto Petersburg. Passengers would be able to continue their journey on Amtrak to Richmond, Washington, D.C., and up the East Coast.

http://potomaclocal.com/2012/01/13/virg ... peed-rail/

Kevin Page, chief of the rail division of the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, said the project faces some big challenges. In a presentation at this week’s meeting, Page said:

• Virginia is not allowed by the state Constitution to have a railroad.

• It’s unclear where the new railways would be located.

• Virginia needs reliable sources of funding for the project. Federal dollars are scarce – and even then, the state would need money of its own.

In the current state of politics, I don't see how this proposal would gain enough momentum to warrant anything beyond daydreaming. Conservative Republicans in Congress will just kill any attempt to adequately fund such a project in the short run.

Jeff Smith wrote:In a presentation at this week’s meeting, Page said:

• Virginia is not allowed by the state Constitution to have a railroad.

• It’s unclear where the new railways would be located.

This indicates to me that the problem geographically is between Washington and Richmond. Only once they agree on a route, can they talk about dollars.

The CSX has not been particularly eager to assist. If not on the CSX, where?

I checked on the Constitution of Virginia, and I can't find where it states that VA may not have a railroad.

As to the CSX route that Amtrak and VRE now use, how feasible would it be to add additional tracks? That would be good for coexisting with CSX.

I thought parts of the buckingham branch were owned by the state ?

Fan Railer wrote:In the current state of politics, I don't see how this proposal would gain enough momentum to warrant anything beyond daydreaming. Conservative Republicans in Congress will just kill any attempt to adequately fund such a project in the short run.

Actually the majority of elected Republicans will kill any attempt. Most elected Republicans are not Conservative, which is why Jim DeMint's band of Conservative Senators are an extreme minority of no more than 8 people.

Why they're waiting for 2030 to have the Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor ?
Why not in three,four or five or eight years to built and inaugurate the
Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor ?

Why it's so long to build that ?
Unbelievable.

Where does the money come from to build it?