Trump's DOT Pick: Sean Duffy

Matt Johnson wrote: ↑Tue Nov 19, 2024 3:46 pm The fact that we got 110 mph Chicago - St Louis,

My dude we do not have 110mph to Saint Louis, we have a few stretches of 110. I used to ride that train a lot and regardless of what they tell you in the marketin brochures, it's not that great.

Trump would have done far better with Sam Graves, who has worked the Transportation and Small Business Committees for 20+ years.

ADMIN NOTE

Topics merged, moved to General Discussion, Passenger Rail, and made global (for now)

Hopefully some States will step into the breach . Obviously at a cost. Enviromental concerns overridden by political campaign slogans becoming policy is not a good sign.
Thats the best the world can hope for as far as the environment and climate mitigation , apart from China and Russia stepping up and lapping up all the developing countries of course.

Yes, Amtrak and commuter rail is kind of over. Musk hates rail and is charge of cutting, so Amtrak will get cut for his hyperloop nonsense and Tesla's in tunnels. None of which will happen of course since he is the master of vaporware.

The new transportation secretary will just let the Class 1 freight railroads do whatever they want, you think
East Palestine was bad? You have not seen anything yet with the deregulation to come.

Just remember, 60% of the BLET voted for this. That's why the BLE president didn't endorse. He knew the foolish membership wanted Trump., and now they have him.

Good luck all to all of you Amtrak engineers, but you just voted yourself out of a job. I'll be senior to you when you have to start over, on the ground.

David Benton wrote: ↑Wed Nov 20, 2024 2:18 pm Hopefully some States will step into the breach . Obviously at a cost. Enviromental concerns overridden by political campaign slogans becoming policy is not a good sign.
Thats the best the world can hope for as far as the environment and climate mitigation , apart from China and Russia stepping up and lapping up all the developing countries of course.

No it's over, this country voted for whatever is going to happen next. Amtrak is dead and Class 1 freight railroads will be able to do whatever they want.

John_Perkowski wrote: ↑Wed Nov 20, 2024 12:59 pm Trump would have done far better with Sam Graves, who has worked the Transportation and Small Business Committees for 20+ years.

Possibly, but there are only so many sitting House members that the Administration can poach before it starts to affect voting and control in the House. Gaetz resigned, Stefanik is up for UN Ambassador, and Mike Waltz is up for National Security Advisor. That's three seats in an already slim majority.

eolesen wrote: ↑Wed Nov 20, 2024 5:24 pmPossibly, but there are only so many sitting House members that the Administration can poach before it starts to affect voting and control in the House. Gaetz resigned, Stefanik is up for UN Ambassador, and Mike Waltz is up for National Security Advisor. That's three seats in an already slim majority.

Three seats that will likely be replaced by a person of the same party?

Gaetz has his own issues separate from any job he is appointed to.

I would not expect states to step in and cover any reduction in federal spending.

taracer wrote: ↑Wed Nov 20, 2024 4:58 pm

David Benton wrote: ↑Wed Nov 20, 2024 2:18 pm Hopefully some States will step into the breach . Obviously at a cost. Enviromental concerns overridden by political campaign slogans becoming policy is not a good sign.
Thats the best the world can hope for as far as the environment and climate mitigation , apart from China and Russia stepping up and lapping up all the developing countries of course.

No it's over, this country voted for whatever is going to happen next. Amtrak is dead and Class 1 freight railroads will be able to do whatever they want.

While the highways are gridlocked, and automous trucks blow up on them

lordsigma12345 wrote: ↑Wed Nov 20, 2024 10:56 am

west point wrote: ↑Tue Nov 19, 2024 9:01 pm Just read something not believable. CA HSR still needs to purchase some real estate. No wonder some of the delays. Now New Haven - Hartford did not need real estate except maybe some new stations. But some real estate has been purchased for Hartford - Springfield.

The recently funded project for New Haven - Springfield has three components.
- The first just south of Hartford will extend the double track a bit further north - 1.7 miles closer to the Hartford station. They are replacing the existing industrial freight siding with a second main from the current Wood interlocking at MP 33.4 to a new Park interlocking at MP 35.1.
- The second will extend the track 2 main north from the current Hayden interlocking at MP 46.2 to the new track 2 installation at the new Windsor Locks Station at MP 48.6. The new Windsor Locks station includes a second track and new interlocking just south of the Connecticut River Bridge.
- The third will establish a 1.5 mile second track segment in Enfield from MP 51.5 to MP 53.1. Eventually they plan to build an Enfield station at MP 54.1 which will be single track. From MP 53.1 to the existing Field interlocking will remain single tracked in order to accomodate the Enfield station. This segment will be dispatched at first as a passing siding. When the Connecticut River Bridge is eventually replaced it will most likely include a final second track segment that would connect this to the second segment mentioned above.

CTDOT also got an early design grant for the Hartford Station relocation that would fill in another gap in the double track.

And finally Amtrak got an early design grant for the aforementioned Connecticut River Bridge replacement.

I really wished the whole line was double tracked when I was dispatching that line. Would have made track car and freight movements so much easier. I know the Conn river bridge is old but didnt they just spend a ton of time and money refurbishing it? Is it too old to restore the double track on it?

Let's tone down the hyperbole', okay? Remember, politics is allowed so long as it pertains to railroads. Threads like this walk a fine line. I've pruned some comments.

eolesen wrote: ↑Tue Nov 19, 2024 3:43 pm It's not just red tape, though. It's who is managing the projects.

Case and point: Brightline will accomplish more in 4 years from Las Vegas than CAHSR will have accomplished in 16 years, and has to adhere to the same regulations and didn't have the same power to condemn properties thru eminent domain that the state agency would have had.

CAHSR is orders of magnitude more complicated to build than Brightline West. I'm not knocking Brightline at all, I'm glad they are out there and doing things, but they very intentionally pick the low hanging fruit for the routes that they build. There are lots of important projects that a Brightline type operation would never try to take on.

HenryAlan wrote: ↑Thu Nov 21, 2024 9:55 am

eolesen wrote: ↑Tue Nov 19, 2024 3:43 pm It's not just red tape, though. It's who is managing the projects.

Case and point: Brightline will accomplish more in 4 years from Las Vegas than CAHSR will have accomplished in 16 years, and has to adhere to the same regulations and didn't have the same power to condemn properties thru eminent domain that the state agency would have had.

CAHSR is orders of magnitude more complicated to build than Brightline West. I'm not knocking Brightline at all, I'm glad they are out there and doing things, but they very intentionally pick the low hanging fruit for the routes that they build. There are lots of important projects that a Brightline type operation would never try to take on.

Again, Brightline west isn't working from scratch. there was 20+ years of groundwork leading up to it. Also,they intentionally used public land to build out, and aren't building multi track sections, off the bat.

justalurker66 wrote: ↑Wed Nov 20, 2024 6:31 pm

eolesen wrote: ↑Wed Nov 20, 2024 5:24 pmThat's three seats in an already slim majority.

Three seats that will likely be replaced by a person of the same party?

True, these are people coming out of relatively safe districts , but it can take 60-120 days to call and conduct a special election. An empty seat is a lost vote when there's legislation and an agenda that needs to be passed.

justalurker66 wrote: ↑Wed Nov 20, 2024 6:31 pm I would not expect states to step in and cover any reduction in federal spending.

Yet there are states who've already shown they're willing to fund corridors that might otherwise make no sense.

And it's not out of the question for states or even cities along a route to come together to fund something where a disproportionate amount of the ridership exists vs. the mileage traveled.

justalurker66 wrote: ↑Wed Nov 20, 2024 6:31 pm Three seats that will likely be replaced by a person of the same party?

Gaetz has his own issues separate from any job he is appointed to.

I would not expect states to step in and cover any reduction in federal spending.

In the House, a special election is needed. Florida (for Gaetz) is trying to get the election together.

The Senate usually has the governor appoint a replacement, but state law may require an election.