I have to admit, I'm a little annoyed here. It seems we have a lot of people thinking any future DMU would just be a rehash of the RDC and SPV2000 and nothing more. Why are we so stuck thinking that we can't do better? Like the rest of the world has. It's this kind of thinking that seems to be endemic to US Railroading and Amtrak in particular that won't let us have a truly modern rail system. That because one particular product at one time, didn't work, nothing like it will! Why are we stuck in this rut?
We also seem to have a lot of people focusing on bad seats and spacing. That's a minor detail. DMU is about the technology of a lightweight, short consist with quick acceleration due to having an engine in every, or at least every other car. That's it. Just because you don't like the seats in a particular model out there does not remotely mean that any future train will have the same seats.
In terms of where. A route I'd toss out would be Atlanta-Augusta on the old Georgia Railroad. If Atlanta had a robust regional network, then whatever equipment used on say Atlanta-Chattanooga could be used here, but if not, then a DMU would serve the small communities well. I also think a train up the L&N's Hook and Eye route via Canton up to Blue Ridge would be ideal for a DMU.
We also seem to have a lot of people focusing on bad seats and spacing. That's a minor detail. DMU is about the technology of a lightweight, short consist with quick acceleration due to having an engine in every, or at least every other car. That's it. Just because you don't like the seats in a particular model out there does not remotely mean that any future train will have the same seats.
In terms of where. A route I'd toss out would be Atlanta-Augusta on the old Georgia Railroad. If Atlanta had a robust regional network, then whatever equipment used on say Atlanta-Chattanooga could be used here, but if not, then a DMU would serve the small communities well. I also think a train up the L&N's Hook and Eye route via Canton up to Blue Ridge would be ideal for a DMU.