Michigan Amtrak Rail

So when we got onto Amtrak rail outside of Chicago the conductor made mention of it and talked about how we'd be going 110 mph. Have they replaced the track, or do the Horizon coaches have a hard time at fast speeds? The ride was uncomfortably rough for a lot of it. Yikes! At least we're on time.

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The track has been replaced between Porter, IN and Kalamazoo, MI. Outside of that, it's the same bouncy track. They're working on the Kalamazoo to Dearborn, MI section and will have that completed on... I forget the date. Neroden will post, hopefully.

I find the 110 mph portion to be quite smooth compared to other trains/lines.

I don't ride a lot anymore so I don't have a lot to compare it to... but man parts of porter to k-zoo the train seemed anything but smooth to me. Seemed bumpier than I remember in the summer!

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Rob Creighton said:

I don't ride a lot anymore so I don't have a lot to compare it to... but man parts of porter to k-zoo the train seemed anything but smooth to me. Seemed bumpier than I remember in the summer!

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Well, it still has switches and terrain to deal with. It's never going to be as smooth as true high-speed rail or monorails.

I haven't ridden the Michigan route in a few years, but hopefully it is now as smooth as the CHI-STL run. I finally got to appreciate how smooth that segment has become last summer when I was able to "enjoy" overnight between CHI-STL thanks to a 10 hour delayed Eagle. I fell asleep right after Joliet and didn't move an inch until just before crossing the River! That was for sure a Sleep Like A Kitten-Arrive Fresh As A Daisy experience

Part of it may depend on the car you were in. I've ridden the high-speed section twice now in both the Horizon cars and in the Biz-Amfleet; and the Amfleet's ride was a lot rougher then the horizons'. Although I think that discrepancy may have to do with maintenance (or lack-there-of) more then actual car-type.

peter

If you're right over the trucks, that's not a good ride, either.

I rode this summer on my visit to the Henry Ford and it seemed quite smooth during the high speed running. When I visited Dearborn they working on the track right at the Dearborn station, so after the Ford Museum closed each day I would hang out at the station and watch them work and usually catch an Amtrak train coming through.

SarahZ said:

The track has been replaced between Porter, IN and Kalamazoo, MI. Outside of that, it's the same bouncy track. They're working on the Kalamazoo to Dearborn, MI section and will have that completed on... I forget the date. Neroden will post, hopefully.

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They're being cautious about overpromising. So "December 2017", which is the ARRA deadline. I really would expect much of it to be done well before then.

The ride smoothness does partly depend on the state of the car's suspension system. If it's not adjusted right or part of it is broken it will ride rougher. Also depends on the condition of the wheels; if they're going flat, it'll ride much worse.

Might have been the car then, or might have been not redone track areas. Or I may have been noticing it more with a sore back!

Fun ride overall. Great crews too. Not overly crowded.

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neroden said:

SarahZ said:

The track has been replaced between Porter, IN and Kalamazoo, MI. Outside of that, it's the same bouncy track. They're working on the Kalamazoo to Dearborn, MI section and will have that completed on... I forget the date. Neroden will post, hopefully.

Click to expand...

They're being cautious about overpromising. So "December 2017", which is the ARRA deadline. I really would expect much of it to be done well before then.

The ride smoothness does partly depend on the state of the car's suspension system. If it's not adjusted right or part of it is broken it will ride rougher. Also depends on the condition of the wheels; if they're going flat, it'll ride much worse.

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Is it welded rail?

Yes

Thanks. Do you know if they are working on any other routes in Michigan?

warrenwarner said:

Thanks. Do you know if they are working on any other routes in Michigan?

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Not at this time, no.

Stimulus funds allowed the state of Michigan to buy the right of way from NS, and spend a few hundred million on upgrades, plus some share of the new bi-level cars and Charger locomotives. Unless or until Congress starts to appropriate money for passenger rail by the Billions per year, it's gonna be slow going after the last Stimulus dollars are spent by the 2017 deadline.

Here's a site that gets deep into the next stage. You'll find a ton of interesting info.

http://greatlakesrail.org/~grtlakes/