Not much new, true. But I was admiring how Joe Boardman is so good
at "staying on message", as they say in political campaigns. He has his
talking points, and he works them into his answers, no matter what the
questions are. LOL.
So we hear again how Amtrak connects rural communities with over
500 stations, yada yada yada. Boardman just hammers his points.
Well, he is dealing with journalists often chosen for their blonde good
looks and politicians often chosen by rich donors for their loyalty.
Anyway. One newish thing was almost at the end, when he pointedly
referred to the upgrades in Michigan as an example of what Amtrak
can do, is doing, should do more, to get 90 - 110 mph routes. He's
getting ready to start talking about the South of the Lake project,
which will need about $3 Billion to clear the tracks from Chicago
to Amtrak's line east of Porter, IN. That project will be sold as
bringing a 4-hour ride to Detroit with speeds up to 110 mph,
dding a million riders to the system.
But South of the Lake will do much more. Get the Capitol Limited
and the Lake Shore Limited off the NS tracks in that most congested
stretch. Move the Cardinal onto the dedicated higher-speed
tracks from Union Station to a station in the Gary area across the
state line, before heading south toward Indy and Cincy. Make
possible conversations with NS about adding a Broadway Limited
route Chicago-Cleveland-Pittsburgh- Philly-NYC, and a second
frequency on the Lake Shore.
Most of all, South of the Lake will get about a third or close to half of
the work needed to begin corridor service Chicago-Cleveland, with
8 or 10 trains a day, and another million plus riders.
Now the Draft EIS on South of the Lake is out and public comment
has begun. Next the alternative routes will be cut down to one
recommended alternative. Then Boardman will be giving even more
attention to the Michigan upgrades, and the work South of the Lake
needed to finish the job.
