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  1. MisterUptempo

    CTA Gets $200M For Next Generation L Cars

    It's looking like the CTA will not exercise its option for more CRRC-produced 7000-series L cars after the initial order of 400 is complete. ======snip========== Here is a StreetBlog critique of the 7000-series cars, from 2 years ago, with suggestions on what to improve for this next build.
  2. MisterUptempo

    Chicago - St. Louis Lincoln Corridor to begin higher speed running

    CHI-STL HSR routing through Peoria is not the best alignment of the three discussed, to be sure. I just see it as the most likely, given UP's unwillingness to give up control of the Lincoln corridor and CN's outright hostility to passenger rail in general. Also, if HSR to STL were to run...
  3. MisterUptempo

    Chicago - St. Louis Lincoln Corridor to begin higher speed running

    When a study was done in 2013 exploring the feasibility of a CHI-STL HSR service, a routing via Champaign and Decatur was used. That routing had trains going Chicago-Kankakee-Champaign-Decatur-Springfield-Litchfield-Edwardsville-East STL-STL. The portion of the route between Springfield and STL...
  4. MisterUptempo

    Chicago - St. Louis Lincoln Corridor to begin higher speed running

    I know this is the CHI-STL thread, but I couldn't help but notice the blurb in your graphic regarding CHI-MOL service. $800 million? The Iowa Interstate portion of the trip, between Wyanet and Moline, is only like 65 miles, 37% of the route's distance. Obviously, the $800 mil is not just to...
  5. MisterUptempo

    Chicago - St. Louis Lincoln Corridor to begin higher speed running

    A shiv was stuck in the Tier II EIS, along with Quad Cities and Rockford service, when Rauner became governor. Whether Iowa Interstate would have been as recalcitrant then as now can only be guessed at. I do recall the 40th Street Connector, between the NS Chicago Line and the Rock, from the...
  6. MisterUptempo

    Chicago - St. Louis Lincoln Corridor to begin higher speed running

    If I have the story correct, the line was initially owned by the Chicago and Alton, later acquired by the B&O, and was then purchased by the GM&O, which would eventually merge with the Illinois Central. Illinois Central, becoming the Illinois Central Gulf, sold the portion of the line from...
  7. MisterUptempo

    Greyhound lists Chicago hub terminal for sale

    True. Looking back on the Union Station Master Plan, the transit center was supposed to have four lanes, not three, with separate vertical access to each boarding island. Some very early renderings even showed an electrified light rail or streetcars in the fourth lane (maybe the original intent...
  8. MisterUptempo

    Chicago - St. Louis Lincoln Corridor to begin higher speed running

    The current routing from Chicago to Joliet, former Alton/GM&O, is owned by CN. Several years ago, Amtrak, and I believe IDOT, filed a complaint against CN regarding freight interference with Lincoln Service and Texas Eagle trains. The FRA ruled that since there was another, almost exclusively...
  9. MisterUptempo

    Ohio finally starts the process for new Amtrak service

    The interim "higher-speed" option to Indy would likely utilize the SSL to Dyer (which works if the St. Charles Air Line Connector gets built), with higher speeds (110mph) south of there, employing the current Cardinal (former Hoosier State) Monon route. In an HSRA video call with Amtrak's head...
  10. MisterUptempo

    Ohio finally starts the process for new Amtrak service

    The CFE (Chicago, Ft. Wayne, and Eastern) is currently in the portfolio of Genesee and Western, so there might be freight moving on it currently. This line has also been envisioned by many, including HSRA, as an opportunity for a true high-speed connection between Chicago and Toledo and points...
  11. MisterUptempo

    Chicago - St. Louis Lincoln Corridor to begin higher speed running

    As we discuss speed upgrades and the potential for more roundtrips on the Lincoln Service in the future, I wanted to get everybody's take on this development- Clearly aimed at offsetting the impact of the recent merge of Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern, Falcon Premium Service is a...
  12. MisterUptempo

    Future Amtrak Sleeper and ADA ideas

    With all the talk on this thread and others regarding the possibility of lie-flat seating on future Amtrak overnight trains, it is a stroke of good luck that YouTube channel Superalbs Travels recently posted a video about VY's new PlusNight service railcars, between the Norwegian cities of Oslo...
  13. MisterUptempo

    Chicago - St. Louis Lincoln Corridor to begin higher speed running

    It has taken a while, but one must consider that somebody had to be the first one to devise a way for I-ETMS to work at speeds over 90 mph. If it works, it just means that any other corridor that attempts to upgrade to 110mph will have one less major obstacle to overcome. Now, to get the...
  14. MisterUptempo

    Long distance survey

    I had a few laughs looking at the screenshots of the survey that had been posted earlier. Some of the scenarios described routes that would only run three days a week. In others, the on-time performance was 55%. When they provided a SlumberCoach-type sleeper option, the pricing was multiple...
  15. MisterUptempo

    San Francisco - Los Angeles Night Train proposals

    I think the folks at Corridor Rail are still trying to interest someone in their fleet of former Santa Fe Hi-Level cars for just such a venture. While none of the Hi-Levels were built as sleepers, according to Wikipedia, Budd did have sleeper plans drawn up, so the cars would likely support a...
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