Anderson,
There is a difference between Metrolink going electric vs. allowing wires to be built over their tracks for the DX.
By the way to answer your other question, the NJT dual mode locos have a top speed of 125 MPH and I believe that max speed is only when operating in electric mode. I don't believe that in diesel mode that it can move that fast.
AFAIK, these are the only dual mode engines in the world currently that can run off of catenary.
True...and I think the latter is more likely than the former (which is a pity, given the apparent advantages of electrics over diesels in passenger service, but also understandable given the costs involved).
I actually didn't know that NJT ran that fast...I seem to recall that it was only MARC that actually ran up to 125 in commuter service (which made them the fastest commuter operation in the world in terms of top speed). Thanks for the bit on the dual modes, though...which would seem to leave us with either "loco swapping" (no pun intended) of some sort or a cross-platform transfer, perhaps alongside a spare Metrolink frequency.
Edit: Just another thought, but what's the present size of the LA-Vegas travel market? I know it's listed somewhere, but I'm trying to get a feel for what DX can hope to "mine"...in particular, I'm trying to compare it to BOS-NYP (where the Acela has 40-ish percent air/rail market share, though I know the limits of the comparison because of lousy public transit in SoCal and in Vegas at the present).
While we're on this...am I imagining things, or did DX initially plan to run faster than 150 MPH and back down*? Or am I just throwing numbers from that maglev project (which
was somewhat faster) in here by mistake?
*And if they did so, does this imply a rolling stock shift, say to Acela-style cars?
The SoCal-Vegas market is HUGE! I would even venture to say size of or maybe larger of NYC-Boston, when you ignore intermediate points. Currently, there are two ways to get there. Drive on the 15, which is only 4 lanes to the 395, 3 to Barstow, and 2 the entire rest of the way to Vegas. The there is flying. If you look at the the number of fliers to Las Vegas from the SoCal airports, it is a large amount. These figures are from March 2011 - Feb 2012, unless otherwise noted.
From LAX: 1.147 million
From San Diego: 415,000
From OC: 221,000
From Long Beach: 172,000 (just on JetBlue alone)
From Burbank: 355,000 (June 10 - May 11)
From Ontario: 210,000 (taken Nov 10 - Oct 11)
When I was on a road trip coming back from Utah 4 or so years ago, it was crazy. July 4th was a Friday, and we were coming back the 6th, a Sunday. You would not believe the craziness on the 15 coming back. The entire way back to San Bernardino-ish, it was stop-and-go with the top speed the entire time we reached was 50/ There are a few occasional truck lanes, but only a few miles and very inadequate. Actually . the route is screaming for fast rail more than a NorCal-SoCal in many ways. The only problem is Cajon. Even if you could achieve 4 hour service from LA, that would be a great improvement and a great draw to people. The problem is sprawl. There would definitely need to be a stop in the San Fernando Valley, taking at least 5 minutes off the time, because it would have to slow down from and speed up from higher speeds. You would need one in Santa Clarita as well. There are 4 million people in the Inland Empire, whose drive is already under 4 or 5 hours on a really good day depending on where you live. The people from San Diego are not going to drive 2 hours to LA to get on a 4 hour train, when the drive is already less than 6 hours on a good day. There goes another 3 million. Most Orange County people currently all cram on to the 91 and then to the 15 to get up, and the trafficky drive to LA would be a turn-off. There goes at least 2 million. The eastern end of LA County is also not going to drive into LA. Take off 1.5-2 million more. All together, you get almost 11 million of SoCal's 17 who the train would not be worth it to. It would mostly only work for people in Los Angeles County anywhere west of the 57, and maybe some northern Orange Countyers west of the 5. With a Santa Clarita and a Valley stop, you may be able to appeal to many Ventura County residents.
Anyways, the SoCal-Vegas market is HUGE, and still growing. It may not be that way for long, seeing as Lake Mead only needs to go down another 30 feet until Vegas' drinking straws and sole source of water rise above the water line. Vegas is setting itself up to be the biggest ghost town the world has seen, but in the now, it is a huge destination, with millions going out there every year from SoCal. Of Vegas' 40 million tourists, I would place between 7 and 12 million from SoCal.
I think you are correct that they in the earlier planning stages, they did initially plan for a higher speed, probably the 220 like the CHSR system.
I also believe you're correct on the MARC speed, which can reach 125. Too bad Metro-North weren't easier to deal with and would run some trains at this speed, or even allow Amtrak to break 100 here.