The Surfliner being straightened is great for increased speeds; But apparently, I've heard recently that Amtrak is not considering the electrification, it's just the wants of some commuters the Surfliner serves. So let's say Amtrak goes along with it, this is where I have some thoughts.
The electrification could maintain the Surfliner cars if we used high catenaries as India does on some of its freight and passenger lines. This allows us to get some early ridership before a new model is brought to attention; This idea, however, is the least possible in my opinion considering the costs of a first-ever high catenary line in the US would be.
The next idea is what I like to call the "Hand-Me-Down Cycle." So zooming out into the country we have Acela replacements with Avelia, Arizona getting a commuter line (Tucson-Phoenix-Buckeye), and the Surfliner straightening and (hopefully) electrification. To get the cycle going the SC-44 Chargers and Surfliner sets can simply be moved to Arizona for usage there, just needing a new coat of paint and an updated interior. This gives us the service a lot quicker until we can get a more permanent service on the line along with reducing costs for new trains. Now on with the Surfliner, since it's being electrified, the tall cars may not be able to fit and high catenaries would be seen as not an option. So we can move the original Bombardier Acela trains to serve the Surfliner, just needing new paint and interiors. Bringing the Acela over to the Surfliner route would allow for better speed potential since it goes along with the straightening of the route. The Acela would also be a great way of introducing faster speeds to California and promoting more modern trains on both coasts. Even if the Acela does not reach its max speed, I believe it will still be a big hit and provide excellent service to those in SoCal.
The electrification could maintain the Surfliner cars if we used high catenaries as India does on some of its freight and passenger lines. This allows us to get some early ridership before a new model is brought to attention; This idea, however, is the least possible in my opinion considering the costs of a first-ever high catenary line in the US would be.
The next idea is what I like to call the "Hand-Me-Down Cycle." So zooming out into the country we have Acela replacements with Avelia, Arizona getting a commuter line (Tucson-Phoenix-Buckeye), and the Surfliner straightening and (hopefully) electrification. To get the cycle going the SC-44 Chargers and Surfliner sets can simply be moved to Arizona for usage there, just needing a new coat of paint and an updated interior. This gives us the service a lot quicker until we can get a more permanent service on the line along with reducing costs for new trains. Now on with the Surfliner, since it's being electrified, the tall cars may not be able to fit and high catenaries would be seen as not an option. So we can move the original Bombardier Acela trains to serve the Surfliner, just needing new paint and interiors. Bringing the Acela over to the Surfliner route would allow for better speed potential since it goes along with the straightening of the route. The Acela would also be a great way of introducing faster speeds to California and promoting more modern trains on both coasts. Even if the Acela does not reach its max speed, I believe it will still be a big hit and provide excellent service to those in SoCal.