Federal Railroad Administration Just Announced $16.4 Billion for Northeast Corridor Projects

[cjseliga]

Originally Posted by pman

you wouldn't cross the same way, more than likely you'd follow the turnpike. the turnpike is 40 miles shorter and itself follows a never completed railroad alignment from the 19th century. I'm not saying the stat WILL build it just that if there's any line it makes sense for the state to advocate for it will be Philly pittsburgh (which would then continue on to columbus). columbus is a growing market but the big numbers are the NEC and chicago.

as much as everyone says brightline, there is already a line in PA that is as fast as brightline, it's the Philly to Harrisburg line. it could make sense to extend that further west or north to williamsport. unlikely on all counts a new high speed line will be built to scranton before other places.

When was it, the mid to late 90's maybe, when they tossed around the idea of doing a "proof of concept" maglev train from the Pittsburgh airport to downtown Pittsburgh and various suburbs, then continue the maglev line from Pittsburgh to Philly, with a stop in Harrisburg.

I think there was even some maglev company (startup?) in Pittsburgh or the suburbs at the time.

In theory it would only take like an hour or an hour an a half to get from the 'burgh to Philly, going 300+ mph, and a short stop in Harrisburg; those were the days, if only they built that maglev line across the Commonwealth back then!

I found these blurbs about the concept.

Pennsylvania Maglev

The FRA selected the Pennsylvania High-Speed Maglev project for further development in the Maglev Deployment Program Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Port Authority of Allegheny County is preparing the Pennsylvania Maglev EIS with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PENNDOT) and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). The Notice of Intent was published in the Federal Register on July 19, 2001. The Port Authority is sponsoring the project as a public-private partnership with Maglev, Inc., who have promoted the high-speed maglev effort for more than a decade.

The proposed Pennsylvania High-Speed Maglev project is an approximately 54-mile maglev line connecting Pittsburgh International Airport, Downtown Pittsburgh and Monroeville and Greensburg, Pennsylvania, with multi-modal stations at these locations. The entire trip, from the Airport to Greensburg, would take approximately 35 minutes including stops. The project was estimated to cost $3.8 billion in 2003.

Pittsburgh- Philadelphia High-Speed Monorail

I told you so: Local maglev projects are dead

Millions of tax dollars have been spent on unfulfilled, lofty promises to develop and build the maglev projects. "Planners" of questionable expertise and motive and some well-intentioned, qualified engineers have been paid big bucks for their participation.

They duped the public. They persuaded elected officials to lend support and obtain government funds at the expense of other transportation investments.

McKeesport-based Maglev Inc. spent 20 years toying with the high-speed system. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation became a "partner." The company survived on $23 million in federal money, $7 million in state money and several union and corporate sponsorships.

Maglev tried to weasel another $28 million from the feds, but the state refused to put up more matching money. Maglev Inc. officials repeatedly refused to divulge payroll information, expenses and fringe benefits. Their public partners said they didn't know. Board meetings were private.

[quiet life]

Well, this was bound to happen. People throwing themselves in front of Brightline HSR. Not the company's fault, IMO.

https://www.city-data.com/forum/flor...rightline.html

[charmed hour]

Originally Posted by quiet life

Well, this was bound to happen. People throwing themselves in front of Brightline HSR. Not the company's fault, IMO.

https://www.city-data.com/forum/flor...rightline.html

People throw themselves in front NYC train's pretty consistently, along with slip and falls and sadly, folks tossing others onto the tracks. Kind of like jumpers at the Golden Gate. "Build it and they will come".

[hank3winger]

you could go to new york city pretty soon in a meta quest helmet and just do your shopping there theres no reason to put in train tracks and clean a train all the time and burn fuel plus trains are a highway for crime just do your shopping on a meta quest

[quiet life]

Ok, I am bored so I revisited this Scranton to NYC joke, er, ahem, ideal and found this from Dec. 23.

https://www.poconorecord.com/story/n...d/71813416007/

The Federal Railroad Administration is providing $500,000 for the Scranton to New York City Amtrak route to move forward, the most critical step yet in restoring passenger rail through the Poconos. The route has been accepted into the Corridor ID Program, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey and Congressman Matt Cartwright announced Tuesday afternoon. “I am thrilled to make this long-awaited announcement. This is a significant milestone and represents years of dedicated efforts to restore passenger rail service, which will contribute to our region’s economic growth and vitality,” Cartwright said.

500K is chump change in the budget to finance this choo choo but I realize this is a process.

[jtab4994]

Originally Posted by quiet life

500K is chump change in the budget to finance this choo choo but I realize this is a process.

It is chump change in the big picture, but it adds up and you have to wonder who is getting it.

For a thread in the Pennsylvania forum, I was recently moved to look up a proposed ferry service from Erie, PA to Ontario from 2004 (an election year - surprise!). The service was proposed as a favor to Tom Ridge who is from Erie and was serving in the Bush Administration at the time. Someone got a $240k grant for a service that never materialized. So who got paid? Friends of Tom Ridge, no doubt.

One has to ask, in this election year, who has connections to Scranton and who's getting paid $500k to "study" the heck out of the choo-choo?

[fisheye]

Originally Posted by jtab4994

It is chump change in the big picture, but it adds up and you have to wonder who is getting it.

For a thread in the Pennsylvania forum, I was recently moved to look up a proposed ferry service from Erie, PA to Ontario from 2004 (an election year - surprise!). The service was proposed as a favor to Tom Ridge who is from Erie and was serving in the Bush Administration at the time. Someone got a $240k grant for a service that never materialized. So who got paid? Friends of Tom Ridge, no doubt.

One has to ask, in this election year, who has connections to Scranton and who's getting paid $500k to "study" the heck out of the choo-choo?

The hopes and dreams of a high-speed rail line depend on using the 1929 viaduct that crosses Route 80 four miles into New Jersey. That bridge is in pretty rough shape. Furthermore, the railroad tracks alongside the river have been underwater during floods. Rebuilding that old bridge and raising the tracks would probably cost well over a billion and still leave curves too sharp for high-speed service in the rest of the route.

I think we all agree, it's an election year. Once the dust settles all of this talk about a new rail service will disappear until the next election.

[DavidWebb]

Boxcar Willie says it's a comin'....


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxHLaQHT3TU

[pman]

Originally Posted by fisheye

The hopes and dreams of a high-speed rail line depend on using the 1929 viaduct that crosses Route 80 four miles into New Jersey. That bridge is in pretty rough shape. Furthermore, the railroad tracks alongside the river have been underwater during floods. Rebuilding that old bridge and raising the tracks would probably cost well over a billion and still leave curves too sharp for high-speed service in the rest of the route.

I think we all agree, it's an election year. Once the dust settles all of this talk about a new rail service will disappear until the next election.

there is money available for new service, some project will be awarded. the Reading service is the easiest to implement because the railroad is in good shape and likely just needs the addition of passenger infrastructure. scranton probably needs the most money to bring back but has the most political influence. Allentown would be somewhere in the middle. some of the track is in bad shape but much of it is in use. the only project that has been committed is the second train to Pittsburgh.

fwiw the feds require these studies, many millions go into putting them together, sometimes they are a precursor to development but often just a political appeasement as you mentioned. Vermont got money to restore service to burlington so stranger things have happened than scranton getting restored to nyc.

[jtab4994]

Originally Posted by pman

there is money available for new service, some project will be awarded. the Reading service is the easiest to implement because the railroad is in good shape and likely just needs the addition of passenger infrastructure. scranton probably needs the most money to bring back but has the most political influence. Allentown would be somewhere in the middle. some of the track is in bad shape but much of it is in use. the only project that has been committed is the second train to Pittsburgh.

I wish they'd decide these things based on how many people would actually pay for tickets, rather than what condition that tracks are in or who has the most political clout!

fwiw the feds require these studies, many millions go into putting them together, sometimes they are a precursor to development but often just a political appeasement as you mentioned. Vermont got money to restore service to burlington so stranger things have happened than scranton getting restored to nyc.

BTW I still go into my office at least once a week, and post-Covid I have yet to see "congestion on I-80" in the morning the way it used to be, in western Morris County (I exit at Netcong). There is less need for a commuter train than there used to be, yet politicians are acting and spending like nothing has changed or that the need is greater.