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Form the User who brought you the Massachusetts & Omaha Rail plans comes the Rhode Island Rail Plan. Mainly taken form your states , Providence's , and Amtrak's 2020-30 plans. I added some Fictional lines. Some lines with use Rail Trails , which are still activate ROW. Some lines will use abandoned Infrastructure , like the East Providence RR Tunnel and old abandoned Freight lines. All Stations along the Northeast Corridor will have high level platforms , Amtrak wants that done by 2030. A 3rd track between Boston & Providence to be built and Electrified. EMU trains on the MBTA Providence line and future Westerly line. Amtrak wants to construct a line to bypass Southwestern RI ,since the NEC is nearing capacity. The Woonsocket line is planned to be restored between 2015-2025 according a Rail friend who lives in Pawtucket. The Worcester line will be restored when the New London - Worcester line is restored. Rhode Island will probably the first New England state to build a statewide network. My Rail friend puts the cost between 3-7 billion $$ which is very cheap compared to your neighbors plans. The Northeast Corridor will be upgraded to an Average speed of 170mph , currently between 120-50mph.
Since this is obviously fantasy (for the time being, anyway), why not include a connection to Fall River and New Bedford? You put a long, inland line from Providence via Norwich to New London and Fall River and New Bedford are much closer and have plenty of active ROW. there are more than 300,000 people living in the immediate vicinity of Fall River and New Bedford. I'd think it would be ideal to have a connection to Providence from those cities.
You will get 2 HSR services with this plan. But im Disappointed that it will take 30 years why not 20. By 2040 , the Northeastern / Mid Atlantic Rail plan will be done by 5-10 years. If states can restore over 400-600 miles of Rail lines in 2 decades why does it take Amtrak 3? The New England section has me baffled Why not Worcester instead of Woonsocket? Don't worry Providence will become the states Railway hub for Light Rail and Commuter Rail. Kinda like NYC or Newark.
I think DC is actually slightly closer to Pittsburgh than Philadelphia...surprisingly. Plus one of the lines going from DC actually goes all the way to West Virginia...which is almost a third of the way to Pittsburgh already!
If anything, I see Westerly's line being extended to NL, nothing running down Route 14 way.
Its a re-router line , in case the other line floods or gets too congested which it often does. There also a planned NL - Worcester line and NL - Palmer line.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tiger Beer
You could also do a DC to Pittsburgh line.
I think DC is actually slightly closer to Pittsburgh than Philadelphia...surprisingly. Plus one of the lines going from DC actually goes all the way to West Virginia...which is almost a third of the way to Pittsburgh already!
This thread was about the discussion of the Rhode Island plans not the Amtrak plans.
Wickford JCT
Pawtucket Station
Providence Station Overhaul
Pawtucket BRT
Phase 1 of the Providence Streetcar network
Woonsocket line
Kennedy Plaza Overhaul
3/4 Tracking Northeast Corridor
New RIPTA Bus Fleet
South State line
Large Scale Rail / Transit Projects
Project : Providence Streetcar Network Number of lines : 5
Stations : 20-30
Projected Ridership : 60,000
Project : Woonsocket line Number of lines : 1
Stations : 8
Projected Ridership : 12,000
Project : Quonset line Number of lines : 1
Stations : 12
Projected Ridership : 20,000
Project : Wickford JCT /South State line
Number of lines : 1
Stations : 10
Projected Ridership : 14,000
Project : Pawtucket BRT
Number of lines : 2
Stations : 14
Projected Ridership : 16,000
Project : Newport / Fall River line Number of lines : 1
Stations : 3
Projected Ridership : 12,000
Project : West Warwick LRT Number of lines : 1
Stations : 17
Projected Ridership : 15,000
Project : Bristol LRT Number of lines : 1
Stations : 19
Projected Ridership : 15-20,000
Amtrak has chosen this inland route because there is land available to build on. The shoreline of Connecticut and New York is built up and new trackage with a widened right of way would be too costly. The route from Hartford thru Woonsocket will actually be a rebuild of a line last used in 1955. Hurricane Carol destroyed a bridge on the line in Putnam and service from Boston to New York City thru Franklin, Putnam, Willimantic, Hartford and Waterbury was never restored. This new high speed line thru Westchester, N.Y. and Danbury, Waterbury and Hartford, Ct then toward Woonsocket will be faster than the present Acela service because they will build a line with fewer curves than the present shorline route. The problems Amtrak will face will be new bridges and tunnels thru the hilly terrain of Connecticut. It will also face opposition from the same towns and groups that fought I-84, and won, between Hartford and Providence.
It will also face opposition from the same towns and groups that fought I-84, and won, between Hartford and Providence.
that was a mistake.....that road should have been built years ago.....
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Why not Worcester instead of Woonsocket? Don't worry Providence will become the states Railway hub for Light Rail and Commuter Rail. Kinda like NYC or Newark.
