Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Y'all not getting the full information on this funding, the Charlotte portion of the funding will allow overpasses to be built to allow passenger service into Uptown and thus laying the groundworks for the Gateway Station and the Red Line to Mooresville/Davidson. There's a rail junction under the Brookshire near Graham Street that intersects, trains in each direction must stop to allow one another to pass. The grant will allow CSX and NCRR to build a bridge to eliminate that intersection so trains won't have to come to a complete stop to get into Uptown. Without this project, the Gateway Station and the Red Line will not happen at all.
No this isn't correct. The Gateway Station is designed to allow the Red Line platform even if the rest of it isn't built.
No, both the Gateway Station and Red Line need that overpass to be built for the junction underneath Brookshire. I said without that rail intersection removed, both projects can't go on.
There is more to this than saving thirteen minutes:
The Charlotte Gateway Station cannot serve passenger trains until the CSX-Norfolk Southern crossing is grade-separated. Neither carrier will allow the number of additional intercity (Amtrak) and commuter (Red Line) trains to cross through the junction to access the station until it is grade-separated, which is part of this funding.
Increased safety by closing thirty at-grade crossings and building a dozen new bridges.
Adding a third and fourth frequency Piedmont service between Charlotte and Raleigh, allowing for more convenient schedules.
Double-tracking the NCRR between Charlotte and Greensboro - the busiest section of rail in the state - and adding sidings between Greensboro and Raleigh. This allows increased speeds, capacity and reliability for both passenger and freight service. This is also part of Norfolk Southern's "Crescent Corridor" - a major intermodal corridor between Louisiana and New Jersey - which will remove an estimated 392,000 trucks from North Carolina's highways annually, and serve the new intermodal facility being constructed at Charlotte-Douglass Intl. Airport.
Also:
The implementation of Positive Train Control in the coming years will allow for speeds to be increased to 90 mph, saving an additional 12-15 minutes. Norfolk Southern may or may not allow these high of speeds until every at-grade crossing is removed or grade-separated.
The much-needed S-Line upgrades between Raleigh and Richmond have not received federal ARRA funding because the final Tier II Environmental Impact Statement has yet to be completed (which should be completed this year, along with a Record of Decision).
Double-tracking the NCRR between Charlotte and Greensboro - the busiest section of rail in the state - and adding sidings between Greensboro and Raleigh. This allows increased speeds, capacity and reliability for both passenger and freight service. This is also part of Norfolk Southern's "Crescent Corridor" - a major intermodal corridor between Louisiana and New Jersey - which will remove an estimated 392,000 trucks from North Carolina's highways annually, and serve the new intermodal facility being constructed at Charlotte-Douglass Intl. Airport......
The statistics you cite are from a website owned by Norfolk Southern. Given they will be the beneficiaries of government upgrades to their tracks, which they refuse to upgrade themselves, the claims seem a bit dubious at best. They don't cite any independent studies.
It is an example however how "high speed rail" like many government programs, are nothing but fancy words to hide government give aways to corporations. We have been assaulted with them lately. This plan is not high speed rail, and NS gets its tracks upgraded at government expense.
There has been nothing stopping NS from making the improvements themselves except they know if they wait long enough, they will get the taxpayers to do it for them.
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
23,814 posts, read 34,716,930 times
Reputation: 10256
Quote:
Originally Posted by yantosh22
The statistics you cite are from a website owned by Norfolk Southern. Given they will be the beneficiaries of government upgrades to their tracks, which they refuse to upgrade themselves, the claims seem a bit dubious at best. They don't cite any independent studies.
It is an example however how "high speed rail" like many government programs, are nothing but fancy words to hide government give aways to corporations. We have been assaulted with them lately. This plan is not high speed rail, and NS gets its tracks upgraded at government expense.
There has been nothing stopping NS from making the improvements themselves except they know if they wait long enough, they will get the taxpayers to do it for them.
I read somewhere (no, I'm not going to hunt for it) that eventually they want to get the passenger & freight rails separated, but that upgrading the rails & crossings is more expedient for now.
In other words, build a customer base, first.
In the Northeast corridor, trains are used more frequently, because it's fast, easy, & reliable.
This plan is not high speed rail, and NS gets its tracks upgraded at government expense.
There has been nothing stopping NS from making the improvements themselves except they know if they wait long enough, they will get the taxpayers to do it for them.
Except it's not Norfolk Southern's tracks, it's the North Carolina Railroad Company's. Norfolk Southern leases the track.
The statistics you cite are from a website owned by Norfolk Southern. Given they will be the beneficiaries of government upgrades to their tracks, which they refuse to upgrade themselves, the claims seem a bit dubious at best. They don't cite any independent studies.
It is an example however how "high speed rail" like many government programs, are nothing but fancy words to hide government give aways to corporations. We have been assaulted with them lately. This plan is not high speed rail, and NS gets its tracks upgraded at government expense.
There has been nothing stopping NS from making the improvements themselves except they know if they wait long enough, they will get the taxpayers to do it for them.
Not attacking you but the argument of spending federal money on rail transit being a waste is befuddling. Most against argue that trains will never make money. What about federal money to highways? That's a bigger "boondoggle" (to steal a word from the observer) than any rail project.
I would love if high speed rail could sprout up immediately, but to lay track for HSR trains would cost billions. By making the train more reliable, slightly faster, and start to smooth curves for faster trains is a start. In a sense the train service has to learn how to jog before it can sprint.
It may be personal preference non-train supporters think it is a waste because they would never use it, but one group shouldn't take away from others who would. I think the more transportation options that are available, the better. Especially with gas at $3.59...
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
