Passenger Trains > All Aboard Florida - equipment teaser

NARP website has this titillating quote from ABF about the equipment they will be using:

"The project's president and chief development officer, Mike Reininger, recently reported that the type of train had been selected."

Mr., Reininger stated: "We can hint at it by saying that with certainty it is going to be a state-of-the-art train that will be the most technologically advanced train of its type. It will be made in the USA and it will have the newest and highest emission standards built into the technology of the train as well."

What a teaser!!

In my book this MUST be the two Talgos sets at Beech Grove. Because, if partial service is to begin in 2016; what builder in America could deliver that quickly?
Joe

Full story in Miami Harald: http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/08/25/4308932/work-begins-finally-on-miami-to.html

I would be very, very surprised if the equipment were the Talgo's.

ts1457 Wrote:
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> I would be very, very surprised if the equipment
> were the Talgo's.


Why? Talgos are designed for exactly that type of semi- high speed operation.

Dave

To: ts1457

Why would you be very, very, surprised?

Joe

floridajoe2001 Wrote:
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> To: ts1457
>
> Why would you be very, very, surprised?
>
> Joe

Let's just have a little bet. We will know the answer to this one sooner than some of my other bets.

After a little thought, my bet is on Bombardier.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/30/14 12:23 by ts1457.

ts1457 Wrote:
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> floridajoe2001 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > To: ts1457
> >
> > Why would you be very, very, surprised?
> >
> > Joe
>
> Let's just have a little bet. We will know the
> answer to this one sooner than some of my other
> bets.
>
> After a little thought, my bet is on Bombardier.

Why Bombardier?

sums007 Wrote:
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> Why Bombardier?

- has an assembly plant in the USA (last I heard, Talgo did not).

- has a variety of designs for passenger cars, diesel locomotives, and DMU's that it could draw on and modify

- lost out in the bidding for the Federal government corridor cars and locomotives, so it would like to have competitive products out there even before the corridor equipment is complete.

AAF, being a private venture, is probably further along in equipment acquisition process than we might guess.

I mentioned the "Carl Domino voted for Sunrail" on another thread. Although Domino won the Republican primary for a house seat, many people in Martin, Palm Beach, Indian River counties are very opposed to All Aboard Florida proposals.

In related news, members of an anti-rail group met with the state transportation commissioner to express their unhappiness with the AAF proposals. This follows a decision by the county board to reverse an approval for a new customs facility at Witham field. That approval was met with outrage by citizens who oppose more noise and more development.

Here's a sign from this morning:

---

Cat/EMD was the only producer of a power plant rated high enough to do 125mph last time I checked

Posted from Android

KV1guy Wrote:
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> Cat/EMD was the only producer of a power plant
> rated high enough to do 125mph last time I checked

Is AAF planning on running 125 mph on other than the new expressway section?

The locomotives and cars could come from different vendors. My impression the first time that I quickly looked over the statement was that the train would be from one vendor, but I probably read too much into what was said.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/31/14 07:51 by ts1457.

ts1457 Wrote:
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>
> Is AAF planning on running 125 mph on other than
> the new expressway section?

125mph only on the new section between Cocoa and Orlando. Won;t happen until way after 2017 at current estimation.

The Phase I section between Miami to West Palm beach is restricted to 79/80 mph. Some 110mph segments are planned between West Palm Beach and Cocoa.

> The locomotives and cars could come from different
> vendors. My impression the first time that I
> quickly looked over the statement was that the
> train would be from one vendor, but I probably
> read too much into what was said.

I think they are ordering integrated train sets and not locomotives and cars separately. This is based on some other stuff that I have heard after moving to Florida recently.

Jishnu Wrote:
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> I think they are ordering integrated train sets
> and not locomotives and cars separately. This is
> based on some other stuff that I have heard after
> moving to Florida recently.

Thanks, I was wondering about that. I haven't kept up with the latest equipment designs, but I think Bombardier has some DMU designs that might be adapted.

Hope you enjoy living in Florida. Are you in a place where you will be able to use AAF?

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
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> I mentioned the "Carl Domino voted for Sunrail" on
> another thread. Although Domino won the Republican
> primary for a house seat, many people in Martin,
> Palm Beach, Indian River counties are very opposed
> to All Aboard Florida proposals.
>
> In related news, members of an anti-rail group met
> with the state transportation commissioner to
> express their unhappiness with the AAF proposals.
> This follows a decision by the county board to
> reverse an approval for a new customs facility at
> Witham field. That approval was met with outrage
> by citizens who oppose more noise and more
> development.
>
> Here's a sign from this morning:


I cannot believe there are groups opposed to this....First they complain about federal funding, and it goes on and on.....I can see the highway lobby behind this... They are so afraid of a line that will work and then it is going to spread.....does anyone know how the CATO institute or Heritage Foundation think about AAF?

But this is exciting.. Imagine a privately run passenger train.......

bluesboyst Wrote:
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>(snip)
>
> I cannot believe there are groups opposed to
> this....First they complain about federal funding,
> and it goes on and on.....I can see the highway
> lobby behind this... They are so afraid of a line
> that will work and then it is going to
> spread.....does anyone know how the CATO institute
> or Heritage Foundation think about AAF?
>
> But this is exciting.. Imagine a privately run
> passenger train.......


The politics of South Florida are way past mind boggling.

There's a strong libertarian streak, mixed in with don't touch my social security / medicare / pension etc. There are groups some people deride as lazy or criminal, and other groups about which nothing bad can be said. At all. By anyone. And the military.

The current congressman is a first term centrist Democrat, who forced out an extremely conservative Republican African American retired army colonel. All Aboard Florida is a side event in the larger picture among voters. But, people expected a train stop in Stuart, and were very disappointed when AAF said they'd be blasting through town (well, 20 mph over the bridge). You can feel the difference here, compared to two years ago.

I've heard it is going to be built by Siemens.

Why not look over their products?

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
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> All Aboard Florida is a side event in the larger
> picture among voters. But, people expected a train
> stop in Stuart, and were very disappointed when
> AAF said they'd be blasting through town (well, 20
> mph over the bridge). You can feel the difference
> here, compared to two years ago.

I'm all for All Aboard Florida, but I think some of the local concerns are legitimate and AAF needs to get ahead of them. First AAF needs to tell those in the Stuart area that while AAF needs to get started with speeds that can make the venture successful, additional stations will be added as it is able to make incremental improvements in running times to compensate for additional stops. Secondly FEC/AAF need to set a goal of creating a freight bypass for the whole area, perhaps asking the state to do a study of that issue. Also raise the idea that if freight is removed or reduced to local service through the area, the movable bridges could be replaced with fixed bridges that would have the navigation channels open all of the time.

Politically, such an approach would end most opposition and change some of it to support.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/01/14 08:08 by ts1457.

abyler Wrote:
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> I've heard it is going to be built by Siemens.
>
> Why not look over their products?

Certainly a possibility. Can Siemens squeeze the production in ahead of other commitments?