Passenger Trains > Say it ain't so Joe (Szabo) ! IDOT says no idea when 110mph

News about the Illinois (never) high speed route between Chicago and St. Louis.
I shouldn't say "never high speed", the UP stack trains glide along just fine on the $1,000,000,000.00
right of way the taxpayers financed.

Article appropriately buried on a holiday when the subservient media knows that nobody is looking.

https://www.stltoday.com/news/traffic/along-for-the-ride/amtrak-riders-between-st-louis-and-chicago-are-still-waiting/article_e3354cec-af48-5a9b-bc24-2e8c9b5f6fc0.html

"Trains still are allowed to go no faster than 79 mph on the route.

IDOT now projects that 90-mph speeds will be in place for Amtrak
next summer from Alton to south of Springfield and along much of the
remainder of the route by the end of next year.

However, the agency is no longer saying when it believes the more significant
speed target of 110 mph will be reached."

Someone please cue the video of Joe Szabo proclaiming that the midwest high speed trains
will be 110 mph by some time years ago.

It would also be nice to see that photo of Sen. Durbin and ex-governor Quinn pointing, with
silly grins, at the speedometer displaying 111mph on the business car.  Probably the last time
either of them has been on a CHI-STL train.

Nice to see Rick Harnish's perspective on it.

All I see is double talk from all concerned.

The taxpayer paid again !!!!

1961 GM&O timetable attached if IDOT is looking to match some running times.



 



Edited 6 time(s). Last edit at 01/02/19 09:55 by Englewood.

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> "Trains still are allowed to go no faster than 79
> mph on the route.

In the meantime I'll set my cruise control on 75mph and still get there faster than the train....

What's the surprise? 

A few of us here got lambasted on Trainorders years ago because we said that this would be the outcome.

Photo straight from the cover of Amtrak propaganda! Name the Control Center after Szabo... WOW

And following is a link to thread about 2 months ago to keep the Kool-Aid drinkers in-line.

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?4,4646093,4646472#msg-4646472

That was a good thread, video reminded us of Szabo's 2012 predictions for HIGH SPEED Rail..

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I'm not saying that we need to be like China......but it sure is amazing to see how many actual high-speed rail lines they have built in the last decade.  Over 18,000 miles......and we can't even complete one single line from Chicago to St. Louis to high-speed standards (110 mph is not high speed).  We cannot even complete one single true high-speed rail corridor in the US.  So what's the problem?  Is acquisition of right of way a problem?  No, we cannot even complete the short line from Los Angeles to Las Vegas across open desert.  Is funding a problem?  No, we waste enough money every year on wars and other boondoggles to at least complete ONE high speed line in America......yet it never happens.   Yes, in China they are mostly unprofitable and subsidized, but so are our highway systems.  They are very expensive, highly subsidized and unprofitable.  That is the nature of government projects.  I found this video very interesting on the subject of Chinese high-speed trains.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JDoll8OEFE

In the case of Chicago-St. Louis, Union Pacific had a restriction from the very start  on the number of high speed runs allowed.

Even if the fast runs came to fruition, the potential had already been strangled.

Have they made a decision on the ultimate route through Springfield, IL ?

joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Have they made a decision on the ultimate route
> through Springfield, IL ?

Good question. I have not seen much news lately, but the 10th street alternative was settled on several years ago and some road-railroad separation projects have proceeded.

Here is a website about the project, but a newsletter has not been issued for quite a while:

http://springfieldrailroad.com/newsite/

Looks like it will be completed a piece at a time, but I suspect it might be a while before the project is fully funded and implemented. 

HogheadMike Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'm not saying that we need to be like
> China......but it sure is amazing to see how many
> actual high-speed rail lines they have built in
> the last decade.  Over 18,000 miles......and we
> can't even complete one single line from Chicago
> to St. Louis to high-speed standards (110 mph is
> not high speed).  We cannot even complete one
> single true high-speed rail corridor in the US. 
> So what's the problem?  Is acquisition of right
> of way a problem?  No, we cannot even complete
> the short line from Los Angeles to Las Vegas
> across open desert.  Is funding a problem?  No,
> we waste enough money every year on wars and other
> boondoggles to at least complete ONE high speed
> line in America......yet it never happens. 
>  Yes, in China they are mostly unprofitable and
> subsidized, but so are our highway systems.  They
> are very expensive, highly subsidized and
> unprofitable.  That is the nature of government
> projects.  I found this video very interesting on
> the subject of Chinese high-speed trains.  
>
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JDoll8OEFE

Send this comment to Nancy Pelosi. Her husband and friend can get it done for only a 40% mark up

Posted from iPhone

 "the subservient media"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Is this a broad brush approach or did you have specific outlets in mind?  Just curious.

PTC alone will not permit faster operation than 79 mph without cab signals or some other safety enhancements.  Althought I-ETMS is apparently operational, until the overlay of X-ITMS is complete to protect grade crossings at higher speeds, 79 mph will remain the max.

What a joke. Can someone chime in on how much money we the taxpayers would have saved if they had simply installed ATS and run at 90 MPH like trains do everyday on the old ATSF? I guess all of the politician's cronies wouldn't have gotten as rich as they did with a simple system like that though.

We have some freshly poured CAHSR bridges the incoming Gov. could sell ya cheap.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/03/19 00:10 by SP4360.

It was buried deep in my files of shame!

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PC1974 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It was buried deep in my files of shame!

How could I have forgotten to mention Illinois' own Ray LaHood.
Brought plenty of pork back home to central Illinois.
There is probably enough fencing along the Illinois (never) High Speed route
to secure the southern border.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/03/19 07:04 by Englewood.

SANSR Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>  "the subservient media"
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> ~~~
> Is this a broad brush approach or did you
> have specific outlets in mind?  Just curious.

It can be applied with a broad brush in Illinois.
$1.5 Billion for this, $5 Billion for that.  Don't ask any questions, just "report" what the
Amtrak, Metra, High Speed Rail advocate or Railroad "PR" (disinformaton agent) person says.
For color a local bumpkin may be interviewed as long as they are "with the program".

A good headline for a real story would be "Twenty Years of Promises Made - Promises Broken"
A sidebar article could examine the case of the non-existant new rail cars and how that came to pass.

ts1457 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What's the surprise? 
>
> A few of us here got lambasted on Trainorders
> years ago because we said that this would be the
> outcome.

Of course it would be the outcome.  Its been the second time so high tech whiz-bang system was attempted to be installed here in lieu of just putting in cab signals.  We coud've installed cab signals several times over now for all the money spent.

HogheadMike Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'm not saying that we need to be like
> China......but it sure is amazing to see how many
> actual high-speed rail lines they have built in
> the last decade.  Over 18,000 miles......and we
> can't even complete one single line from Chicago
> to St. Louis to high-speed standards (110 mph is
> not high speed).  We cannot even complete one
> single true high-speed rail corridor in the US. 
> So what's the problem?  Is acquisition of right
> of way a problem?  No, we cannot even complete
> the short line from Los Angeles to Las Vegas
> across open desert.  Is funding a problem?  No,
> we waste enough money every year on wars and other
> boondoggles to at least complete ONE high speed
> line in America......yet it never happens. 

If an actual high speed line were completed with affordable fares and frequent service throughout the day, the powers that be would be upset at the number of Americans flocking to ride the trains and demanding more of them.  Its the same reason we can't get decent commuter rail service anywhere in the country.  "When's the next train?" "Oh about 60 minutes." "But I can drive where I am going before it will have even gotten here."  "Well, drive then."

Make that a $2 or a $3 as your first digit, not a $1.
UP decided the upgrade was nice for their freight trains.
Thanks taxpayers.
But, maybe there will be fewer road crossing crashes by sleepy truckers and distracted drivers?

abyler Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Of course it would be the outcome.  Its been the
> second time so high tech whiz-bang system was
> attempted to be installed here in lieu of just
> putting in cab signals.  We coud've installed cab
> signals several times over now for all the money
> spent.

You're right. A lot of people did not know, forgot, or conveniently overlooked that this was the second go around.

Of course, you had some grade protection issues to take care of with higher speed rail besides the signalling.