Passenger Trains > Midwest trainsets

Has there been any recent news as to the purchase of trainsets for the eventual higher speed midwest routes?
I know Talgo submitted a bid, but I don\'t know who else if anyone did. Or what Amtrak\'s and whoever else is involved in the decision have set as a decision date.
Will there be any re-routes on the Chicago-St. Louis line this summer?
Thanks for any info.

What are the odds that a purchase will actually be made anytime soon? Amtrak is twisting Missouri\'s arms just to keep the MULE going. If a train named the Mule could barely survive, what are the prospects right now for Midwest HSR?? Massive infrastructure improvement (track upgrades, double tracking, grade separation, Positive Train Control system) is required before Talgo (or any trainset) capable of higher speeds would be useful. Who would fit the bill? Stretched-to-the-bone-Amtrak? The states? In this economy? I fear the plan is on the backburner for the moment, unless someone else has hard evidence to suggest otherwise.

Matt: I think you are very preceptive. Nothing will happen on the Chicago-St.Louis corridor, or any other corridor, unless Congress and the President supplies the money by passing the Rail Corridor Bill.

It appears to me that the success of Acela has so spooked the Airlines, that they have used their political power to stop any funding for corridor development.

Can you think of a better reason why Congress has been "draging its feet" on Amtrak funding of any kind. All these hearings have ment nothing. Net effect is no money for Amtrak who can\'t even afford to fix needed equipment. Airlines are winning this battle--so far.

The Midwest High Speed Rail Coalition published a Midwest Update in its latest newsletter. I\'ll quote the Illinois portion.

"Trackwork has been substantially completed on the Mazonia to Springfield segment. Grade crossing and bridge improvements will be completed this year. The positive train control system is expected to begin testing in the fall of 2002.

"Metra is upgrading the signaling system from Chicago to Joliet and installing high speed crossovers at several locations. This will improve the performance of both Metra services to Joliet and Amtrak services to Springfield and St. Louis."

No trainsets yet, but work is continuing.

By the way, the group is in the final month of a major fund-raising campaign and would love to hear from some new supporters. The website is wwwmidwesthsr.org.

There\'s an article in the May 2002 issue of Railway Age magazine, page 49, about the Midwest project and trainsets. The two finalists are Talgo America and Siemens Transportation Systems.

The Siemens proposal is 5-6 coaches similar to the German ICE with a locomotive at each end.

http://www.sts.siemens.com/projects/midwest/index.html

The Talgo proposal is an 11-car train with two Siemens locomotives at each end. Apparently, Talgo and Siemens are cooperating on the power, despite being competitors for rolling stock. Also, I don\'t know if it was a typo in the magazine or if they really do mean four locomotives per train.

Wisconsin, despite it\'s budget problems of late, says it has it\'s share of the money ready to go. As soon as the Feds step up with their portion.....
Heck, it\'s so close to being a done deal around here, the WSOR and CP have stopped doing anything other than emergency work on the Watertown-Madison line which runs next to my house (50 feet away). They must figure "why put any money into it at all if the gummint dun gonna fix da ting fo fwee." We shall see.