Ill. Amtrak train set to hit 110 mph in test run

[dipsydoodle]

Source: Associated Press

CHICAGO (AP) -- In a modest milestone for President Barack Obama's high-speed rail vision, test runs will start zooming along a small section of the Amtrak line between Chicago and St. Louis at 110 mph on Friday.

The 30-mph increase from the route's current top speed is a morale booster for advocates of high-speed rail in America who have watched conservatives in Congress put the brakes on spending for fast train projects they view as expensive boondoggles. But some rail experts question whether the route will become profitable, pose serious competition to air and automobile travel, or ever reach speeds comparable to the bullet trains blasting across Europe and Asia at 150 mph and faster.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn are scheduled to be on board when an Amtrak train hits 110 mph for the first time in Illinois. But it will only maintain that speed for a short time, somewhere along the 15 miles between Dwight and Pontiac, before braking back to more normal speeds.

"The important thing is it's a step in the right direction, but the question becomes what do we gain by doing this?" said David Burns, a rail consultant in suburban Chicago who drew up one of the first studies for high-speed service on the route more than three decades ago.

Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_MIDWEST_HIGH_SPEED_RAIL?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-10-19-07-54-33

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110 mph - oh that fast.

Admittedly the UK didn't close to that figure until 1934 when the Flying Scotsman hit 100 mph.

These days Eurostar is limited to 186mph in the UK although it has crossed 200mph at times.. The French managed to crank their TGV up to 357mph 5 years ago.

I've read here before that US tracks are not up to much - is that true.

[HereSince1628]

1. The US had train speed about 110 mph in the 1930's.

So you don't win a point there.

US passenger rail between midwestern cities was largely abandoned in the 1960s as the geographic liberty and cost of automobile travel and the speed of air-travel reduced demand for passenger rail service.

In the US passenger track standards for non-passenger service are fairly low. Amtrak now finds it difficult to route across the midwest on tracks suitable for its rail passenger service, and in recent months this has resulted in shifts of routes and further losses of rail service.

[allan01]

2. re:Amtrak train set to hit 110 mph in test run

the usra sets track speeed limit licenses . also a secton of the acella has been upgraded to 110 mph ( the northeast corridor) a couple of years ago.

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most of amtraks conventional fleet locos and cars are licensed to do 110 but because of bad track are limited.

also in parts of texas the old at and sf (freights and passenger ) used to hit 140 mph.addition: a sgment of the northeast coridor has been licensed to go to 150 miles an hour . acela. americas railroading best kept secret.

[iamthebandfanman]

3. tracks in the states

are super curvey and not really made for high speeds...
so yeah, alot of track will hafta be changed for it to spread everywhere in the states..

but hey, thats more jobs

[BlueStreak]

4. Yes, it is true

Most US track rails are still bolted together and placed on wood beams in a bed of gravel. It is good enough for 60 MPH, but not something that could ever get you safely to 150 MPH. The rails in the UK, I believe are normally continuously welded, which gives them greater stability and a quieter ride.

But the key thing is that the railroads do have extensive right-of-way, and they can gradually upgrade these tracks. The right-of-way is the key factor.

Chicago to St Louis is about 300 miles. If that could be done in a little over 2 hours, city centre to city centre, I think that would have some appeal. But there is some chicken-and-egg here. Because we have never had truly affordable, convenient inter-city travel in the US, save for the Boston-to-DC corridor, our businesses have not evolved around that. In the UK, I'd think a London to Manchester business trip would be very common, but there just wouldn't be that much ridership Chicago to St. Louis initially.

[slackmaster]

5. I'd like to see a test CRASH at 110 MPH

With no people on board, of course.

[One_Life_To_Give]

6. Ancient History

Here's a head on at 90 from 1913

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[AngryAmish]

8. Did you notice the engineer jumping off and running alongside?

I think the speed if off.

[stlsaxman]

7. Japan twain go "ZOOM - ZOOM" Amewica twain go "chuga chuga choo choo"

[Historic NY]

9. Seems they have picked up speed on the northeast corridor too....

They went past my Metro/North above 80.... almost like sucking you off the platform .

[Psephos]

10. 720 mph less than Felix Baumgartner.

Party time.

[hockeynut57]

11. not in ohio

because or idiot governor refused millions of federal dollars earmarked for high speed rail systems shortly after taking office

[madrchsod]

12. we will never get up to 186 for years if ever.

rail lines in the usa are built for freight traffic not passenger cars.

the big problem in the usa is a dedicated high speed rail network would cost into the tens of billions of dollars.

[FarCenter]

13. wrong curvature, superelevation, rail construction, sleepers, and lack of grade separation.

Freight at 45 mph works great. Lots of curves so grades can be kept very low for heavy freight.

Passenger and freight railroads need different designs for optimal operation.

[MicaelS]

14. For true high speed passenger rail service...

You need even straight track with heavy (135 lb or heavier for each yard of rail) continuously welded rail on concrete tries that is dedicated to passenger trains ONLY, no freight trains. And for safety reasons, the high speed passenger rail track can not have any street, road or highway crossings.

Freight trains, especially the bulk commodity trains like coal, rock, grain that the RRs want for the high freight fees they deliver, can weigh 15,000+ tons for a 120 car train. That kind of weight beats up track, even track with continuously welded rail on concrete tries. And the freight railroads do not WANT passenger trains on their tracks, Amtrak does not pay enough and it delays their precious freight trains. That's the only reason we even have passenger trains today, because Amtrak is paying the RRs money, otherwise there would only be short distance light rail.

It would cost millions of dollars per each mile of new track for high speed passenger rail service, and that is just the cost of the track itself. It does not factor the cost of the buying the land, building over passes for cars and trucks, and the lawsuits that would develop because of the NIMBY effect of people not wanting 150 mph trains passing their homes several times a day.

I would love to see high speed passenger rail service all across the US, but I'm not holding my breath.

[Marthe48]

15. Rode Amtrak recently

for the first time. Went from Baltimore, MD to NYC and back. I liked the ride. I liked the convenience. And it went fast enough for me. While we were waiting in Penn Station, they announced a train departing that would go all the way to Florida. I live in Ohio and I WOULD LOVE to have train service in this state that was closer to my home, and let me get to some other major cities and to other states without forcing my dear husband into taking trips he doesn't want to take.

[tarheelsunc]

16. There are trains in China that ROUTINELY go well over 200 mph

Our public transportation absolutely SUCKS and the Republicans don't want it to improve so people have to continue relying on autos and fossil fuels. The trains and public transportation in general in China are extremely convenient and would be a model should our country ever seek to make a sustainable transportation change. It's a shame that we're still relying on the same model after all these years without any effort to modernize, all because of the hold that the oil companies have over half of our representatives.

[Octafish]

17. Can the human body take such stress?

Incredible. What will they think of next?



In all seriousness, I hope all goes well. Railroads are an excellent form of transportation. AMTRAK should serve as the primary mode for inter-state travel.