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Amtrak drops plan to buy 40 Acela Express coaches
So Amtrak makes Acela obsolute in how many years?..Fifteen?
Joe Boardman is finally seeing the fiscal light. Amtrak cannot buy anything, let alone more Acela cars. There are far too many items in need of attention and scarce funds. I have to wonder why Boardman decided to drop that gem at this time.
heres my big problem with this folks . over 140 bridges alone need to be replaced in pa due to failing grades . they are rusting through and where built in the early 1900s . in spots you can see straight down through to the roads below . cantenary poles need to be replaced . substations built in the 30 s are continuously failing and causing delays up and down the nec . the only bridges being replaced are in co and md . there is going to be a catastophic failure of one of these bridges and its going to be to late folks . amtraks priorities are backwords and messed up . I always thought safety of its passengers shoulod be first before high speed rail .
Sorry. My last comment is garbled. Please do not post it.
Sorry. My last comment is garbled. Please do not post it.
Great job. Let’s reinvent the wheel once again. Can’t just buy off the shelf from Japan or Germany. Naah. Too simple. Too cheap. This fromis the oneshome who brought us (at our expense)There aren’t two M1 Abrams tank heavy power cars on them and they won’t meet the overblown crash standards of the FRA.
Orlando-Tampa HSR was and is a loser. So I seriously doubt that private investment was lining up to participate. Unless, of course, they were counting on Federal or State guarantees.
Matt, Pennsylvania’s problem comes from failing to raise the gas tax to keep pace with inflation. I’m not sure how that is related to Amtrak purchasing new equipment. Completely different funding sources (or non funding, in the case of Pennsylvania). Besides if the bridges are at risk, doesn’t that suggest the need for different options?
Talk about incompetant management - they cancelled the order because the longer trains won’t fit in their maintenance facility. Lets be honest - do your homework Amtrak.
FYI The photo above is of a NORTHBOUND Acela Express departing Wilmington, DE, on Track No. 2.
I think this is a bold move for Amtrak, replace the entire fleet with newer longer HSR sets that will hopefully perform better and be much faster. Personally I hope Amtrak purchases new trainsets from Siemens-Velaro (ICE 3). They’re really cool & sleek in design!
You could argue that it was obsolete the day it started running.
Regardless of that, Boradman’s reasoning about expanding existing sets (the devil they know) with new sets (the devil you don’t) is flawed, IMHO. I get what he’s saying about a manufacturer having to spin up to build extra cars, but that’s exactly what will happen with a new order of trainsets! Because it’s not like this order will be the first of many - it will be just like Acela - 20 (30 if we’re lucky) sets, then nothing for 15 years.
As for importing Asian or Euro-spec trainsets, you’ll need a waiver from the FRA for that. If you can get one, more power to you (WADOT did for the original Talgos after all) but I don’t see that happening on the NEC. You’d be better off proving to all concerned that Asia or Euro-spec trains were just as safe without the 400,000-lb buff-strength requirement.
It is a fact that we must have high speed rail transport along the Northeast Corridor, and probably eventually all along the East Coast. But the Congress is unable to make the long-term commitments to such a system that would secure investment in the private sector and an orderly commitment of resources.
It is a fact that we must have high speed rail transport along the Northeast Corridor, and probably eventually all along the East Coast. But the Congress is unable to make the long-term commitments to such a system that would secure investment in the private sector and an orderly commitment of resources. Until that happens, we will continue to see Alice in Wonderland policies that pretend there is enough Magic Pixie Dust to avoid substantial public investment in passenger rail systems.
It is a fact that we must have high speed rail transport along the Northeast Corridor, and probably eventually all along the East Coast. But the Congress is unable to make the long-term commitments to such a system that would secure investment in the private sector and an orderly commitment of resources. Until that happens, we will continue to see Alice in Wonderland policies that pretend there is enough Magic Pixie Dust to avoid substantial public investment in passenger rail systems.
It is a fact that we must have high speed rail transport along the Northeast Corridor, and probably eventually all along the East Coast. But the Congress is unable to make the long-term commitments to such a system that would secure investment in the private sector and an orderly commitment of resources. Until that happens, we will continue to see Alice in Wonderland policies that pretend there is enough Magic Pixie Dust to avoid substantial public investment in passenger rail systems.
Enjoy Amtrak while the rest of the US does without any passenger service at all. From New Orleans to Jacksonville, FL Amtrak refuses to start service back. Pensacola, FL in Escambia County Fla, Santa Rosa County, Walton County have all agreed to allow Amtrak to stop with Okaloosa County saying NO. Yes it would take time to build ridership but with our new International Airport in Pensacola without a single flight out of the US and increased TSA requirements I don’t think it would take all that long as long as they didn’t have the 3am loading & unloading maybe late afternoon or around 6am as our International Airport closes at 11pm and reopens at 5am. I want to be able to use some of the tax $$$$$ that I spend on Amtrak and never able to use it unless I travel over 200 miles in any direction.
Mr. Benham, Joe Boardman wants to start all over again from scratch. New from the wheels up…again. The German ICE and French TGV designs are simply not good enough for the FRA. The wheel must be reinvented.
Bombardier got hosed in the last deal to produce the Acela trains and will not sign another money losing deal. The fiasco was partly due to Amtrak being required by the FRA’s crashworthiness standards to make a high speed train that is about as light on its feet as a hippo.
Starting all over will, of course, lengthen the lead time and increase the overall outlay in the long run. Who cares? The Feds are just flush with cash, right?
KW-H of CA: sure the ICE 3’s are sharp, but look at the TALGO article in the latest issue; they ruined the original look to make it FRA-compliant!! A face only a mother could love!