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Amtrak receives federal approval to operate 110 mph trains in Indiana, Michigan
This fixation on speed seems to overshadow the fact that it is the service that counts. If you are reliant on the train for transportation, like folks in ND and MT, you really don’t care if you get to your destination 10 minutes faster. You would rather be glad to see that the service was guaranteed. Of course studies might show that you won’t derail if you hit a truck at 110 mph instead of 95 mph, but I really doubt it.
The trains on the Wolverine route can’t even run at track speed now, due to the numerous slow orders and lack of maintenance on the part of NS. Michigan’s recent purchase of this line should fix that problem. However, it will take millions of dollars to upgrade the line.
Been a very long time coming, I recall asking the conductor on the Wolverine when they would be running faster than 79 mph back in June, 1997 on my way home from Vancouver. They had been working on a speed increase for several years prior to that. Better late than never though!
Trains are not plains. NJ
Grade crossings will be the challenge in the Kalamazoo-Detroit=Lansing corridors. Amtrak and the State have done a fair job of eliminating or separating them between Kalamazoo and Porter but there is much to be done elsewhere. The latest GC collision occurred east of Jackson on the NS rails with the Wolverine train moving at a reported 79 mph. The GC was blocked by an empty low-boy semi trailer that was lodged on the tracks.
Fortunately, no one was killed but the train derailed and the line was closed for over a day. The latest GC fatalities on the line have occurred when impatient motorists drove around lowered crossing gates. One fatality even passed five stopped cars to get to the closed gates. There is no cure for stupid.
Maybe they could come up with a warning to the train when the rails at a GC are blocked for more than 30 seconds or so. We had a recent case when the Detroit FD left a $600,000 ladder truck idling on the Amtrak tracks while they checked out a minor fire. You may have seen the catastrophic results on Utube.
This oughta be good.
Mr. Bates,
I think a lot of HSR advocates miss your point. Far more riders will be attracted by RELIABLE and DEPENDABLE service than by reducing running times by 10 or 20 minutes with undependable service.
The former Michigan Central line’s days of being a major freight carrier are over, but the line has great passenger potential.Furhtermore, when the uprgrade is finished, amtrak ought to consider a reroute of one of its two long-distance trains between Chciago and Toledo to up the frequency to four times daily between Chicago and Detroit and give that corridor a night time option. Look at the success of the “pilot” night service that ran between Chicago and Kalamzoo a couple of summers ago. To me, it doesn’t make sense that BOTH the Capitol Limited and Lake Shore Limited have to run at night, a couple of hours apart from each other, on the same route between Chicago and Cleveland.Amtrak, please consider routing one of those two trains through Michigan.