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‘Empire Builder’ timekeeping takes a dive
This country needs to fast-track a new design separate passenger rail infrastructure. With advances in various methods of building concrete structures, a separate possibly elevated system that does not have to contend with freight train tonnage and slow speeds would allow for a totally different concept for a high speed system.
Separate infrastructure would be wonderful but expensive for the corridors. For long distance trains, it is not an option.
Apparently, the Zephyr has been worse off than the Builder, although flooding may account for part of this.
Amtrak could save a lot of accommodation money by holding the Lake Shore and rebooking Capital Limited passengers (to many but not all destinations) on it. This would probably please passengers connecting off of the western trains but make the Lake Shore’s timekeeping worse. It’s too bad Amtrak doesn’t have the finances to run second sections of the Lake Shore and Capital Limited.
Not necessarily expensive if the elevated sections use the median of interstates where grades permit. Again we are not talking the same grade limitations as exist for heavy freight trains which are limited by braking power and other factors.
MNDOT planners are finally coming to the grips that although a reliable CHI-MSP train is possible on a realistic schedule, they cannot cope with the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune and oil trains west of the Red. A separate CHI-MSP-St.Cloud has been proposed , which could have bus connections for Fargo and Duluth. Otherwise, the current impasse and passenger resentment is going to continue to haunt Minnesota’s lone train. By the way, St.Paul-St.Cloud is more or less feasible taking Green Line to Target Field, Northstar to Big Lake and Northstar Link buses to St. Cloud, but that three seat ride is only for the hardy.
I was at Toronto Union Station about two weeks ago. There is no way the rebuilding of the station is complete. The station is quite frankly a mess. It will take many more months or years to make this building presentable.
A second, opposite schedule train from MSP to CHI is a major solution. Perhaps extend a dedicated Hiawatha set with longer distance equipment until the new bilevels arrive next year.