If you had all the resources (finaces, aprovals, ect), what rail-related project, be it restoring an old locomotive, building a new line and so on would you persue?
Personally, I would extend the Acela all the way to Miami with stops in Richmond, VA, Selma, NC, Savanah, GA, Jacksonville and Fort Lauderdale.
I would:
Implement the CREATE proposals around Chicago.
Complete Metra’s plans for UP West, a Southeast service line, and a variation of the STAR line. Extend existing lines to Sandwich, DeKalb, Rockford, Morris, and Kankakee. Extend CTA lines to Oak Brook, Schaumburg, Old Orchard, Navy Pier, South Holland, and Ford City.
Implement NICTD’s plans for extensions to Valpo, Lowell, and revisions around the Gary airport and a downtown alternative to street-running in Michigan City. And one more commuter route–to St. Joseph.
Make as many folks as possible happy about CN’s acquisition of EJ&E–with grade separations and whatever else would be necessary to make the railroad a good neighbor.
Extend Metra service to Milwaukee along the former CNW Old Line. Or whatever–just give good passenger service between Milwaukee, Chicago, and points in between. This line would have the advantage of frequency–the advantage of speed would be on the existing Amtrak line, as modified by…
Build the Midwest high-speed rail network as envisioned, radiating from Chicago to major cities within 500 or so miles. Enable the airlines to eliminate the short-haul flights in these lanes.
And on the seventh subject, I’d rest–and watch the rest of the country watch the positive results and get ideas of their own. (Remember, you’ve given me unlimited money, so I don’t expect to make any profit here–just make the region faster, greener, and more pleasant to live in!)
Restore CNW’s 1385 and get a decent looking set of passenger cars for it to pull on regular tourist runs. It can also start on the circus train again.
Implement what Carl said re: Passenger rail w/in 500 miles of Chicago.
Get AMTRAK more money.
I would also contruct a light rail system here in the Bluffton-Hilton Head Island area. The traffic here gets fiecre during tourist season.
I would also restore a GG1 and the Altoona museum’s K4 to operation.
If I had the money I would purchase a short line or regional road and run it.
fix AMTRAK…find a way to give it enough money to operate well, without encouraging waste and goldplating.
Expanding on JSGREEN’s comments - Get Amtrak off the freight railroads where possible and desirable (I know, all of them would be desirable, but some areas are beyond possible, even with all the money in the world).
Place in financial security most (if not all) “tourist” railroads, many of which are living museums and deserve to be treated as such. This would include making sure that all of their track and rolling stock was fit and secure from those who would turn them into trails or worse.
Money unlimited right?? I’d fix up the maw…It would be reconnected with the I&O and NS.I would have to hire a mudchicken to help with a bridge over the maumee river.
stay safe
joe
My top ten things I would do with unlimited resources…
Return Amtrak service to southern Wyoming where it belongs.
Sustain the UP steam program, Forever.
Increase traffic in the Wind River Canyon (see # 4 for destination)
Rebuild the line through to Lander, and Extend it into the Green River basin VIA Farson and connect with the UP near Green River. Also build an interchange yard outside Green River, and a small yard near Farson to alleviate the trucks hauling Frac Sand and Cement to the oil fields.
Build Railfan Parks nationwide for us to enjoy
Fund the proposed (but most likely not realistic) commuter rail connectng the Railrunner in New Mexico to Casper, Wyoming VIA Colorado Springs, Denver, and Cheyenne.
Restore the Saratoga and Elk Mountian lines for both tourist rail and possibly freight that would allow the re opening of numerous saw mills in the area.
Build a small commuter line for tourists Beginning in Rock Springs, Ending in Jackson, With Train stops in Boar’s Tusk/Kilpecker Sand Dunes, (a cool rock formation like Devils Tower and a large moving dune field.) Pinedale, and Granite Hot Springs. Connecting with a bus line that traveled to Grand Teton and Yellowstone Park as well as All the Jackson and Pinedale Ski resorts. (Wyoming’s version of the Ski Train) (Also interconnect this line with the ine in #4 to Haul small amounts of freight to the Pinedale fields.)
Local Commuter rail to the Coal and Trona mines.
Buy the Mayo Clinic, and stop fighting with CP/DME.
Ok, I have one more.
Same here - but the question is which lines?? I’m thinking some of the RailAmerica lines could use some fine tuning of their operations that would make them more profitable than they currently are. But whatever the line is, they’d need to have EMD’s on the roster…otherwise I’d be forced to sell of the old stuff and go shopping!
I’d go a few steps past Morris and bring it west 40 miles to Peru. With Illinois coveted Starved Rock and the associated resorts going up in the same area catering to the Chi-town folk, it’d make for an easy commute.
I’ll second that![:D]
Purchase all the Former Missouri Pacific Lines that UP Still owns and form a new Class 1 railroad…Complete with a Steam Program
I also second Carl’s remarks regarding the construction of the Midwest HSR. Build it, and people will ride, if my experience aboard the Empire Builder this weekend is anything to draw from. Get the track around Madison, WI, rehabilitated and into service. Have Amtrak come to Madison.
Build these other HSR routes, even if it is only to 110 mph standards. Offer service at least 5-6x per day.
Buy the Chicago, Fort Wayne &Eastern and a connecting track to let NKP765 out of its “prison” and have a viable traffic base with Chicago at one end.
Buy the N&W 611 and 1218 and let them stretch their legs, again.
The CF&E is the former Pennsy Pittsburgh-Chicago Main that was single-tracked by Conrail. The Mid-West High Speed Rail Network could rebuild the second track for their use through Fort Wayne before heading to Cleveland. (remember, money is no obsticle) It shouldn’t be too hard to have each track on a different timer at highway crossings.
Re-equip Amtrak with enough to run multiple trips between cities instead of three times a week.
Rebuild the interurban network in Indiana with hourly service just for kicks.
Another wish to be named later.
Simple create a DEDICATED and peremant funding source for Amtrak that provides roughly 10 Billion a year for capital needs and operation shortfalls. 2 Build a HSR in the Midwest that connects Chicago Milwaukee Minneapolis St Louis Kansas City Memphis Cleveland Cincinati Pittsburgh Des Monies Omaha and Buffalo then provide 4 times a day service to the far away cities min and 12 times a day service to the closest each way. 3 Buy the BNSF and then start a heritage steam program with new passenger cars that way they are at the new FRA saftey standards complete with 20 domes engines would be the SP&S 700 ATSF 3751 2903 any CB&Q 4-8-4 I could find and restore and NP and GN also plus I would allow any and all proven safe operators of steam to run on me namely FWHS and the 765 Doyle and the 4449 and anyone else and I would provide the liabilty insurance.
4 Restore 4 steam engines to service and settle once and for all which one was the most powerful a 2-6-6-6 Alleghany a 4-8-8-4 Big Boy 2-8-8-2 Y-6b and a 2-8-8-4 Yellowstone use the same grade of coal grade of track and weight of train and see which one was the best and stop the arguements. 5 Have a new fleet of Gas Turbines built for Intermodal service and run them thru NIMBY’s back yards that oppose any and all expansions in RR’s