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Tehachapi double track project would increase rail traffic by 80 percent
Does anyone know where the UP stands on this? It is certain that they will also benefit from this.
They took the same basic statistics class that I did. The Dean of Men taught us about lying with statistics. His prime example was, “Ivory is 99 & 44/100th’s pure” what; water, of course. Amtrak and MetroLink could benefit if they were allowed to schedule trains across the Tehachapi’s.
Where does UP stand?
On their property is the answer.
A guess: the trackage rights granted back in, and evolved since 18??, probably reserves sufficient capacity for UP at the expense of diminishing BNSF’s ability to inject trains into the Pass’s mix.
EG. when pre-1996 Santa Fe wanted to run double-stacks over Tehachapi, SP was willing to let them pay for increasing clearances of the bunch of tunnels, bridges and overpasses enroute. And it did.
The 2.2 percent grade, well-engineered, has single track bridges, tunnels and that famous overpass at the bottom end of Walong, the loop. Gonna be an expensive (maybe EXPENSIVE) project. Not too many engineering alternatives to the route which exists.
Perhaps they meant to state that the improvements would ENABLE an 80% increase in traffic. Is that per day, week, month, year?
(1) If BNSF is the trackage rights tenant, why are they funding the improvements?
(2) When is BNSF going to improve the remaining single track transcon in New Mexico at Vaughan and Fort Sumner? Seems this would have priority over the line to northern California.
They forgot one huge detail. This is the People’s Republic Of California’s subgovernment environmental regulatory and protective division. The Berkeley approved Environmental Impact Study To Protect The Spotted Desert Dwelling Existing Only On Cloudy Days Not Ending In Y Stagnant Freshwater Blowfish which will take at least 20 years to complete, if it ever is completed.
Probably clumsy wording, and what is meant is that capacity will increase by 80%
Good to know that a bankrupt state can still give handouts to corporations
This means jobs for california.And there will be a tehachapi.
Hopefully this project would allow through ATK Oakland-LA service via Bakersfield instead of the current bus connection.
Will Amtrak or Metrolink benefit from this project?
Let’s check the math on this news item: Going from 35 trains per day to 50 is a 42% increase in the number of trains, not 80%. So, is it the length of the trains that will increase the “traffic”?
I wonder how long such a project would take in China.
Why is California funding a private railroad project when the state is broke? Is BNSF unable to fund the whole project or just taking advantage of FREE government money, i.e. our money.
This is another way to justify ‘hi-speed rail’. Because to build HSR they need to get over ‘the hill’. Get out the Delorme or other map and check the trip. To interrupt the very bsy ‘hill’ will be a big mistake. I rv there every spring, take the dune buggy and scanners to chase the march. This is AGAIN the worst planners: the Gov’ment. Capacity is limited because of physical reality. Duh.
Amen Robert Daly, The state of california should, under the condition of underwriting to cost should have a clause which would allow accommodations for service between Oakland and L.A. The bus connection really SUCKS.
Good point, Steven. Remember when U.P. ran a three mile long test train on the Sunset route?
Is it that Berkshire/bnsf has deeper pockets than UP?
Is it that Berkshire/bnsf has deeper pockets than UP?