Mark, thanks putting in words what I was thinking as well.
I just hope the Infrastructure funds and embracing of Brightline model/competition can bring some much needed frequency, equipment back into service as well as some decent corridor investments. California is spending billions and years just trying to get one HSR corridor built. There is simply no politic will or avenue to take what will be $100 billion dollar investment if ever completed and times it by 10 or 20. . The cost of construction is one thing but right of way acquisition, permitting, utility relocation and that is even before litigation delaying projects for years is simply not a winning recipe for HSR in this country.
Time to build up and out 110 mph corridors so we have viable car alternative and let America's huge domestic airline industry/aviation infrastructure be the defacto HSR. Heck, How would I make a new CHI-STL-KC corridor work for the better - In the near term; start with Chicago CREATE getting a boost from infrastructure funds to continue its build out of separating/improving passenger rail in and out of Chicago area including projects around Joliet that will benefit Lincoln Service, offer competing concession to Brightline for CHI - STL service for an upfront fee to fund improvements to remove additional freight off the current Lincoln Service Corridor & improvements from Alton to Downtown as well as making a deal to give Brightline access /ownership to the underutilized property near downtown station . Long term, phase II, build a new I70 rail route much as Brightline is doing in FL and make them sole concession as well as MODoT giving them a long term right of way lease for pennies on the dollars & MODot I70 rebuild includes sufficient space & clearance for two track design that Brightline has embraced. You can start with westbound of Downtown station by adding a connection to metrolink, rebuild track structure & schedule to accomondate the pass through service on a portion of metrolink from West Downtown to Clayton and connection off metrolink onto new I70 rail line via I170. For KC, you probably have a major rebuild of I70 to get downtown Union Station but don't see my using of metrolink in St. Louis as a cheap option as well. Now I just need to put together a fancy powerpoint presentation highlight all my major items
I took the train from Chicago to STL two weeks ago. The combination of the track improvements and the new cars makes for a very smooth ride. I suspect it's mostly the new cars as the Missouri River Runner is smoother than it used to be, although it doesn't come close to the tracks in Illinois.
Speaking of the new cars, Amtrak posted on instagram about the seats in the Venture cars, saying that "on a scale of 1-10, they're an 11." Well they got absolutely roasted in the comments about how bad the seats are with a couple responses saying they'll forward on the feedback. This isn't the first time Amtrak is hearing this but this is by far the most prominent display of this feedback I've ever seen. Yes, these Venture cars were technically ordered by the States of California and Illinois but there's no way Amtrak didn't have a hand in this. AND Amtrak is currently in the process of buying several more train sets from Siemens, the Aero trainsets. If I had to bet, the seats will be more comfortable but they won't recline (apart from the sad excuse for a recline the Venture seats have, literally less than most economy airline seats). One amusing comment I saw in the Amtrak subreddit said "you wanted modern European trains and you got them".
^They don't recline? Maybe it was a good thing I bought the business class tickets a few months ago. I was kind of jealous of the open, airy look of the new cars, and their big, clean bathrooms. But the seats on those old Amfleets are really quite comfortable. (Apart from the Accela on the NE corridor, every car I rode was probably in service when I first rode Amtrak in the late 70s. Two Amfleets, a superliner, and one Accela. All absolutely lovely, save that the food was mediocre to terrible, which is a sad change from the late 70s, 80s, and indeed even the 90s.)
^They don't recline? Maybe it was a good thing I bought the business class tickets a few months ago. I was kind of jealous of the open, airy look of the new cars, and their big, clean bathrooms. But the seats on those old Amfleets are really quite comfortable. (Apart from the Accela on the NE corridor, every car I rode was probably in service when I first rode Amtrak in the late 70s. Two Amfleets, a superliner, and one Accela. All absolutely lovely, save that the food was mediocre to terrible, which is a sad change from the late 70s, 80s, and indeed even the 90s.)
The bottom just slides forward slightly. It's pretty useless. (see 5:50 mark in the video above if the link doesn't put you there)
Both times I've ridden in the Venture cars lately the seats were already in recline position when I boarded, which wasn't really even noticeable until I tried to recline it.
The seats are narrower, too. They're 19", down from 21" on Amfleet/Horizon cars. Southwest airlines seats are 17.5" for reference. But the seat width thing was done to create wider aisles for ADA compliance.
I don’t understand the disliking of the new seat design. They’re the same as Brightline, but I guess when people are used to the old seats, I can see where people get upset.
^Friends in DC have similar feelings about the new cars vs. the old cars on their Metro system. The old ones have decent cushions and are generally comfortable. The new ones have bright lights and sexy digital displays, but the seats are thin and hard.
Funny, I have a totally different take on the DC Metro seats. Lived there for a few years right when they were starting to roll out the new 7000 series and took the Green line too and from work every day. I'll take the 7000 seats over the old stock every single time.
^Honestly, I just wish we had that much Metro. I'd even take it completely without the seats.
Lol, well you'd be in luck because it was so packed during rush hour that it would be standing room only most of the time. Which the newer 7000 series was way better at maximizing with the seat configuration.
It would be nice to connect to the airports. Maybe someday you could to train and plane on one ticket.
They still jonesing for Peotone airport?
Yup. Illinois passed HB2531 this past spring/summer basically that basically tasks IDOT to begin building out the pre-qualification process for vendors and to identify potential developers. The focus is on cargo now though, trying to shift it away from O'Hare and Midway, so not sure what benefits (if any) connecting future high speed rail to any future Peotone airport would really bring.
There really needs to be a spur to Indianapolis from St. Louis.
The Springfield, Decatur, Danville, Indianapolis option would work fine to me.
Laife Fulk wrote:
symphonicpoet wrote:^Honestly, I just wish we had that much Metro. I'd even take it completely without the seats.
Lol, well you'd be in luck because it was so packed during rush hour that it would be standing room only most of the time. Which the newer 7000 series was way better at maximizing with the seat configuration.
Oh, don't get me wrong. Seats are nice. I've taken a five hour train on the UK's east coast line that was standing room only. More than willing to do it at need, but I appreciate seats when I can get them. And if we could have a half dozen lines stretching out to St. Charles, Arnold, Edwardsville, Carbondale, Bellefountaine . .. . I could stand if I needed to.
Ironically, on the big September trip to DC, the single most crowded transportation was the no. 70 bus from Metrolink to my house in Carondelet. Standing room the whole way. Some of the trains were quite bus, packed even. I absolutely did some standing room time on the trip, both in Philadelphia and in DC. (And I've done it here, in New York, Chicago, Germany, even a little in Vietnam. I don't think I had to stand in Tokyo or Seoul, but it's been a few years and it wasn't rush hour either place.) Don't mind me. I'm just saying I'd take better transit, no matter what the seats were like.
^Okay, yeah, that's pretty striking. Send the Siemens cars back. I don't need the fancy bathroom or the extra light. The Amfleet cars were still plenty comfortable. The only thing they really need is edible food.
^Okay, yeah, that's pretty striking. Send the Siemens cars back. I don't need the fancy bathroom or the extra light. The Amfleet cars were still plenty comfortable. The only thing they really need is edible food.
