This is extremely good news!
"Furthermore, the Webmaster firmly believes that High Speed Rail is just one
part of a comprehensive multi-modal public transportation system that must
be enhanced and expanded so that it is available to all but the most rural
Sierra Club members and other citizens of the NERCC [Northeast Regional
Conservation Committee] region as a reasonable
and environment-friendly alternative to our pervasive 'fly or drive'
mentality."
I could not have said it better, while noting that the Midwest Region also
needs more passenger rail.
It's still incredible to me that Des Moines, our state capital, has no
passenger rail service. The most recent passenger train left Des Moines
around 1972. The Midwest Regional Rail Initiative will correct that, in part,
by giving Des Moines a high-speed rail connection to Omaha and Chicago,
through Iowa City. We will still need north-south and other passenger rail
service to get back to the excellent rail service we had in 1920. (But now
rail will have the benefit of computers, renewable fuels, and advanced
telecommunications, with the environmental and safety benefits those
technologies will bring. We could have hydrogen fuel cell powered trains!)
And note that the website uses a plain format, as opposed to a
graphics-intensive one. Maybe my nearly eight-year-old, overloaded, 486
computer will actually be able to access this site. (Yes, I know new
computers are cheap now. They also have severe environmental impacts
associated with their production, as do old computers with their disposal.)
Tom Mathews
Sierra Club, Iowa Chapter
Transportation Issue Chair
----------------------------------
Subj: FW: Webmaster's report to NERCC - High Speed Rail Task Force -
1-25-2003
Date: 03-01-18 09:27:48 EST
From: [log in to unmask] (Blossom Hoag)
Sender: [log in to unmask] (Sierra Club Forum on
Transportation Issues)
Reply-to: [log in to unmask] (Sierra Club Forum on
Transportation Issues)
To: [log in to unmask]
Very interesting material in this report.
Blossom Hoag/MA
----------
From: "Kenyon Karl" <[log in to unmask]>
Reply-To: [log in to unmask]
Date: Fri, 17 Jan 2003 12:22:29 -0500
To: "Blossom Hoag" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Webmaster's report to NERCC - High Speed Rail Task Force -
1-25-2003
Webmaster's report to NERCC - High Speed Rail Task Force - 1-25-2003
After considerable bureaucratic misdirection due to the sheer size and
complexity of the national Sierra Club organization, the NERCC - High Speed
Rail Task Force has its own Web Site, located on the Sierra Club Web Server
and within the Web Site for NERCC. Although its address is particularly
difficult to remember, it will instantly assure both Sierra Club members
and other site visitors that the High Speed Rail Task Force is a legitimate
part of the Sierra Club organization.
Members of the Task Force must remember that the Web Site is composed of
three parts:
* A 'production' Web Site that is open to all Sierra Club Members and all
other users of the Internet on a world-wide basis
* A 'test' Web Site that is a near duplicate of the 'production' site,
except that it is used to test and review proposed changes to the Web Site
* An 'extranet' Web Site containing information intended only for members
of the Task Force and other Sierra Club 'insiders'
The Webmaster must emphasize that this Web Site is narrowly focused on High
Speed Rail (sustained speeds of more than 90 mph) to the unfortunate
exclusion of other important parts of the passenger rail system or other
equally important parts of the public transportation system. This narrow
focus was necessary for the quick development of this Web Site, and it may
be equally necessary for the effective functioning of the Task Force.
Accordingly, the Webmaster must recognize from the outset that the
connecting commuter rail lines are of greatest importance to the viability
of any proposed or existing High Speed Rail line, just because the shared
downtown terminals and far flung network can so easily collect the most
likely riders of expensive High Speed Trains from the multitude of rail
stations reasonably close to the suburban homes of these passengers.
Furthermore, the Webmaster firmly believes that High Speed Rail is just one
part of a comprehensive multi-modal public transportation system that must
be enhanced and expanded so that it is available to all but the most rural
Sierra Club members and other citizens of the NERCC region as a reasonable
and environment-friendly alternative to our pervasive 'fly or drive'
mentality. Although it has added to the complexity of the Web Address of
the High Speed Rail Task Force Web Site, the Webmaster is positioned to
easily create similar Web Sites for similar Task Forces for other important
parts of the public transit system. Indeed, the North South Station Rail
Link is a prime candidate for such a 'closely related' Web Site!
Contrary to the Web Design Standards employed by the professionally
maintained sections of the Sierra Club Web Site, the High Speed Rail Task
Force Web Site uses a very plain style that most Web Users haven't seen
since the early days of the Web. This rather primitive design standard has
been deliberately selected for sheer ease of construction and maintenance
so that the Webmaster can concentrate on presenting as much information as
is currently available to the membership of the Task Force (within the
limits of copyright law). This primitive standard also gracefully
self-adjusts to almost any size and resolution of computer monitor, or
'windows' scheme thereof. Last but not least, this primitive standard
allows the greatest number of blind and other severely disabled individuals
to successfully 'use' the High Speed Rail Task Force Web Site!
Members of the High Speed Rail Task Force must note that the Web Site
currently contains:
* All of the organizational information about the Task Force that the
Webmaster can obtain from Blossom Hoag
* All of the information about the promotional items used by the Task Force
that is available from Blossom Hoag
* Mileage charts for each of the currently operating and Federally
Designated High Speed Corridors in the NERCC Region
* Information about past, present, and proposed High Speed Trains that
could reasonably operate within the NERCC Region
* Information about High Speed Rail proposals elsewhere in the country
* Information about High Speed Rail operations and proposals elsewhere in
the world.
* Portals to information at the Congressional and State Legislative Web
Sites
* Statements made by other parts of the Sierra Club concerning High Speed
Rail
Note that the 'Information' portions of this Web Site are the result of a
'quick and dirty' search of the Web, the Webmaster readily concedes that
numerous items of importance could have been easily missed or overlooked.
Accordingly, each member of the Task Force is hereby requested to assist
the Webmaster in the important task of locating relevant information for
posting to the Web Site. Because an important part of the effort is to
establish 'momentum', information about High Speed Rail projects that
appear to be of only statewide or local importance must be forwarded to the
Webmaster so that everybody in the region can be aware of such projects!
To turn my attention to the 'subject matter', my 'research' has revealed a
fresh reminder that the New York-Philadelphia-Washington Corridor has
enjoyed High Speed Rail service on a continuous basis since January 16,
1969. The first Metroliners were self-propelled electric coaches (EMU) with
a top speed of 125 mph, that ran as such for a decade or two. These
self-propelled electric coaches were subsequently replaced by
locomotive-hauled trains of ordinary 'Amfleet' coaches that likewise run at
125 mph to maintain the Metroliner service until it can be completely
replaced by last of the new Acela Express trains.
The Acela Express appears to be running on a reliable basis between Boston
and Washington with 18 of the originally promised 20 train sets. There was
an important disruption in service last year, and there is a long list of
relatively minor problems. However the service seems to be as reliable as
can be expected given the number of other trains that also use the
Northeast Corridor. Note that the speed between New York and Washington is
limited to 135 mph due to the design of the 1920's era trolley wire, and
speeds are reduced to about 60 mph between New York and New Haven due to
the sheer age of the 1910's era trolley wire in that segment.
The Empire Corridor has enjoyed High Speed Rail service on a sporadic basis
since 1979 despite the absence of electric trolley wire over the track.
There were seven train sets in that first effort using turbine engines to
achieve a top speed of 110 mph. These seven train sets are currently being
remanufactured with a new turbine engine and other important improvements
that will allow them to operate at 125 mph. Two of these seven trains are
reportedly ready for daily operation, and they could be back in daily
service within the next three months!
The Webmaster notes one report that suggested that all of Europe's well
known High Speed Rail Lines are electrically operated. Additional tidbits
about the problems with the original Turboliners on the Empire Corridor,
and unbelievable problems with the earlier United Aircraft built
Turboliners on the Boston to New York run suggest that future problems with
the technology must be anticipated. Newspaper reports also suggest that
Amtrak is financially unable to make the once promised track and signal
improvements that are required to fulfill the running time reductions
promised by the newly rebuilt train sets. A second track must be restored
to the line from Albany-Rensselaer to Schenectady along with other
important improvements so that high-speed service can be extended to that
important part of the 'Capitol Triangle'. Similar expensive improvements
must be required to provide equally high-speed service westward across the
State to Utica, Syracuse, Rochester, and Buffalo. Last but not least,
continued private ownership of the railroad tracks involved must be an
important complication for all governmental proposals.
The Philadelphia-Harrisburg portion of the Keystone Corridor was likewise
electrified in the late 1920's, and indeed it too was acquired by Amtrak
during the government takeover of the Penn-Central railroad. However that
trolley wire was neglected for many years by Amtrak for various operational
reasons. That trolley wire is currently being rehabilitated, and the last
public road crossings closed so that electric trains can be run at higher
speeds on that corridor. A series of new and restored train stations are
likewise being built to cope with the expected usage of High Speed Rail
service. Unfortunately, the Webmaster has not seen any promises as to the
new speed limits that will result from these and other improvements!
The Boston-Montreal High Speed Rail proposal ended Phase I of the
consultant studies last November. The final report of this study is still
not available on their Web Site, but the Webmaster is rather disappointed
in the strikingly low levels of business travel projected for that
corridor. It seems that only businessmen are willing to pay 78 cents per
mile to ride the Acela Express, because those fares are competitive with
the time-competitive hourly Air Shuttles that were operated before 9/11/01.
With the financial crunch that currently afflicts MA, NH, & VT, the
Webmaster is concerned that any one of the three states could very easily
choose to NOT contribute its portion of the 50% share of the cost of the
Phase II study of this project.
The Boston-Montreal High Speed Rail proposal must also contend with private
ownership of tracks between the MA StateLline and Concord NH, and also
northwest of White River Jct., VT. Equally important is the complete lack
of tracks and numerous removals of highway bridges and underpasses on a 60
mile stretch of the State-owned right-of-way between Concord and Lebanon NH.
Upon reflection, the Webmaster wonders if the Boston-Montreal High Speed
Rail proposal would make more sense if it was recast as
Boston-Concord-Laconia and Boston-Portland-Auburn extensions of the
existing Boston-Washington High Speed Line that is largely reliant upon
completition of the North South Station Rail Link in Boston.
Finally, it must be noted that the Webmaster is unable to find any evidence
of even official 'studies' for the following Federally Designated High
Speed Rail corridors:
* Boston-Portland-Auburn
* Harrisburg-Pittsburgh
Last but not least, the Webmaster seriously suggested a series of new High
Speed Rail Corridors in New England to the Task Force in early December,
the mileage charts for which were posted to another Web Site at
<www.new-england-public-transit.org>. The Webmaster was unable to make
similar recommendations for the other three states of the Region do to a
relative lack of knowledge of the territory. Unfortunately, the Webmaster
is rather discouraged by the almost complete lack of supportive response
from the other members of the Task Force.
Kenyon F. Karl
[log in to unmask]
Webmaster - Sierra Club - NERCC - High Speed Rail Task Force
http://www.sierraclub.org/rcc/northeast/transit/hsr/index.htm
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