American passenger rail revival?

AMERICAN President Joe Biden has announced a massive $2 trillion package of infrastructure investment, to be paid for largely by higher taxes on large companies – some of whom currently manage to pay very little tax in the USA despite being based there.

The political debate over the proposals has already been divisive and The RM is not the place to even try to explain the details, although a simple summary would be that some of Mr Biden’s own supporters think ‘infrastructure’ should include almost all government spending, while his opponents disagree and say that taxes should not be increased, whatever the money is to be spent on.

Common ground

While the political debate will be rancorous, there is probably enough common ground for some of the transport infrastructure proposed. The plan includes $621 billion for transport infrastructure which will be split between road, rail, air and water transport.

In addition to rebuilding 20,000 miles of major roads, more than 500,000 new electric vehicle charging stations are planned as American car makers, led by General Motors, are following the lead from Europe and Asia by planning to stop making petrol fuelled cars by 2035.

For the railway industry, substantial sums are proposed: $80 billion to improve and expand the national passenger and freight rail network, and $85 billion to modernise public

transport (commuter rail, light rail and buses), mainly in cities.

There is no plan to build new high-speed lines or even introduce new long-distance Amtrak routes.

Infrastructure plan

Long delayed – but vital – projects such as the second tunnel under the Hudson River connecting New York with New Jersey are included in the plan.

The existing two-track tunnel dating from 1910 carries all Amtrak traffic between New York and everywhere south of the city.

The tunnels were badly damaged by Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and need to be completely modernised once the new tunnel is open.

Plans have previously been drawn up to create much faster alignments on sections of the Washington DC-New YorkBoston ‘North East Corridor’, although it is unclear how much, if any, of this work will be paid for from the proposed funds.

Amtrak to expand?

National passenger operator Amtrak, which celebrates its 50th anniversary operating trains on May 1, responded quickly to the proposed infrastructure funding by releasing plans for up to 30 new routes by 2035 which, if they actually begin operation, would mean Amtrak serves every mainland American state except South Dakota (it also doesn’t serve Alaska or Hawaii). Ambitious as these plans are, in adding 160 towns and cities to the national passenger rail network, they don’t attempt to reconstruct any of the major long-distance routes that have disappeared during Amtrak’s 50-year history. This is partly as a 2008 law effectively prohibits new routes over 750 miles long.

Potential routes

Amtrak has published a map showing the potential new and enhanced routes which it says could boost passenger numbers from 32 million in 2019 to 52 million by 2035. Among the major cities that will regain passenger trains if the plans are implemented are Nashville (Tennessee), Montgomery and Mobile (both Alabama),

Las Vegas (Nevada) and Joe Biden’s home town of Scranton Pennsylvania.

Two routes from the USA to Canada are also included, both reinstating routes previously withdrawn; from Detroit to Toronto and St Albans (Vermont) to Montreal.

Industry observers in the US are far from universally convinced that many of the routes proposed will ever start operation, although many have been under discussion for years.

Despite four years of proposed budget cuts from Donald Trump, the cuts were not approved by members of Congress.

Amtrak is about to introduce its new Alstom-made ‘Avelia Liberty’ trains on the electrified Washington DC-Boston route which, like those they replace, will be branded ‘Acela’. Amtrak also has 75 new type ALC42 ‘Charger’ diesel locomotives on order from Siemens, which is building them in California.

New York Penn changes

A decades-long attempt to make New York’s Penn station more user-friendly came to fruition in January when a large new entrance and waiting area for Amtrak passengers opened in what used to be the classical style Farley Post Office mail sorting office next door. The original Penn station – which, like many US stations, was an architectural icon – was demolished in 1963, leaving a warren of underground passages and cramped waiting areas above the station tracks.

The new Moynihan Train Hall means the station experience for Amtrak and Long Island Railroad passengers should improve and by moving them from the old station, the majority of passengers who use New Jersey Transit commuter trains will have some more space there too!

KEITH FENDER The original ‘Acela’ trains built jointly by Alstom and Bombardier will be withdrawn when the new Avelia Liberty trains enter service in the next few years. ‘Acela’ set led by power car No. 2031 passes New London, Connecticut, on June 16, 2017, with a Washington-Boston service.

KEITH FENDER Passenger trains to return? One of the routes proposed by Amtrak would extend the ‘Heartland Flyer’, which restarted in 1999 between Fort Worth and Oklahoma City, north to Wichita and Newton, Kansas. This would use the existing BNSF-owned line used by Amtrak in its early years. A BNSF freight with two BNSF locos and a third from Mexican operator Ferromex, seen heading south on the line, having just left Kansas near Newkirk, Oklahoma, on June 28, 2019.

KEITH FENDER It is likely short loco hauled trains will operate most of the new routes like this Amtrak operated SC-44 ‘Charger’ No. 4618 seen passing Hinsdale in the western suburbs of Chicago with a Chicago – Quincy service on June 23, 2019. New Siemens built carriages are on order to replace the older ones used for services like this in the Mid-West.

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COURTESY AMTRAK Seattle Portland Vancouver San Francisco Los Angeles Salt lake city Las Vegas Phoenix Cheyenne Pueblo Denver Alberquerque Oklahoma City Fort Worth San Antonio Wichita Dallas Duluth Iowa City Baton Rouge Houston Green Bay Louisville Nashville New Orleans Asheville Atlanta Montgomery Miami Montreal Detroit Scranton Cleveland New York Washington DC Richmond Wilmington Boston Proposed Amtrak 2035 network

At platform level nothing much has changed in many decades other than newer trains replacing some old ones. Siemens-built ‘ACS64’ electric No. 640 seen at New York Penn on June 11, 2017, with Amtrak train 19, the ‘Crescent’ to New Orleans, which will switch to diesel locos in Washington.

RALPH SPIELMAN Right: The new New York Penn station Moynihan Train Hall, seen not long after it opened. The lack of passengers entirely due to the coronavirus pandemic.