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Following are my notes jotted down in a hurry during the session on the Gateway project at TransAction 2013 in Atlantic City. The main event was the presentation by Drew Galloway of Amtrak, which is what my notes focus on.
Notes from the Session on the Gateway Project from TransAction 2013
This session was chaired by Marty Robins, and the presenters were
Drew Galloway, Amtrak
Janet Chernetz, TSTC
Marty Robins introduced Drew as one of the people who helped plan the original ARC concept. Afterall Drew did work at NJT once upon a time
Notes from Drew's presentation:
1. The NEC Region would be the 6th largest nation in the world if it were a separate country.
2. It has 17% of the US population and 20% of the US GDP
3. NEC spine has about 2000 commuter trains per day, 140 Amtrak trains and 60 freight trains (including 18KTon Coal trains between Perryville and Bayview) per day.
4. Amtrak carries about half the net passenger miles on the NEC on its 140 trains.
5. Net train miles doubles since 1976, Intercity by 45%, Commuter by 282%
6. Penn Station passenger trips went from 200K to 640K
7. The most intense mainline operation in the US is on the High Line and North River Tunnels carrying 225 train miles/ track mile per day.
8. Two of three Amtrak NEC trips have one leg in NYP.
9. Single tracking through North Rivers tunnels on parts of weekends will stay indefinitely.
10. Drew showed the track layout for the New York to Newark segment. It shows four tracks all the way. The 4 track layout between Swift and Newark looks suspiciously similar to one I had submitted in one of the RCLC feedbacks and discussed at length with Tom Schulze's staff.
11. NYPS (New York Penn South also sometimes referred to as Block 780) is presented as a two phase affair. The first phase has 8 track station with 4 tracks capable of being connected out to the east. The second phases has 6 tracks at a lower level capable of all being extended east to connect to Sunnyside or elsewhere. Connectivity from west to the lower level is through a pair of TBM bored tunnels under 31st St. The lower level station cavern is also to be TBM bored and then expanded under the upper level. No conflicts eastward at the planned depth. I got the sense that this would primarily be of use for future high speed use.
12. Train movement capacity is expected to be between 1800 to 2000 per day depending on how much of Gateway is built out. Compare this with about 1200 today, and about 600 in 1976.
13. Portal design work is complete. Just need to find $900 million to build it.
14 Moynihan Phase I at $250 million is funded, phase II at $600 million is currently unfunded.
15. The Hudson Yard real estate proposal is going to add more office space in that area than there is in the entire downtown area of
Minneapolis and St. paul.
16. Funding is in place and design is in place for tunnel box to be built under Hudson Yard to protect approach from Hudson Tunnels to the upper level of Penn Station.
17. The new tunnels will have access to the existing Penn Station (via U and I Ladder) and to both upper and lower levels of NYPS directly. The existing tunnels will only have access to the existing Penn Station and the upper level of NYPS.
18. As for where the tunnels go beyond Penn Station to the east, no decisions at present and the decision will be guided by the NEC Future PEIS.
19. Slot allocation will be determined by the NEC Commission and not exclusively by Amtrak or LIRR.
20. The new tunnels have exactly the same clearance as the existing tunnels, so no Superliners (in answer to a question from the audience).
21. Subway line 7 to Secaucus was mentioned by both Drew and Marty, Drew as a means for potentially taking some pressure off of Penn Station, Marty as a good idea to offload pressure from PABT. The latter actually surprised me pleasantly. I was not expecting it. Actually it was Marty that broached the subject of 7 to Secaucus.
Notes from the Session on the Gateway Project from TransAction 2013
This session was chaired by Marty Robins, and the presenters were
Drew Galloway, Amtrak
Janet Chernetz, TSTC
Marty Robins introduced Drew as one of the people who helped plan the original ARC concept. Afterall Drew did work at NJT once upon a time
Notes from Drew's presentation:
1. The NEC Region would be the 6th largest nation in the world if it were a separate country.
2. It has 17% of the US population and 20% of the US GDP
3. NEC spine has about 2000 commuter trains per day, 140 Amtrak trains and 60 freight trains (including 18KTon Coal trains between Perryville and Bayview) per day.
4. Amtrak carries about half the net passenger miles on the NEC on its 140 trains.
5. Net train miles doubles since 1976, Intercity by 45%, Commuter by 282%
6. Penn Station passenger trips went from 200K to 640K
7. The most intense mainline operation in the US is on the High Line and North River Tunnels carrying 225 train miles/ track mile per day.
8. Two of three Amtrak NEC trips have one leg in NYP.
9. Single tracking through North Rivers tunnels on parts of weekends will stay indefinitely.
10. Drew showed the track layout for the New York to Newark segment. It shows four tracks all the way. The 4 track layout between Swift and Newark looks suspiciously similar to one I had submitted in one of the RCLC feedbacks and discussed at length with Tom Schulze's staff.
11. NYPS (New York Penn South also sometimes referred to as Block 780) is presented as a two phase affair. The first phase has 8 track station with 4 tracks capable of being connected out to the east. The second phases has 6 tracks at a lower level capable of all being extended east to connect to Sunnyside or elsewhere. Connectivity from west to the lower level is through a pair of TBM bored tunnels under 31st St. The lower level station cavern is also to be TBM bored and then expanded under the upper level. No conflicts eastward at the planned depth. I got the sense that this would primarily be of use for future high speed use.
12. Train movement capacity is expected to be between 1800 to 2000 per day depending on how much of Gateway is built out. Compare this with about 1200 today, and about 600 in 1976.
13. Portal design work is complete. Just need to find $900 million to build it.
14 Moynihan Phase I at $250 million is funded, phase II at $600 million is currently unfunded.
15. The Hudson Yard real estate proposal is going to add more office space in that area than there is in the entire downtown area of
Minneapolis and St. paul.
16. Funding is in place and design is in place for tunnel box to be built under Hudson Yard to protect approach from Hudson Tunnels to the upper level of Penn Station.
17. The new tunnels will have access to the existing Penn Station (via U and I Ladder) and to both upper and lower levels of NYPS directly. The existing tunnels will only have access to the existing Penn Station and the upper level of NYPS.
18. As for where the tunnels go beyond Penn Station to the east, no decisions at present and the decision will be guided by the NEC Future PEIS.
19. Slot allocation will be determined by the NEC Commission and not exclusively by Amtrak or LIRR.
20. The new tunnels have exactly the same clearance as the existing tunnels, so no Superliners (in answer to a question from the audience).
21. Subway line 7 to Secaucus was mentioned by both Drew and Marty, Drew as a means for potentially taking some pressure off of Penn Station, Marty as a good idea to offload pressure from PABT. The latter actually surprised me pleasantly. I was not expecting it. Actually it was Marty that broached the subject of 7 to Secaucus.