Cap Metros Redline delayed again!

[Guest]

Front page story today on Austins "little train that couldnt" in the local rag. The headline is "Why Cap Metro's rail line stalled", covers all the usual malarky that has been issued by the agency (aka "Comedy Central")and goes on to say that the latest explaination from Cap Metro, not the agency critics, is that they had no idea that it would be so complicated, technical and so hard to pass FRA inspections etc. etc.

It goes on to say that they thought (???) that hiring dispatchers and using voice radios would be adequate to control a 20= mile rail line through an urban area with over 65 grade crossings including ONE THAT CROSSES AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY!!! The outside outfit they hired to manage the project is Veola,

mentioned here in OPs for their sterling record!

The latest lame excuse is that they should be ready to go by late winter/early spring,pending passing all inspections, crew training (LOL) and that will make it only 2 years late!! Is this anyway to run a railroad?? Also, they fired the union president this week for having the audacity to expect the jobs to go to union workers when the straw company they hired to deal with "employee relations" is trying to sub-contract the jobs to the scabs that tried to break the last strike by the union workers that were trying to maintain their health insurance, not even looking for raises!!If it wasnt so sad it would be comical,

even the anti-tax crowd is fed up and wants "something done" to get the trains rolling! Just another Sunday in Austin,Texas!

 

[MattW]

Wait a minute...did you just use "grade crossing" and "interstate highway" in the same sentence? SERIOUSLY!?

 

[Guest]

Wait a minute...did you just use "grade crossing" and "interstate highway" in the same sentence? SERIOUSLY!?

Yes, no where else except Austin! Of course the railroad was there first, when they built IH35 in the 50s it was designed to seperate the eastside from downtown (those were still segregation times)! So till today, when a freight or maybe someday a Cap metrotrain rolls by the traffic has to stop @ a grade crossing on part of an Interstate Highway! (theycall it the Texas Aggie revenge on UT since most traffic engineers are Aggies from A&M!! Believe it!!

 

[rrdude]

There is NO WAY they would design-in this route to X an Interstate, no way. The highway dept wouldn't have it. Now, it MIGHT cross a highway, but I would be shocked if it was even a limited-access highway. You can go on Google maps, and see that it passed UNDER I-35.

(roadbed looks like crap though, don't know WHEN the sat pix were taken)

 

[rrdude]

Wait a minute...did you just use "grade crossing" and "interstate highway" in the same sentence? SERIOUSLY!?

Yes, no where else except Austin! Of course the railroad was there first, when they built IH35 in the 50s it was designed to seperate the eastside from downtown (those were still segregation times)! So till today, when a freight or maybe someday a Cap metrotrain rolls by the traffic has to stop @ a grade crossing on part of an Interstate Highway! (theycall it the Texas Aggie revenge on UT since most traffic engineers are Aggies from A&M!! Believe it!!

Are you talking about on the lower level of I-35? It's been too many years since I lived there, but I honestly don't remember a grade crossing...... like almost everything else tho, "could be wrong..........."

 

[MattW]

Now that I take a closer look at Austin where the track crosses, it looks like there's some sort of easement to pull the [new] interstate above the railroad and the now-access road. Also it says basically as much on Wikipedia that the new elevated freeway was constructed to the sides of the original. Interestingly enough, south of where the track crosses, it looks like the NB lanes go over a road while the SB lanes go under!

Looking at in streetview really gives you the perspective on it.

 

[Guest]

Wait a minute...did you just use "grade crossing" and "interstate highway" in the same sentence? SERIOUSLY!?

Yes, no where else except Austin! Of course the railroad was there first, when they built IH35 in the 50s it was designed to seperate the eastside from downtown (those were still segregation times)! So till today, when a freight or maybe someday a Cap metrotrain rolls by the traffic has to stop @ a grade crossing on part of an Interstate Highway! (theycall it the Texas Aggie revenge on UT since most traffic engineers are Aggies from A&M!! Believe it!!

Are you talking about on the lower level of I-35? It's been too many years since I lived there, but I honestly don't remember a grade crossing...... like almost everything else tho, "could be wrong..........."

Its where the rail line comes from the NW by the Hancock Mall, crosses under the elevated "new" upper decks and the tunneled old "new" lanes nb and sb!

The access roads, which are the original interstate (and the old East side blvd.) have grade crossings which are signaled and traffic has to stop when the freights and the Hill Country Flyer cross! The New Red Line, if it ever starts, will also use these tracks! I guess technically its no longer across the Interstate but actually we consider it as such and say "only in Austin"! :blink:

 

[rrdude]

OK, I agree with that, and remember the grade crossings on the access road, but "interstate" threw me off...............

I do remember as a kid however, the AA RR crossing US 23, near Milan or Dundee Michigan. That was a defacto interstate, but was not part of the Interstate system. Don't know what year they built the overpass for the road thou.