Chicago - St. Louis Lincoln Corridor to begin higher speed running

[jis]

My wife and I rode the Texas Eagle last Sunday to SAS and beyond. I timed us at no more than 100 mph (or maybe a bit faster) on some sections.

The maximum permitted speed for Superliners is 100mph, so Texas Eagle is limited to 100mph.

 

[Cal]

The maximum permitted speed for Superliners is 100mph, so Texas Eagle is limited to 100mph.

Superliners going 100mph... the idea is crazy to me.

 

[TransitTyrant]

Superliners going 100mph... the idea is crazy to me.

California Cars were based off Superliners and they’re supposed to be good for 125mph.

 

[uncleboots]

My wife and I rode the Texas Eagle last Sunday to SAS and beyond. I timed us at no more than 100 mph (or maybe a bit faster) on some sections.

Amtrak Superliners maximum speeds are 100 MPH, Amtrak Venture maximum speeds are 125 The reason your train didn’t go over 100 MPH. you were on Superliners.

 

[emd_e9]

Somewhat off-topic, but does anyone know if the Interurban Trail is closed on the north side of Chatham? Went through there last month on 302 and thought I saw a barricade. Great place to get some exercise and watch Amtrak Chicago-St. Louis trains.

 

[tgstubbs1]

I saw this in the news today. Aren't they a little out of date with this announcement?

CHICAGO (AP) — Amtrak travel between Chicago and St. Louis is about to get 15 minutes quicker thanks to a high-speed rail project allowing trains to reach speeds of 110 mph (177 kph), Gov. JB Pritzker said Monday.

The higher speeds take effect June 26 and will reduce the duration of the trip from the current five hours and 13 minutes. Trips from St. Louis to Chicago are a few minutes shorter, according to Amtrak timetables.

Existing maximum speeds on the route are 90 mph (144.8 kph).

 

[Crowbar_k]

I had a ticket from Joliet to St Louis on July 16, and it just got updated this morning.

 

[TransitTyrant]

I saw this in the news today. Aren't they a little out of date with this announcement?

CHICAGO (AP) — Amtrak travel between Chicago and St. Louis is about to get 15 minutes quicker thanks to a high-speed rail project allowing trains to reach speeds of 110 mph (177 kph), Gov. JB Pritzker said Monday.

The higher speeds take effect June 26 and will reduce the duration of the trip from the current five hours and 13 minutes. Trips from St. Louis to Chicago are a few minutes shorter, according to Amtrak timetables.

Existing maximum speeds on the route are 90 mph (144.8 kph).

Train 301 current trip time is 5hr 6min, it’s the fastest run.

 

[Crowbar_k]

Train 301 current trip time is 5hr 6min, it’s the fastest run.

My updated 301 ticket lists a travel time of 4 hours, 45 minutes, which is 15 minutes slower than the initial advertised time of 4 hours, 30 minutes.

 

[TransitTyrant]

My updated 301 ticket lists a travel time of 4 hours, 45 minutes, which is 15 minutes slower than the initial advertised time of 4 hours, 30 minutes.

Yes they never achieved those time saving’s advertised, perhaps they were too generous to begin with. Perhaps Amtrak wanted more padding just to be on the safe side until there’s more sidings/double track. There’s still a segment of double track incomplete from Joliet to Mazonia. Some trains take over 45 mins to complete the run from Dwight to Joliet despite the track speeds being over 100 minus a curve through Wilmington, IL. That extra 15 mins of run time though could probably be shaved off once the trains start running over the Rock Island tracks.

 

[Crowbar_k]

Yes they never achieved those time saving’s advertised, perhaps they were too generous to begin with. Perhaps Amtrak wanted more padding just to be on the safe side until there’s more sidings/double track. There’s still a segment of double track incomplete from Joliet to Mazonia. Some trains take over 45 mins to complete the run from Dwight to Joliet despite the track speeds being over 100 minus a curve through Wilmington, IL. That extra 15 mins of run time though could probably be shaved off once the trains start running over the Rock Island tracks.

And when the stuff around Springfield is complete. I think the Rock Island routing is still many, many years away because the st Charles airline connection needs to be built.

 

[rms492]

Hello, can someone tell me if the Eagle is allowed 100? (I assume the maximum allowed for Superliners).
If so, what segments does it run at such speed?

 

[TransitTyrant]

And when the stuff around Springfield is complete. I think the Rock Island routing is still many, many years away because the st Charles airline connection needs to be built.

Amtrak believed all the projects could’ve been completed by 2027 if they won the MEGA grant. No reason all these projects can’t be completed in a similar amount of time.

 

[tgstubbs1]

Hello, can someone tell me if the Eagle is allowed 100? (I assume the maximum allowed for Superliners).
If so, what segments does it run at such speed?

I think the Eagle can run at 100 between STL and CHI.

 

[adt1982]

Hello, can someone tell me if the Eagle is allowed 100? (I assume the maximum allowed for Superliners).
If so, what segments does it run at such speed?

Today's southbound Eagle has shown speeds as high as 96 MPH on the tracker.

 

[joelkfla]

https://www.trains.com/trn/news-rev...F2BvusxYd26Eq7EemgRUzIXKzhj_QeZK13NyEYXUb5btc

 

[TransitTyrant]

Today's southbound Eagle has shown speeds as high as 96 MPH on the tracker.

The Eagle will hit 100 more consistently once the ALC42s are assigned to it.

 

[west point]

IMO Amtrak seems incapable to market this faster service. Even it is up to Ill DOT. We need to look at SEPTA. Within 12 hours SEPTA came up with a printable schedule that included the additional trains. Why does Amtrak not print a commuter type timetable showing the 5 RT trains? Put the schedule on the Amtrak web site, also print those out and distribute them especially at the commuter stations in CHI.

 

[Crowbar_k]

IMO Amtrak seems incapable to market this faster service. Even it is up to Ill DOT. We need to look at SEPTA. Within 12 hours SEPTA came up with a printable schedule that included the additional trains. Why does Amtrak not print a commuter type timetable showing the 5 RT trains? Put the schedule on the Amtrak web site, also print those out and distribute them especially at the commuter stations in CHI.

To be fair, pdf schedules of trains are becoming increasingly rare all over the world. You just have to look at a map, and enter the two stations on the website.

 

[jis]

To be fair, pdf schedules of trains are becoming increasingly rare all over the world. You just have to look at a map, and enter the two stations on the website.

It is true that paper as a medium for delivering dynamic things like time tables is being progressively discounted, and the primarily device wielding generation is missing the paper/pdf stuff less and less. I noticed this in my behavior in England last month when I did extensive travel by train and never once used a paper timetable. Of course the fact that I had to electronically attach the train I traveled on to my mobile pass had a lot to do with it, but the interesting thing is with a map on the device of routes, I never felt the need for a paper time table, which surprised even me.

Of course Amtrak's web site is much clunkier than the much better designed web sites I go to use there. Given my age, if a paper time table was available I'd probably been more at home with such, but even absent them I was not significantly hindered in any way. OTOH, someone who is not internet and device savvy would probably have been completely crippled.

 

[Steve4031]

When entering city pairs into the European train system’s website, you can click on the train number and a schedule appears showing all the stops.

 

[Septa9739]

At the risk of dragging things further off topic: I call nonsense of the whole people don’t use paper schedules thing. SEPTA still prints schedules and, whenever they come out, they set these giant boxes out at the Center City terminals and mobs of people crawl out of the woodwork to get them, and you see plenty of people carrying around well used ones. Several times on my recent XC trip, my RPA unofficial schedules came in handy to other passengers who asked the crew for a timetable.

 

[Metra Electric Rider]

At the risk of dragging things further off topic: I call nonsense of the whole people don’t use paper schedules thing. SEPTA still prints schedules and, whenever they come out, they set these giant boxes out at the Center City terminals and mobs of people crawl out of the woodwork to get them, and you see plenty of people carrying around well used ones. Several times on my recent XC trip, my RPA unofficial schedules came in handy to other passengers who asked the crew for a timetable.

Metra does too! Though I often check online from work these days.

 

[joelkfla]

When entering city pairs into the European train system’s website, you can click on the train number and a schedule appears showing all the stops.

You can do that on Amtrak's website, but you have to go to a different page than the booking page, and it takes like 4 or 5 clicks to get to the full schedule. And you have to know the specific stations, not just the cities. There's room for improvement.

 

[TransitTyrant]

Occasionally you’ll see an Amtrak billboard along I-94 in Michigan advertising the Midwest services, this is what Illinois needs to do along I-55. A Twitter account and Facebook account specifically for Illinois services should be the bare minimum but reach the younger generations that appear to be more trainpilled.