Yes, and you'll notice that the responses that rail is "very important" are highest in Springfield among all Missouri cities with no Amtrak service. I've gotten several friends and co-workers to drive to SED, KCY, or STL to catch the train, and some of them who don't drive will pay for a friend's gas to take them to STL rather than go by Greyhound. There is a market for STL-SGF service. I'm hoping that another study will reveal more favourable numbers, and we can finally get passenger service back to one of the country's busiest rail hubs.
I thought they had already looked at this and decided it was too hilly between St. Louis and Springfield?
MO still need bi-levels for the Chicago - St. louis service. Wisconsin by its own admission does not need anything.
Ha!MO still need bi-levels for the Chicago - St. louis service. Wisconsin by its own admission does not need anything.
That's correct. IL will own the trainsets that will be used on the Lincoln, as their total travel distance in MO amounts to 14 blocks. The MO-owned trainsets will be used exclusively on the River Runner. Currently, MO has only ordered two trainsets.Ha!MO still need bi-levels for the Chicago - St. louis service. Wisconsin by its own admission does not need anything.
It's my understanding that if you break the Midwest portion of the order down by state, the MO portion covers the Missouri River Runner, while the IL portion covers the Lincoln Service (plus other IL corridors).
That's highly unlikely that the cars that MO brought will remain only in MO. If for no other reason than simply because the cars will need servicing and the train's can't stop running while that happens. Just like Metro North owns some cars & engines that operate west of the Hudson River, those cars & engines mix and mingle with NJT cars throughout the NJT system.
I would expect something similar to that consist, yes. The official documentation lists "two trainsets" as the order. I don't think that includes locomotives, as the P-42's aren't going to need replacing very soon, but I can't say for sure. I only know what's published by MoDOT or stated in the local meetings I attend.
Very likely. My post that you quoted is essentially how it's written in the official documentation, but of course there are no maintenance facilities in Missouri; the closest is in Chicago, so the cars will have to go there regularly for maintenance.
I haven't found anything specific at all. This source seems to indicate we may be getting new locomotives as well. The P-42's aren't that old, ~12 years I think, but I'm not going to object to P-45's.
The first of the P-42s delivered started in service in 1996 and are now 16 years old. The P-42's entered service from 1996 to 2001. The Amtrak Fleet Strategy Plan uses 20 years as the baseline commercial lifespan for diesel locomotives. So Amtrak wants to start replacement of the P-42s by 2016-2017. The grants combined with some state money are to buy around 33 Next Gen diesel locomotives for the Midwest and CA. The new diesel locomotives will meet the Next Generation specifications with 125 mph max speeds. If Amtrak can line up the funding, they will likely join with the state order for the diesels to place a large total order.I haven't found anything specific at all. This source seems to indicate we may be getting new locomotives as well. The P-42's aren't that old, ~12 years I think, but I'm not going to object to P-45's.
Okay, so since the cars are coming 2015-2017, that would make sense to replace the locomotives about the same time period. To be honest, the talk of 125 sounds a bit fantastical, considering that we're barely starting to breach 80, but if these new locos have quicker acceleration too, then that changes the game here.The first of the P-42s delivered started in service in 1996 and are now 16 years old. The P-42's entered service from 1996 to 2001. The Amtrak Fleet Strategy Plan uses 20 years as the baseline commercial lifespan for diesel locomotives. So Amtrak wants to start replacement of the P-42s by 2016-2017. The grants combined with some state money are to buy around 33 Next Gen diesel locomotives for the Midwest and CA. The new diesel locomotives will meet the Next Generation specifications with 125 mph max speeds. If Amtrak can line up the funding, they will likely join with the state order for the diesels to place a large total order.I haven't found anything specific at all. This source seems to indicate we may be getting new locomotives as well. The P-42's aren't that old, ~12 years I think, but I'm not going to object to P-45's.
I guess not. Still, it seems otherworldly to have something that can move that fast.
