Alon
What questions do people have about our Northeast Corridor high-speed rail project? Simple answers will go here, more complex ones may be blogged.
Aug 11, 2024 at 3:07amMastodon for Android
Show threadRémi CardonaAug 11, 2024

@Alon apart from the gateway project (or whatever the new Hudson tunnel project is called) and the new tunnel under Baltimore are there any new tracks and/or new alignments planned?
In general, what is actually planned? I've seen so many maps float over the years and nearly all of them have been duds.
What's going on in NY Penn?

thanks

Show threadAlonAug 11, 2024

@remi Officially, there are some within-right-of-way curve modifications planned in New Jersey; we're incorporating those into the proposal. We're adding some bypasses in Connecticut and a handful elsewhere - see map here: https://devincwilkins.github.io/nec-webtool/

NY Penn is just staying as-is; we're proposing some within-footprint switch modifications but that's it. The fantasies about adding tracks are too expensive for any budget.

Northeast Corridor Webtool

Show threadTheKorotAug 11, 2024
@Alon 2 questions I didn't think of during yesterday's stream: How will the KeyStone & Pensylvanian (which through-run onto the NEC) be handled? Forced transfer at Philadelphia?
And same for Long Distance, but then at Washington?
Show threadAlonAug 11, 2024

@TheKorot Long-distance: transfer at DC.

Keystone: depends - we're timtabling it as a transfer just because it's harder so we wanted to see if it's possible (it is), but it's perfectly possible to have every third train divert to Keystone.

Show threadConnor CrowleyAug 11, 2024
@Alon are the target service levels being clearly and early defined, working backwards to infrastructure improvements? If so are any improvements not being purposed because the speedup wouldn't be useful for scheduling needs?
Show threadAlonAug 11, 2024
@ConnorC Yes, to both. The bypasses in the Webtool (https://devincwilkins.github.io/nec-webtool/) are not all going to make it to the headline proposal - for example, the ones between Stamford and New Haven are almost certainly not making it, since their costs per minute saved are high and also they aren't useful for scheduling needs.
Northeast Corridor Webtool

Show threadHikoukiHikouki ✈🚇Aug 11, 2024
@Alon @Alon Meant to ask this on stream, but didn't get around to it. Why does the NEC have such terrible ridership for a conventional railroad between such large cities? It seems like slower trains between smaller cities elsewhere ends up with much stronger ridership!