Redonkulous. Somewhere between Newark and Trenton right now, and while the train is quite fast, it was shaking to the point that I saw someone have trouble standing for a bit. How is this acceptable on the premier rail line in a 1st world country? To be clear, this is not the Acela, but the "regional" train with the 40-year-old "Metroliner" type cars, but the track quality sucks compared to what exists in other countries. Even in developing Eastern European ones.

$$$$$

One of the most heavily populated parts of the country and the track system is old. If the condition of the rail line bothers you, then start a grass roots campaign to rebuild the rail system. While you are at it, build a high speed line for the acela so it can get up to 100mph like they say.

You can be assured that amtrak doesnt have the money

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This post brought to you by Carl's Jr.

Top speed is well over 100 -- I think 120 or so for the regional trains, 150+ for the Acela. They're just running over 1930s-era Pennsylvania Railroad tracks, which were no doubt impressive 80 years ago. (Hey, they lasted that long with minimal maintenance.)

Funny, we have no problem funding highways and airports....

A few years ago we were on the California Zephyr coming back from SFO to Denver. We had just passed thru the tunnel under the Continental Divide when the train came to a stop. The track was so bad, it was unsafe for the train to cross. They had to send up a repair crew to fix the track before we could continue down into Denver. We all got out and hung out in a meadow until the crew was done. We still enjoyed the trip though. I took the Orient Express from Edinburgh to Istanbul a few years ago. Loved it.

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

This isn't "unsafe to travel" bad. The line is actually maintained to a fairly high standard, supposedly. It's just that the standard differs a bit from the rest of world's idea of a high standard.

US still uses wood crossties? Germany uses ties of a form of concrete reinforced with non degradable material, a form of plastic? Not sure of technical details but like you say it is a new day in rail technology for the rest of the world.

As said above $$$ and politics. The money never makes it to roadbed here, goes in some well connected people's bank accounts, stolen. Protectionism prevents changes in technology. Some well connected people have supplied that stuff forever and change isn't likely. Advances in stealing are far easier to implement.

People scoff at conspiracy but read history about the deliberate failure of the rail system and the promotion of the road system in this country. Air transportation played a role also. Politics and stealing, money. Turn of the century, 1900, you could go "anywhere" in this country on the rail.

I have seen concrete crossties. I don't know how well or how long they last. I did some work on the Baltimore Metro system a few years back and they used concrete ties. Instead of spikes, they had a spring clip that anchored the rails to the ties. On the main Pensy line at Hershey, I saw wooden ties.

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1982 300SD " Wotan" ..On the road as of Jan 8, 2007 with Historic Tags

"Fifteen cars and fifteen restless riders. Three conductors. Twenty-five sacks of mail..... This train's got the disappearing railroad blues."

Arlo Guthrie City Of New Orleans.wmv - YouTube


The 60's: The Interstate Highway System & the Boeing 707. Progress.

Light rail uses concrete ties around here. Heavy rail still timber.

__________________
1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

Hopefully tracks not this bad:

World's Worst Maintained Railroad Tracks - YouTube

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-Evan


Benz Fleet:
1968 UNIMOG 404.114
1998 E300
2008 E63


Non-Benz Fleet:
1992 Aerostar
1993 MR2
2000 F250

A close family member spent the last, oh, 10-12 years or more working to make this project become a reality. 3 Federal Administrations, 4 or 5 VA Governors and countless changes of Govt. Cabinet Secretaries and state & local officials. Without Federal and state dollars and local and county backing, things like this never get done. It takes forever.

http://www.dullesmetro.com/documents/_October2014/14FALL_DullesMetroNewsletter.pdf


....and it's only half built.

US uses mostly concrete ties when being replaced these days. Conductor said that one of the air springs on the car was deflated, accounting for the ride.

Interesting. Did you tell him that european rail cars a better and never break?

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This post brought to you by Carl's Jr.

He didn't buy 'em.

But you make a good point that they actually are. Antiquated crash safety standards in the US lead to overweight (and thus less reliable) passenger trains, compared to rest-of-world equipment.

The idea should be to avoid collisons, not build overweight bank vaults to survive them(*). Right now, the regulatory authorities are more likely to waive some of the rules. But that doesn't help with equipment built in the 70s and 80s with 1950s era crash safety rules in mind.

(*) - yep, a few more people might die during a crash. But, if you have fast, comfortable, and relatively cheap higher speed rail, it keeps people out of their cars for medium-distance trips. And a train, even a more lightly-built rest-of-world type is an order of magnitude or more safer than driving.

So we have railcars built like armored personnel carriers and we are trying to push them at aircraft speeds on rails that aren't fit for firewood? Sounds like something we would do, and at a higher cost than anyone else on the planet. The FED loves us, every one of us.