The Power of Speed

[I will start with a brief apology for the long silence since the last post. Suffice it to say I am uncertain about blogging and have let it lapse.] Last night, I read a post by Yonah Freemark about French plans to introduce low-cost TGV service between Paris and Marseille. Ignoring for a moment that

Northeast trails Calif., Midwest in race for Federal rail funds

In today’s Boston Globe, Alan Wirzbicki writes an article entitled Northeast trails Calif., Midwest in race for federal rail funds. The point he makes is that other regions of the United States, such as the Southeast, the Midwest, and the Northwest, have spent more time, money, and effort in recent years preparing the plans, and

We are quiet car people!

In a previous post, I have touched on the phenomenon of the Amtrak Quiet Car, and I guess at some point I should flesh that out further. Today is not the day to do so. For the moment, I am going to encourage you to take less than ten minutes and listen to a portion

Train speeds on the NEC, Part III

I have discussed the operational side of Northeast Corridor train speeds previously. These discussions were prompted by Florida Congressman Mica, who proposed a plan to reduce trip time between Washington and New York from less than three hours to a flat two hours. I wrote in general terms about how to evaluate such a proposal

Amtrak’s Boardman discusses electrification from FL to ME to Chicago

From Brian O’Neill, at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, in the article  A fast track away from oil dependency, which relates a conversation he has with Amtrak’s new president Joe Boardman… Mr. Boardman sees an electrified American rail system, both for passengers and freight. The passenger side is well-established in the Northeast, and he’d like Amtrak to move south from