00625126

Component

http://onlinepubs.trb.org...trr/1992/1341/1341-001.pdf

https://scholar.google.co...ison&publication_year=1992

Results are presented of a study of potential fixed-plant improvements to commuter and intercity rail passenger service between Boston and New York that was conducted by the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center under the direction of a Departmental Task Force established by the Secretary of Transportation. A range of alternative improvement programs were identified and characterized. A hierarchy of five alternative programs was defined, ranging from a basic set of projects needed to maintain safety and rehabilitate the existing infrastructure (yielding modest performance gains), to programs that also include substantial capital investment in track work, signaling, electrification, and potential curve and route alignments, which could trim up to 1 1/2 hr from the current best scheduled trip time of just under 4 hr. The study found that an investment of about $1.1 billion is needed during the next decade to bring the existing infrastructure to a state of good repair. More extensive programs, reducing trip time to between 2 1/2 and 3 hr, would cost an additional $500 million to $2.5 billion (exclusive of rolling stock). Potential Amtrak ridership gains and societal benefits were estimated in the study, but are not addressed here.

This paper appears in Transportation Research Record No. 1341, Railroad Issues. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved

01404968

English

p. 3-11

1992

Transportation Research Record

0309052076

Figures (1) ; Tables (3)

Alternatives analysis; Improvements; Infrastructure; Intercity transportation; Investments; Passenger transportation; Railroad commuter service; Railroad transportation; Reduction (Chemistry); Repairing; Ridership; Social benefits; Travel time

Amtrak

Programs; Repairs

Boston (Massachusetts); New York (New York)

Boston (Massachusetts); New York (New York)

Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Passenger Transportation; Planning and Forecasting; Railroads

TRIS, TRB

Oct 19 1993 12:00AM

• APPLYING STATISTICAL PROCESS CONTROL METHODS IN RAILROAD FREIGHT CLASSIFICATION YARDS
• CHANGING LONG-DISTANCE PASSENGER MARKETS IN A DEREGULATED ENVIRONMENT
• DEFINITION OF HOMOGENEOUS SEGMENTS ON THE BASIS OF CONDITION DATA: GENERAL APPROACHES AND SPECIFIC APPLICATION TO RAIL MAINTENANCE
• FORECASTING HIGH-SPEED RAIL RIDERSHIP
• FREIGHT SERVICE QUALITY COST ECONOMICS AND A HYPOTHETICAL RAILROAD EXAMPLE
• HEAD-HARDENED RAILS PRODUCED FROM ROLLING HEAT
• IMPLICATIONS OF HIGH-SPEED RAIL ON AIR TRAFFIC
• TURNOUT REHABILITATION WITH BITUMINOUS CONCRETE UNDERLAYMENTS