I am anxious to see the 2011 MSA estimates.

Because there are no stations, there is no signaling on the line east of Goldsboro, who knows what CSX would have to say about the at-grade crossings of their two lines in Selma and Goldsboro, there is street running in both New Bern and Morehead which makes things more complicated and slower still, and because adding service between Raleigh and Charlotte is a higher priority, and Asheville and Wilmington are the next priorities after that due to greater population and higher ridership potential.

Service to New Bern and Morehead would be nice, don't get me wrong, but implementation is much more than a matter of Patrick Simmons down at the DOT snapping his fingers trains rolling.

Still not understanding why Charlotte needs a wye. Why aren't the Piedmont and Carolinian push-pull trains yet, with a locomotive on one end and a non-powered control car on the other?

Still not understanding why Charlotte needs a wye. Why aren't the Piedmont and Carolinian push-pull trains yet, with a locomotive on one end and a non-powered control car on the other?

Agreed. And I don't know why they can't allow the Piedmont, at least once a day, to go all the way to Morehead City so I can catch the rails to New BERN!!!!!

Still not understanding why Charlotte needs a wye. Why aren't the Piedmont and Carolinian push-pull trains yet, with a locomotive on one end and a non-powered control car on the other?

According to this post over at rr dot net the Carolinian and two Virginia trains (one to Lynchburg and one to Newport News) are approaching profitability according to the current Amtrak five year financial plan. http://www.railroad....art=60#p1014324 These appear to be the only trains outside the NE corridor that are close to profitability.

If this indeed turns out to be accurate then I think this makes a very strong case for SEHSR. In addition, if capacity limits have caped revenue growth on the Carolinian then perhaps a second train to DC / NY would be appropriate (equipment permitting). It looks like there are quite a few people willing to pay to connect to the NE corridor by rail.

I have been wondering about the potential of a regional Crescent service from Atlanta to Washington. This would provide riders with a daytime train between Atlanta, Upstate South Carolina, and Charlotte, a corridor that I believe has strong ridership potential that remains mostly untapped due to the current schedule. With a successful regional service from Atlanta to Charlotte and points north, this will hopefully get Georgia and South Carolina to take future SEHSR funding seriously. However, I'm not sure if it would have a negative impact on current Crescent, Carolinian and Piedmont ridership.

A possible schedule, based off the current Crescent schedule and accommodating current service:

Southbound Crescent Regional Northbound
8 00A Washington 9 49P
9 22A Charlottesville 7 05P
1 52P Greensboro 4 10P
4 15P Charlotte 1 42P
6 31P Greenville 10 54A
9 43P Atlanta 8 00A

Sorry for the whacky formatting.

What is the eventual goal of the SEHSR between Raleigh and Charlotte? Complete grade separation and 110 mph? Or is that just planned for the Raleigh-Richmond S-Line?

Quick Question.. is there any way NCRR can make the line between RGH and CLT closed so that the speed can be increased to a higher speed level? I know they are double tracking it, but is that enough considering the line has to share with freight. Should it be triple tracked with a dedicated freight line and closed so the Piedmont can potentially get up to 125mp? When I traveled the rail line in Barcelona, it was completely closed and it really MOVED! It would be nice if something like that could happen on the NCRR line... just a thought..

Yes, it could be closed off (assuming you mean eliminating grade crossings).

Diesel locomotives, however, can go only 110 mph or so, so to get up to 125 mph, the line would have to be electrified, with catenary and new locomotives EDITED TO ADD and new passenger cars, as the ones that NC uses probably aren't certified for 125-mph travel. I don't see that happening.

Then I say we go up to 100mph with the current equipment. That should be able to shave some time of the trip and make the time better than driving.. Just a thought..

A key goal would be to replace and upgrade the current, cramped Amtrak station on Cabarrus Street. That station is simply not up to snuff for handling the load from eight daily passenger trains - a load that has made Raleigh a busier stop than Charlotte, Atlanta, Orlando or Miami.

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/01/08/1758486/moving-people-boosting-the-buzz.html#storylink=cpy

North Carolina has remained among the fastest-growing states in the nation during the economic downturn, adding an estimated 121,000 residents in the 15 months that ended in July, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.The state had an estimated 9,656,401 residents on July 1, or 1.3 percent more than the decennial census count on April 1, 2010. The nation's population grew 0.9 percent during that time, the slowest growth rate since the mid-1940s, the census bureau reported Wednesday. Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/12/22/1726448/state-still-among-fastest-growing.html#storylink=cpy

Holiday Sales Woes Cast Cloud Over Sears

Sales at stores open at least 12 months have slid every year since the company was created by the well-known hedge-fund investor in 2005. But its deteriorating condition has accelerated this year—it posted a $421 million loss last quarter—and it said Tuesday that same-store sales for the eight weeks ending Christmas Day dropped 5.2% compared to the year before......

Anyone know what is happening at the High Point station? It looks like they are moving a retaining wall and -possibly- adding a third track.

FWIW: the mid-day northbound train was VERY crowded today. There was also a surprising amount of short-distance traffic (e.g. Clt-Kannapolis, Kannapolis-Salisbury and Greensboro-Burlington all had traffic)

First, with the proposed track configuration, freight trains must pass by on the platform tracks for the SEHSR (S-line) platform. The H-line platform is off the mainline. It might be possible to find a configuration that would keep freight off the platform tracks, but it would probably have some other limitation or require reconfiguring the Norfolk-Southern line to Fayetteville, which they will not entertain.

Second, there's a possibility that the SEHSR will actually use low platform rolling stock, Though I'd rather it doesn't since that precludes through-running past Washington.

I went back over this, and saw the proposed H-Line platform (Piedmont, Carolinian, Silver Star [assuming the latter two continue going through Rocky Mount]) will be a high platform, which is great for faster boarding times. However, the proposed S-Line platform for SEHSR is a low platform. I wonder why? You'd think high platforms would be preferred for SEHSR.

Here is a document (pdf) that shows how the Viaduct Building in the center of the Raleigh wye could be modified into a train station. Looks pretty interesting. The main entrance to the station would be from a pedestrian plaza at the end of Martin Street, where pedestrians could walk under the tracks. The vehicular entrance for buses and cars would be from a southward extension of West Street.

Same could be said about Charlotte and schools like VA Tech, UNC and Clemson. All within reasonsable driving distance and lots of their fans live here. You would know that since you used to live here

And Atlanta's not really all that neutral for the SEC with Athens only being about a hour east; there are tons upon tons of Bulldog fans in Atlanta. But in a technical sense, it's a neutral site since there are no SEC schools in Atlanta proper.

Conference championship games for football are either at the team with the best in-conference record (see Pac-12 or Conf USA) or at a neutral site such as Charlotte (ACC), Indianapolis (Big 10), Atlanta (SEC), etc.

Gov Perdue signs Cherokee gaming expansion deal which would allow live table gambling. This move also opens the door to native american run casinos opening across the state even in urban cities such as Charlotte or Greensboro.

http://www.news-reco...64/entry/132744