According to an Amtrak strategic plan from 2003 that outlined capital spending for 2004-2008, the railroad planned to spend $266 million to fix electric traction. According to the report, the money would go to:
•"refurbishing" 200 miles of catenary
•"upgrading" 24 miles of contact wire
•replacing 45 transformers, 80 circuit breakers, and 50 air switches
•adding two new substations
•replacing 2 rotary frequency converters
•replacing deteriorated catenary pulls.
I don't know if "refurbishing" and "upgrading" means switching to constant tension. But the strategic plan shows that in 2003, virtually all of the catenary south of New Rochelle (except for stretches mostly in Maryland) and attendant substations were "not in a state of good repair." The forecast for after FY 2008--assuming spending stays on target--shows most of the track (except for three 10-15 mile sections, one in Delaware and two in NJ) and about two-thirds of the substations in a "state of good repair." Will that raise the MAS to 150 mph? Anybody?