BoilerBob wrote:Guess that answers my question. Too bad though, I think electrification might be the answer to high speed rail in the US.High Speed rail is a different matter altogether. It requires new lines with no crossings by road vehicles. But it also requires greater frequency of service. (I have watched the NEC in Connecticut beyond New Haven. I am amazed at how few trains there are on that route. I am told it is because of restrictions in opening times of the numerous movable bridges on the route, but electrification of that kind of route ought to have several trains an hour.)
I think the Chicago-Milwaukee route would benefit from electrification. I am aware that the track authority is not Amtrak, but that could be got round by negotiation. The speed of that route is rather slow, though it still competes well with road speed when the road is congested. An electrified route could have higher speeds and would attract even more passengers (there is still the problem of road crossings).