Siemens to manufacture 83 Airo Intercity Trainsets for Amtrak: Design, Delivery, Acceptance

[west point]

Amtrak just got a grant to add enhancers to all its locos. However FRA still has not acted on Amtrak's request for waiver to install them.

[electricron]

Amtrak just got a grant to add enhancers to all its locos. However FRA still has not acted on Amtrak's request for waiver to install them.

If Amtrak got the money through the FRA funding mechanisms to install them, there's a very good chance FRA approval will be coming soon (i suggest before January and the next administration change).

[eolesen]

Now that I think a little more about it, maybe CSX, NS, and UP should be mandating an axle count bigger than what some of the current trains run at.

Because, safety.....

[west point]

Now that I think a little more about it, maybe CSX, NS, and UP should be mandating an axle count bigger than what some of the current trains run at.

Because, safety.....

Now that is a rather sneaky way to make Amtrak increase capacity on those trains. All I can say when I see a CSX single loco making track speed around here I start wondering about the CN problem. CSX happens about once a week.

[eolesen]

If more roads started requiring an axle count, Amtrak would run out of equipment to run the existing schedule.

[Tadman]

CN has known that the new equipment is coming for almost a decade. Why they still have this ridiculous axle and weight requirement is boggling.

I agree that it is ridiculous but I think the more frustrating part is that Amtrak (and now Via) haven't either made a deal to upgrade the affected crossings, ordered compatible equipment, secured empty equipment as axle counts, nor predicted this might happen on other CN lines where new cars are coming into use. It's like we all just sat there with our fingers in our ears pretending this wasnt going to happen, and when it did, "oh my God I didn't know that was a problem!!!

If more roads started requiring an axle count, Amtrak would run out of equipment to run the existing schedule.

Far as I am aware we are well past that point. Witness the Star and Cap being combined into the Floater, the five-car long distance trains, etc...

[Nasadowsk]

I'm at a loss as to why this is an issue on CN. Actually as to why it's an issue at all. SEPTA runs plenty of three car trains, and they don't seem to have issues. They did need exciters on one car trains, but they don't run singles anymore.

This sounds more like Can'tnadian National issue than an Amtrak one. Or maybe their signal technology in general sucks.

[Jeff Smith]

A solution, perhaps?

https://media.amtrak.com/2024/10/amtrak ... e-midwest/

Grade Crossing Shunt Enhancement Safety Project (up to $58,800,000)

This project includes procurement and installation of Onboard Shunt Enhancement devices for 443 locomotives and 192 cab cars on the nationwide Amtrak-operated fleet to enhance grade crossing activation reliability. Amtrak and partner State Departments of Transportation, CN railroad, and railroad equipment supplier partners recently completed successful preliminary testing of this onboard innovative device that will improve grade crossing activations and reduce problems that have impacted train operations and fleet requirements for several years. This investment will improve service reliability and ensure continued safety protection. Amtrak, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Wisconsin and 13 other state transportation departments will contribute the required local funding match.

[JimBoylan]

S.E.P.T.A. still runs single car Multiple Unit trains on its Cynwyd line for 6 round trips on Weekdays only. There are no more freight customers (or grade crossings) on that line.
The Illinois problem may just be a former Illinois Central problem. Jim Boyd in his autobiography disclosed that Illinois Central RR had a lower speed limit for trains of less than 4 cars on parts of their system. His crew was trying to make a quick return home with 3 light engines and the dispatcher noticed that they were dropping signals too fast for his taste. They decided not to argue that they also had a caboose to make it a "4 car train".

[lensovet]

Wonder how the cost of 58M + local match compares to the cost of fixing the problem needing the extra equipment in the first place.

[Tadman]

I'm at a loss as to why this is an issue on CN. Actually as to why it's an issue at all. SEPTA runs plenty of three car trains, and they don't seem to have issues. They did need exciters on one car trains, but they don't run singles anymore.

This sounds more like Can'tnadian National issue than an Amtrak one. Or maybe their signal technology in general sucks.

I've asked myself in the past if this is CN throwing roadblocks at passenger trains, trying to make it difficult to run and certainly difficult to expand. It's very cheap to run empty freight cars as axle count cars on short locals. Because all Amtrak has are passenger cars with 110-125mph capability and HVAC, plumbing, etc... that's all they can use for axle count adders, and it probably costs 10x per mile to keep a Horizon on the road versus a boxcar.

[Nasadowsk]

Why doesn't the FRA make CN fix a broken signal system? Other operators don't have this issue. Accepting that this happens, and patching around is just normalizing a deviation. That's just bad practice.

I've seen NS make light moves out here with no issues. What are they doing that CN isn't?

[west point]

[I've asked myself in the past if this is CN throwing roadblocks at passenger trains, trying to make it difficult to run

We might know if CN starts calling for more axels?

[bostontrainguy]

Just watched a YouTube video of an Amtrak deadhead move of a switcher and one coach running from Boston to Portland. Under four coaches the rule is 30 mph in MBTA territory but once on CSX the allowable speed is 60 mph and it shows the train running at high speeds through a crossing without a problem.

At 4:00:

[Tadman]

Why doesn't the FRA make CN fix a broken signal system? Other operators don't have this issue.

From what i understand, it's not considered "broken" because CN uses a different lower voltage (or something like that) that is activated perfectly fine if a <60mph freight goes through, which would usually be 20 cars++. Its the small and light passenger trains that cause problems. This happened in the past with Amtrak RDC's on IC tracks in western Illinois, too.