200mph NE Corridor Proposal Ditched

[Kevin Wilson-Smith]

No 200 MPH NE Corridor.

Amtrak President Kummant has now oppose the idea of converting the NE Corridor to a 200 mph passenger service. Citing the expense and difficulty of separating the high speed trains from freight unit which share the route, he has proposed that he money be spent building out the base system and increased speed to 100 mph overall.

Probably a more practical proposal, given the constant underfunding in relation to Amtrak anyway.

[John Ashworth]

Shame. The USA misses yet another chance to enter the world of 21st century transport.

But as you say, Kevin, upgrading the general infrastructure to allow more uniform 100 mph (160 kph) running can often improve performance drastically. True high speed, say 250 kph plus, usually needs a completely new, separate, dedicated line as in Europe, Japan and elsewhere. But to compete with airlines such high speed lines are needed.