This piece offers some insight on how stimulus rail dollars may be spent in Charlotte, NC. Of interest to me is that plans call for putting the east-west CSX line in a trench to offer separation from the Norfolk Southern grade on which additional passenger trains (and perhaps light rail) will be moving on. Charlotte Observer 'Breaks it Down' Posted by palmland (Member # 4344) on :
Thanks for the link, David. Very interesting and once again NC demonstrates that they have their act together.
I know CSX (and NS) were always concerned about the connection near the ADM plant and this will be a big help. I am surprised they are talking about a coach yard beyond the station near the BofA stadium. I would have thought they would just use the existing station tracks, but this will be closer and reduce the need to use NS mainline.
I had also thought all the station property had been bought, but sounds like a few parcels still needed to be purchased. With the work planned, it sounds like all property and track changes will be in place. Now all we need is the station.
The issue, I think, with a coach yard at the existing 1960's Charlotte Station is that both tracks at rhe platform are Norfolk Southern's main line. (For those who have not been to Charlotte, a single platform sits between the two main tracks with a ramp down and under to the station.)
Storage is limited to the stub end house track which the Piedmont sits on during the day, the Carolinian overnight, and another unused siding into the former Railway Express Agency building.
Posted by Tanner929 (Member # 3720) on :
I have a question. When they speak about High Speed are they talking "bullet" trains? Are these trains for a shuttle system? so that they can run back and forth on regularly scheduled times or will they zoom down to charlotte and stay there until the afternoon commute? The article mentioned frieght and i'll assume amtrak will continue to ramble by. How will this affect the speed of the trains, the Acela is limited to speeds on most of its route?
Posted by Doodlebug (Member # 4564) on :
It should be noted that fulfilling North Carolina's rail transportation plan will require a much larger passenger station and expanded facilities for turning around trains than the current station there provides, which is why spending the stimulus in this way is wise.
The plan calls for eight daily trains (four roundtrips) between Charlotte and Richmond (and to the Northeast Corridor beyond) within 10 years compared to the two Amtrak Carolinians today. Plus it calls for 10 intrastate trains (five roundtrips) daily between Charlotte and Raleigh compared to today's two Piedmonts. The 18 daily trains (nine roundtrips) between the state's two largest cities are about the same frequency that we have today along the Capitol Corridor from San Jose to Sacramento, so a station and passenger yard in Charlotte comparable to what these two California cities have -- but more integrated into the local transit system -- makes sense.
Posted by Doodlebug (Member # 4564) on :
Tanner929, these trains will be "high speed" in the devalued American sense of the term, not bullet trains.
The trains envisioned in the plan will be diesel trains capable of 110-mph top speeds (two locomotives, six passenger cars with tilting capability), and they are aiming for a Charlotte-Richmond travel time of 4:25 including five intermediate stops.
The coach yard might be paving the way for the new station they are supposed to be building in Charlotte soon. They plan to have that done soon, and if I'm right, it will be near where the bus station is right now
Posted by George Harris (Member # 2077) on :
Go to http://www.bytrain.org/istation/icharlotte.html and hit the links at the bottom. They are getting a little moldy, being dated 2002, but I think they are still what the state has in mind. The plan is to build a new station at the site of the original - that is pre 1960's - downtown Southern Railway Station. As planned it will be close to the stadium and have close access to the Light Rail system currently being put in.
Posted by amtrak92 (Member # 14343) on :
Yeah, they say it will be done in 2012, I'll believe that when I see it, but it looks nice
Posted by George Harris (Member # 2077) on :
Considering that the study was done in 2002, I would say at the earliest add 10 years to now, that is 2020. Something of this nature is getting more likely as time goes on as: 1. For sure North Carolina is going to add one Raleigh-Charlotte daily train in the near future.
2. If the California experience holds, as they added trains down the Valley, the trains had more riders EACH than they did before, leading to justification for adding a fourth train, and possible more. These additional trains are made practical by the restoration of the full double track between Greensboro and Charlotte.
3. Charlotte has at least one commuter line planned, and it makes no sense without a downtown station.
Posted by amtrak92 (Member # 14343) on :
I agree, do you know when that new service starts, I want to catch the first ride and I'm wanting to buy a ticket. I think most of the NC Railroad is double now where Amtrak uses it