Mass Transit magazine features agency profiles, industry trends, management tips and new product information.
Issue link: https://masstransit.epubxp.com/i/385405
RAINS ARE AGAIN CONTENDERS in the mass transit game, competing for both passengers and freight. Planes once soared above, but steep fuel costs and airport hassles have made for turbulent times. Trains, on the other hand, are now more energy efcient, use less fuel than planes, and do not come with the many hassles associated with airports (such as airport security and long lineups). Amtrak, in 2012, carried more than 31 million passengers, the most in a single calendar year in its history. Ridership has doubled since 2000, and Amtrak expects the growth trend to continue. One of the major, foreseeable im- pediments to growth is rail infra- structure. The classic railroads of yore cannot handle the surging ridership. Many of them already handle freight. The demand exceeds capacity, forcing bottlenecks to occur. The solution for many railroads is easy to conceptualize but hard to execute: adding a second train track or "double track." In some cases, a third or fourth track should be added, like the line from Philadel- phia to Baltimore or from Washing- ton, D.C. to Baltimore. Adding tracks has proven to be a winning solution in most bottlenecking problems. Most bottlenecking occurs because trains have to stop and take turns using the same track. An additional track allows trains to continue moving past each other and increases routing options. Te interrelationship between pas- senger and freight train services moti- vates both industries to invest in rail- road infrastructure upgrades. Many passenger trains, including those that Amtrak operates and those that oth- er commuter companies operate, run along existing freight lines. Passenger and freight trains compete for precious track time. Passenger train delays con- tribute to freight train delays and vice versa. Te opposite is also true. Pas- senger train efciencies contribute to freight train efciencies and vice versa. Tus, both the passenger and freight train industries have been investing in railroad infrastructure upgrades, specifcally to train tracks, bridges and tunnels. In fact, both industries combined have invested more than $75 billion since 2009. Te upgraded infra- structure, in turn, improves the capac- ity and reliability of on-time service to both passengers and freight. Te state of California is a represen- tative case study of this need in rail. T A doubletracking project along the LOSSAN Corridor in Southern California was full of challenges, but now sets the stage for addressing trafc issues and future growth along one of the nation's busiest rail corridors. By John Eschenbach California Doubles Do 66 | Mass Transit | MassTransitmag.com | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014