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(rshsdepot) Boston to Portland news

Hampton Union Local News: Train ride is on the fast track
- ----- Original Message -----
From: Henry Rosenberg
To: Paul Luchter
Sent: Thursday, April 29, 2004 1:54 PM
Subject: Re: Emailing: 13026.htm


EXETER - Passengers who catch the Downeaster train in Exeter may get a few
minutes shaved off their trip to Boston after a federal court ruling cleared
the way for Amtrak and Guilford Rail Systems to settle their dispute over
the top speed of the train.
Ron Ray, head of Maine's Office of Passenger Transportation, said the ruling
by the Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., supports Amtrak's efforts to
increase the maximum speed from 59 mph to 79 mph.
That could cut the travel time between Boston and Portland by up to 10
minutes. The current trip, including eight station stops during the summer,
takes two hours and 45 minutes.
Amtrak and Guilford are talking about additional track improvements, such as
fixing stretches near Wells and adding a side track. Roy said the 114-mile
trip to Boston could be shortened to two hours and 30 minutes.
Chop Hardenbergh, editor of Atlantic Northeast Rails & Ports, a weekly
newsletter, said the higher speeds would help the Northern New England
Passenger Rail Authority market the train, even if it only shortens the run
by a few minutes.
"Trains going 79 mph are clearly faster than the speeds people are supposed
to be going down the interstate," he said.
Because the train stops at stations and slows down in other places, such as
swampy areas and curves, the average speed for the trip currently is 41 mph.
Hardenbergh said he wouldn't be surprised if Guilford appeals to the U.S.
Supreme Court, and expressed doubts that the train will be traveling at 79
mph any time soon.
"With Guilford, are you kidding?" he said. "This is not the end."
Guilford owns the track in Maine and New Hampshire and has been fighting
with Amtrak over track standards and higher speeds since the early 1990s.
Guilford has insisted that sturdier tracks and firmer rail beds are needed
to safely run trains at 79 mph. Amtrak paid Guilford $50 million to overhaul
the tracks in 2000 and 2001.
The U.S. Surface Transportation Board said a year ago it was satisfied that
tests run on the new 115-pound track proved it was safe for higher speeds.
Guilford appealed.
The court last week ruled that Guilford wasn't harmed by the transportation
board's decision.
The court didn't consider any of Guilford's safety arguments, saying it
lacked jurisdiction to review the board's order because Guilford is not an
aggrieved party.
| Seacoast Online is owned and operated by Seacoast Newspapers.
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Ottaway Newspapers, Inc., a Dow Jones Company.







- ----- Original Message -----
From: Paul Luchter
To: Henry Rosenberg
Sent: Wednesday, April 28, 2004 11:59 PM
Subject: Re: Emailing: 13026.htm


   I saw nothing but this banner
- ----- Original Message   -----
From: Henry Rosenberg
To: fred fep
Sent: Wednesday, April 28, 2004 10:54 PM
Subject: Emailing: 13026.htm



   Hampton, NH       Tuesday, April 27, 2004
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Train ride is on the fast track
By Associated Press


EXETER - Passengers who catch the Downeaster train in Exeter may get a few
minutes shaved off their trip to Boston after a federal court ruling cleared
the way for Amtrak and Guilford Rail Systems to settle their dispute over
the top speed of the train.
Ron Ray, head of Maine's Office of Passenger Transportation, said the ruling
by the Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., supports Amtrak's efforts to
increase the maximum speed from 59 mph to 79 mph.
That could cut the travel time between Boston and Portland by up to 10
minutes. The current trip, including eight station stops during the summer,
takes two hours and 45 minutes.
Amtrak and Guilford are talking about additional track improvements, such as
fixing stretches near Wells and adding a side track. Roy said the 114-mile
trip to Boston could be shortened to two hours and 30 minutes.
Chop Hardenbergh, editor of Atlantic Northeast Rails & Ports, a weekly
newsletter, said the higher speeds would help the Northern New England
Passenger Rail Authority market the train, even if it only shortens the run
by a few minutes.
"Trains going 79 mph are clearly faster than the speeds people are supposed
to be going down the interstate," he said.
Because the train stops at stations and slows down in other places, such as
swampy areas and curves, the average speed for the trip currently is 41 mph.
Hardenbergh said he wouldn't be surprised if Guilford appeals to the U.S.
Supreme Court, and expressed doubts that the train will be traveling at 79
mph any time soon.
"With Guilford, are you kidding?" he said. "This is not the end."
Guilford owns the track in Maine and New Hampshire and has been fighting
with Amtrak over track standards and higher speeds since the early 1990s.
Guilford has insisted that sturdier tracks and firmer rail beds are needed
to safely run trains at 79 mph. Amtrak paid Guilford $50 million to overhaul
the tracks in 2000 and 2001.
The U.S. Surface Transportation Board said a year ago it was satisfied that
tests run on the new 115-pound track proved it was safe for higher speeds.
Guilford appealed.
The court last week ruled that Guilford wasn't harmed by the transportation
board's decision.
The court didn't consider any of Guilford's safety arguments, saying it
lacked jurisdiction to review the board's order because Guilford is not an
aggrieved party.
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Copyright © 2004 Seacoast Online. All rights reserved. Please read our
Copyright Notice and Terms of Use. Seacoast Newspapers is a subsidiary of
Ottaway Newspapers, Inc., a Dow Jones Company.

=================================
The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org

------------------------------

End of RSHSDepot Digest V1 #902
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=================================
The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org