Stupid, Archaic and Weird Highway Laws

[vdeane]

In all seriousness, those Amtrak trains move pretty fast.

Default Amtrak speed, barring train traffic or track conditions otherwise, is 79 MPH.  There are some segments here and there (including the "racetrack" in your neck of the woods, between Albany and Schenectady roughly from the Northway to past 890) where speeds are up to 90 or even 110.  And this doesn't count the Northeast Corridor.

That would be where I first encountered an Amtrak train.  The time the gates were down before the train arrived (and after it left) was notably longer than the time it took the train to pass (which was practically none).  They moved fast enough that the ground shook and were quite loud - let's just say that you did NOT want to be out of the car when the Amtrak train arrived!

All the crossings on the Empire and New England lines have a "high speed trains" sign attached.

[Pete from Boston]

In all seriousness, those Amtrak trains move pretty fast.

Default Amtrak speed, barring train traffic or track conditions otherwise, is 79 MPH.  There are some segments here and there (including the "racetrack" in your neck of the woods, between Albany and Schenectady roughly from the Northway to past 890) where speeds are up to 90 or even 110.  And this doesn't count the Northeast Corridor.

That would be where I first encountered an Amtrak train.  The time the gates were down before the train arrived (and after it left) was notably longer than the time it took the train to pass (which was practically none).  They moved fast enough that the ground shook and were quite loud - let's just say that you did NOT want to be out of the car when the Amtrak train arrived!

All the crossings on the Empire and New England lines have a "high speed trains" sign attached.

Most, maybe.  Not all.  I cross the Downeaster tracks quite a lot, and there's no sign other than the typical lights and gates.  One crossing does have a flagger that does not flag, but rather gets a union wage and a pension to sit in a booth, but that is because the crossing doesn't have room for the other safeguards needed for hornless running.

[1995hoo]

And in the time it takes them to do all of that, the train gets closer... and closer... and CLOSER, sneaking up, ready to pounce on the bus and take the souls of the kids from this world!

In all seriousness, those Amtrak trains move pretty fast.

I'm not sure about other Amtrak branches but its Northeast & Keystone corridors are all grade-separated.

Note that outside the Northeast Corridor Amtrak generally doesn't own the tracks–the freight companies do–and there are a lot more at-grade crossings. Back in 2005 I was on a train that was late due to a car being stuck on the tracks in Jacksonville.

[Rothman]

And in the time it takes them to do all of that, the train gets closer... and closer... and CLOSER, sneaking up, ready to pounce on the bus and take the souls of the kids from this world!

In all seriousness, those Amtrak trains move pretty fast.

I'm not sure about other Amtrak branches but its Northeast & Keystone corridors are all grade-separated.

Note that outside the Northeast Corridor Amtrak generally doesn't own the tracks–the freight companies do–and there are a lot more at-grade crossings. Back in 2005 I was on a train that was late due to a car being stuck on the tracks in Jacksonville.

I've heard that the only profitable Amtrak line is between Albany and NYC (or down the corridor); that track is owned by CSX, I believe.

[jeffandnicole]

And in the time it takes them to do all of that, the train gets closer... and closer... and CLOSER, sneaking up, ready to pounce on the bus and take the souls of the kids from this world!

In all seriousness, those Amtrak trains move pretty fast.

I'm not sure about other Amtrak branches but its Northeast & Keystone corridors are all grade-separated.

Note that outside the Northeast Corridor Amtrak generally doesn't own the tracks—the freight companies do—and there are a lot more at-grade crossings. Back in 2005 I was on a train that was late due to a car being stuck on the tracks in Jacksonville.

I've heard that the only profitable Amtrak line is between Albany and NYC (or down the corridor); that track is owned by CSX, I believe.

Not even close...in regards to Albany is concerned. 

The only profitable lines (as of 2013) are the Northeast Regional, including the Acela, Washington-Newport News & Washington-Norfolk.

The Empire - which is the NYC-Albany line, recovers only about 62% of expenses.

[Rothman]

And in the time it takes them to do all of that, the train gets closer... and closer... and CLOSER, sneaking up, ready to pounce on the bus and take the souls of the kids from this world!

In all seriousness, those Amtrak trains move pretty fast.

I'm not sure about other Amtrak branches but its Northeast & Keystone corridors are all grade-separated.

Note that outside the Northeast Corridor Amtrak generally doesn't own the tracks—the freight companies do—and there are a lot more at-grade crossings. Back in 2005 I was on a train that was late due to a car being stuck on the tracks in Jacksonville.

I've heard that the only profitable Amtrak line is between Albany and NYC (or down the corridor); that track is owned by CSX, I believe.

Not even close...in regards to Albany is concerned. 

The only profitable lines (as of 2013) are the Northeast Regional, including the Acela, Washington-Newport News & Washington-Norfolk.

The Empire - which is the NYC-Albany line, recovers only about 62% of expenses.

Yeah, that was the exclusive "or" I put in there.

[vdeane]

In all seriousness, those Amtrak trains move pretty fast.

Default Amtrak speed, barring train traffic or track conditions otherwise, is 79 MPH.  There are some segments here and there (including the "racetrack" in your neck of the woods, between Albany and Schenectady roughly from the Northway to past 890) where speeds are up to 90 or even 110.  And this doesn't count the Northeast Corridor.

That would be where I first encountered an Amtrak train.  The time the gates were down before the train arrived (and after it left) was notably longer than the time it took the train to pass (which was practically none).  They moved fast enough that the ground shook and were quite loud - let's just say that you did NOT want to be out of the car when the Amtrak train arrived!

All the crossings on the Empire and New England lines have a "high speed trains" sign attached.

Most, maybe.  Not all.  I cross the Downeaster tracks quite a lot, and there's no sign other than the typical lights and gates.  One crossing does have a flagger that does not flag, but rather gets a union wage and a pension to sit in a booth, but that is because the crossing doesn't have room for the other safeguards needed for hornless running.

The ones in NY do.  Of course, the FRA's definition (which I'm aware of because I'm involved in the rail crossing inventory update) only has the New England high speed rail ID on the Albany-Boston line.

[froggie]

I'm not sure about other Amtrak branches but its Northeast & Keystone corridors are all grade-separated.

They are, which helps, but those aren't the only fast corridors.  Empire Service along the New York-Albany corridor is fast enough that, even with its stops, it's competitive with driving the Thruway.