ODOT to consider High Speed Rail between Eugene and Portland OR.

[NozomiFan]

The original system, also known as the Amtrak Cascades. As Portland received moneys from the ARRA for improving high speed rail between Eugene and Portland.

This system, must be able to reach 110 mph, to classify as "high speed rail". (I guess they've never heard of a Shinkansen...)

The Cascades has 2 round- trips per day, which each round trip is 2 hours and 35 min, but Oregon wants to increase to 6 trips per day, and a 95% on time preformance. So I will be attending the open house on the subject, and would like some ideas for how EMU's or Mini-Shinkansens could solve this problem.

Obviously, this could be the spark to revolutionize HST in America.

[bikkuri bahn]

Apparently 110mph is the fastest the freight railroads will allow passenger trains to run on their tracks.  BTW, with only 6 trips a day, they are probably looking at either loco-hauled passenger trains (Talgo seems to be popular up there in the Northwest) or DMU's, rather than EMU's- as the frequency of service doesn't justify the expense of electrification.

[Mudkip Orange]

Yes with Bikkuri.

 

On the physical infrastructure side, most of the line between Oregon City and Eugene is singletrack, so spending the money to doubletrack portions of it should come first - well before any discussion of electrification.

 

On the operating/rollingstock side, Talgo trainsets are able to operate in the Northwest under an FRA waiver that dates to the Northern Pacific days. They are not allowed anywhere else in the US, as the lightweight design does not meet FRA crashworthiness standards. Thus if there's one area of the country where it DOESN'T make sense to go through the regulatory redtape required to import "mini-shinkansens" (!!!) or other foreign trainsets, it's the Pacific Northwest.

 

Doubletrack the lines on the Oregon side, tripletrack portions of the Washington side, add the necessary ATC infrastructure for higher-speed running, and figure out a way to retrofit Seattle King Street and Portland Union to eliminate railhead-level boarding without messing up the historic preservation crap. After all that then you can discuss electrification.