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| Re: How 3rd Rail Running Commuter Rail Could Have Avoided / Ameliorated Fiery Crash (1339875) | |||
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Re: How 3rd Rail Running Commuter Rail Could Have Avoided / Ameliorated Fiery Crash |
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Posted by Fisk Ave Jim on Sat Feb 14 19:40:11 2015, in response to Re: How 3rd Rail Running Commuter Rail Could Have Avoided / Ameliorated Fiery Crash, posted by ElectricTraction on Sat Feb 14 15:52:24 2015. "They're a nightmare in exactly the way that I posted..."Really?? In reality, Those Genesis engines are responsible for maintaining at least a 95% on time performance on the upper Hudson Line. Over the years, ridership on the Hudson Line has more than quadrupled . Why is that?? Because of the relibility of those "nightmare" GE engines & the comfortable Shoreliner coaches. Toss in for good measure, installing high level platforms & additional parking. Customer satisfaction ratings are also at high levels never seen before.Nobody clamoring for electric trains.Give them something good & they will come...an they did. As a matter of fact, I used to work around MTA procurement folks & the success of the GE engines & Shoreliner coaches on the Hudson Line, demonstrated by their on time performance & reliability made many of them admitting (quietly)that extending the 3d rail beyond NWP was a mistake. In 1984 dollars, it cost the MTA (taxpayers)at least 1 MIL $$ per mile, per track, to install the 3d rail over there, then. You could only guess how much it would cost to install more 3d rail anywhere nowadays. And thats just for the installation. Now you have to buy railcars to utilize the juice. Each MU car is considered an electric locomotive in the eyes of the FRA. That means higher maintenance, more inspections & the cost of labor that goes along with it. Shoreliner (Bomb) coaches are, simplistically put, not much more than climate controlled 85ft boxcars with airbags,seats & lights.Thus subject to much less rigorous inspections which translates into lest cost of labor involved & less time in the shop. Bottom line 3d rail extentions are very expensive. You'll see no more extentions on Metro North & maybe in the future, some of it ripped up. Maybe thats why over on the LIRR, 3d rail never reached Pt Jefferson. I'll stick my neck out here & say it'll never reach Yaphank or Patchougue. |
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