On Thursday, April 11, 2019 at 9:38:23 AM UTC-4, Clark F Morris wrote:   
      
   > Based on the Phoebe Snow schedules, a bus is half an hour to an hour   
   > faster New York - Scranton than the Phoebe Snow was Hoboken -Scranton.   
   > I don't see rail as being time competitive without billions of dollars   
   > of investment and a new cutoff Dover - Newark or Dover - New York.   
      
   I was on I-80 in New Jersey.  We passed through a massive cut   
   that eliminated what otherwise would've been a steep hill and curves.   
      
   While I don't know the railroad geography, I suspect the old ROW   
   was built long before the engineering capability to build such   
   massive cuts, and thus would be a slow route.   
      
   Now, if they invested the same kind of money into rebuilding rail   
   lines that they did on the Interstates, maybe we'd have something.   
      
   Also, let's not forget that today, many Interstates are old and need   
   full reconstruction.  Maybe the money would be better spent on rail   
   in high-use corridors?   
      
   One thing I do believe is that the brick wall we now have between   
   passenger and freight ought to be removed.  It's ludicrous to have   
   two side-by-side tracks, one dedicated to psgr, one to freight,   
   with tie-ups on both, when a double track line would be more fluid.   
   (I saw this personally with a once two track line converted to   
   two single-tracks--many more delays).   
      
   Anyway, freight service would benefit would new lines built with   
   modern skills that were lower and straighter.  Geez, NS is still   
   using the ancient Pennsy route across Penna.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)