Jackson County Regional Rail Plan

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DaveKCMO
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Re: Jackson County Regional Rail Plan

Post by DaveKCMO »

the locally preferred alternative for the US 71 corridor was unveiled to the public last night -- prospect MAX in the near-term, DMU on existing tracks in the long-term.

http://www.kcsmartmoves.org/pdf/us71/US ... -13-13.pdf
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Re: Jackson County Regional Rail Plan

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a capacity study is finally underway to determine which railroad (KCS v UP) wins the argument about where regional rail terminates downtown: http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/n ... erway.html
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Re: Jackson County Regional Rail Plan

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http://www.kansascity.com/2013/08/26/44 ... posed.html
The rush irritates the alliance, partly because it has supported a long process to place a commuter rail plan before voters, something that would probably require funding from a large, a one-cent sales tax increase. But that effort was put on hold earlier this year (creating the opening on the ballot for the medical research tax) because of disagreements between two major railroads on where the commuter line could run.
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Re: Jackson County Regional Rail Plan

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http://www.examiner.net/article/2013100 ... fresh=true
Now the “Trench Feasibility Study” that MARC and other area agencies released last week confirms that the modified plan is the far cheaper alternative – $168 million to $198 million to get from I-435 to Third and Grand compared with $758.8 million to $1.16 billion to get from I-435 to Union Station.

“I think by and large this reinforces the recommendation we made a year ago,” Gerend said.

Over the long term, officials have said, they do want to get to Union Station. In part, it would probably involve going down Truman Road in Kansas City.
3rd and grand it is, assuming this ever makes it to the ballot. still have to sort out the pissing match between UP and KCS.
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taxi
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Re: Jackson County Regional Rail Plan

Post by taxi »

DaveKCMO wrote:
3rd and grand it is, assuming this ever makes it to the ballot. still have to sort out the pissing match between UP and KCS.
How about a good old fashioned nekid mud wrastling contest between the CEO's?
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Re: Jackson County Regional Rail Plan

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http://www.examiner.net/article/20131018/NEWS/131018618

Glad to see this is still getting some push- especially from the eastern Jackson County officials/mayors. Hope to hear when they plan to put it on the ballot soon.
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Re: Jackson County Regional Rail Plan

Post by FangKC »

Couldn't the line running to 3rd and Grand end up at Union Station via the West Bottoms, and wrap around back east to Union Station?
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Re: Jackson County Regional Rail Plan

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what purpose would that serve? wouldn't a large majority of the passengers get off when by the city market?
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Re: Jackson County Regional Rail Plan

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aknowledgeableperson wrote:what purpose would that serve? wouldn't a large majority of the passengers get off when by the city market?
yes, and you add more railroad complexity. i'm told the tracks under the broadway bridge are even more congested than those in the trench.
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Re: Jackson County Regional Rail Plan

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The N end of downtown used to have its own formidable train depot along those rail lines.. This used to be at 2nd St...

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Re: Jackson County Regional Rail Plan

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which railroad(s)?
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Re: Jackson County Regional Rail Plan

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I don't know but it was called Grand Central Station and existed before the one in NYC. That shot is from 1890 at 2nd/Wyandotte.

http://www.kchistory.org/cdm4/item_view ... OX=1&REC=4
http://www.kchistory.org/cdm4/item_view ... OX=1&REC=3
http://www.kchistory.org/cdm4/item_view ... OX=1&REC=5

This one taken in 1895..
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Re: Jackson County Regional Rail Plan

Post by flyingember »

DaveKCMO wrote:which railroad(s)?
Kansas City Southern literally used to begin at 2nd and Wyandotte. there's a plaque about it being MM 0 for the railroad out front of the apt building. I'd give good odds on it being their yard for at least part of the period.

that last photo is cool. you can see a period summer streetcar in the foreground. interesting the hannibal bridge doesn't show up but the angle looks to be just enough to the west to not get it in, it would be just slightly to the right of this view. not sure if a road deck would show, the high one we think of was the later replacement bridge. (a postcard I found online doesn't show one to answer that)
Last edited by flyingember on Tue Oct 22, 2013 7:25 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: Jackson County Regional Rail Plan

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I just found that it was indeed built by KC Southern in 1890.
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Re: Jackson County Regional Rail Plan

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Before Union Station was built on Pershing, there were three different train stations serving different railroads. Union Depot in the West Bottoms, Grand Central at 2nd and Wyandotte, and Grand Avenue Station at 22nd and McGee. Union Station on Pershing consolidated all the railroads under one roof for the first time in Kansas City.

Grand Avenue Station, demolished in 1959.

http://tinyurl.com/mvz9794

I really hate that Grand Central at 2nd and Wyandotte was demolished. That was a cool little building, and would have been a wonderful landmark if it remained in the River Market.
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Re: Jackson County Regional Rail Plan

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The FRA is set to allow European passenger equipment designs on mixed-use tracks. This is a big deal, as until now any passenger train that traveled on tracks used by freight trains had to have an enhanced (more expensive) structure. This won't mean much for the Missouri River Runner, since it already has new equipment on order but it could mean quite a bit for the Jackson County Rail Plan should it get off the ground.

http://nextcity.org/theworks/entry/mode ... s-2015-fra
For decades, the Federal Railroad Administration had effectively banned modern European trains from American mainline rail networks. European and Asian manufacturers have been slimming down their rolling stock for years to improve performance — energy efficiency, braking and acceleration, even track and train maintenance — while U.S. transit agencies were stuck with bulked-up versions of sleek European cars, weighted down and otherwise modified to meet FRA regulations.

The Acela, on Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor, was perhaps the most notorious victim of the old rules. David Gunn once called it a “high-velocity bank vault” for its bulky design, and many attributed its maintenance woes to its untested design, customized to meet U.S. safety regulations. But every commuter and intercity train has to comply with the rules, and most suffer, to one degree or another, from high costs and poor performance.

But not for much longer. Beginning in 2015, regulators and manufacturers expect the FRA to allow modern European designs on tracks throughout the country, running side by side with heavy freight at all times of day. There will be no special signaling requirements for trains purchased under the new rules, although a separate requirement for more advancing anti-collision signaling, called positive train control, is set to kick in around the same time.

Crash safety reform has been slowly building at the FRA for more than a decade, and until now modern European designs were only available to agencies that could endure an onerous waiver process, and only if they could keep other trains off the tracks during service hours. Transit agencies could apply to the FRA for an exemption, but they had to submit detailed engineering analyses and could not run freight or so-called “non-compliant passenger trains” — that is, lightweight European and Asian models, more like subway and light rail cars than bulky intercity equipment — at the same time. Railroads in Europe and Asia are not subject to conditions like these.
More at the link.
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Re: Jackson County Regional Rail Plan

Post by flyingember »

and what makes this especially nice is as I recall the streetcar system is the same gauge as the freight lines.

so this gives the potential to simplify. instead of needing to build new everywhere there's the potential for sharing key segment between the two systems, like at bridges
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Re: Jackson County Regional Rail Plan

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flyingember wrote:and what makes this especially nice is as I recall the streetcar system is the same gauge as the freight lines.

so this gives the potential to simplify. instead of needing to build new everywhere there's the potential for sharing key segment between the two systems, like at bridges
potential, yes. there are still regulatory barriers to this sceniario. i've asked about it frequently and the answer is always the same: FRA does not allow sharing between traditional heavy rail network that they oversee and urban rail that FTA oversees, even if the gauge is identical.
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Re: Jackson County Regional Rail Plan

Post by flyingember »

DaveKCMO wrote:
flyingember wrote:and what makes this especially nice is as I recall the streetcar system is the same gauge as the freight lines.

so this gives the potential to simplify. instead of needing to build new everywhere there's the potential for sharing key segment between the two systems, like at bridges
potential, yes. there are still regulatory barriers to this sceniario. i've asked about it frequently and the answer is always the same: FRA does not allow sharing between traditional heavy rail network that they oversee and urban rail that FTA oversees, even if the gauge is identical.
makes sense.

given this is planning for decades worth of work, at this point it's all about not limiting future opportunity. and as that idea, it's a smart one.
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Re: Jackson County Regional Rail Plan

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http://www.kansascity.com/2013/11/15/46 ... still.html
In his state of the county address Friday, County Executive Mike Sanders said he remained committed to the project, saying, “Our only enemy in this endeavor is inaction,” but he gave no specifics in the speech.
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