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From: lucas@cmu-psy-a.arpa (pete lucas)
Newsgroups: net.railroad
Subject: re:  Philly-Pittsburgh train
Message-ID: <1151@brl-tgr.ARPA>
Date: Sun, 1-Sep-85 15:05:42 EDT
Article-I.D.: brl-tgr.1151
Posted: Sun Sep  1 15:05:42 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 3-Sep-85 01:34:13 EDT
Sender: news@brl-tgr.ARPA
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The study of a high-speed Philadelphia-Pittsburgh line is very much alive
and appears to be moving along nicely.  The commission's ridership estimates
were very favorable and the project has just received a substantial grant
from the Budd company and the German government to study the feasibility
of using German mag-lev technology on the route.

The prospect of such a line is really pretty exciting.  It would represent
the fulfillment of the 50 year old Pennsy vision of an electrified route from
New York to Pittsburgh.  If actually built, it would quite possibly serve as
a catalyst for the completion of a high speed corridor west to Chicago.
There already exists a consortium of states along this route to study such a
project, although I haven't heard much from them recently.

The Pittsburgh Press opposes the plan, citing the fact that the commission's
ridership estimates were several times greater than that served by the
present airline traffic between the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.  This, of
course, ignores one or two additional sources of ridership, such as the
intercity airline traffic between these cities and Harrisburg, Altoona, and
Johnstown, as well as passengers originating elsewhere on the NE corridor,
for which there are already good connections to Philadelphia.  This is not to
mention the random traveller who currently *drives* between these cities and
who might be tempted to forgo the pleasures of the Pennsylvania Turnpike
given a reasonable alternative.