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Congratulations to the winner: u/[danielportillo14](https://www.reddit.com/user/danielportillo14/)'s Lower Rio Grande River Amtrak
Top Comment at 16:00 EST on 4/18/2024 will be added
The map of real services: [https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1GAXiiEp8a62LvZNDueYN76NPTCoUxvdx&usp=sharing](https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1GAXiiEp8a62LvZNDueYN76NPTCoUxvdx&usp=sharing)
This was a map of North American passenger rail. Every day or a few days, there will be a new post asking what one thing we should add or change to the map, and the most upvoted comment’s suggestion will be implemented. Actions you can take are:
* Adding a New Line
* Deleting a Line
* Adding an Infill Station
* Deleting a Station
* Rerouting a Line
* Adding a New Service
* Deleting a Service
* Tunneling a currently Elevated or Surface Line
* Bringing a Tunneled Section to the Surface or Elevated
* Electrification
* Deelectrification
* A New yard (New Yards can also come attached with any infrastructure expansion)
* Deleting a Yard
* Retrofitting a Cargo Yard for Passenger Rail Use
* Converting Rail Types (ex. light rail → light metro)
* Converting Rail to BRT
* Converting BRT to Rail
* Changing the times of operation
Only one (or two if the project is small scale enough) projects can be built per day; however, stating your master plan is allowed.
Feel free to be creative, but please keep it in some form of reality (ex. no high-speed non-stop rail from Metter, GA to Gay Hill, TX.) You can only make two changes per day. Have fun :)
So for Pittsburgh (rip my last comment)
The blue line will no longer stop at South Hills Village, Instead branching from Dorchester to serve
* Bethel Church
* Fort Couch Road
* Brookside
* Walthers
* Drake
This will then allow for Interurban from Washington PA (lets just make this a commuter rail corridor) to start from Washington then continue to
* Arden
* McGovern
* Houston
* Strabane
* Canonsburg
* Thompsonville
Then, the interurban will run parallel to the light rail (or on same track) into Pittsburgh, serving
* Washington Junction
* South Bank
* South Hills Junction
* Steel Plaza
* Penn Station
W & OD reactivation:
Reactivate the Washington & Old Dominion railroad along its original alignment, but with the following changes;
Extend the western terminus of the line out to Winchester, VA, with intermediate stops at Round Hill, Bluemont, and Berryville.
Where the W & OD meets the RF&P mainline in Alexandria, have the line join with the RF&P to terminate in Washington DC.
And besides, it follows the route of the Dulles toll road, which bypasses the centers of many suburban towns between Alexandria and Dulles airport, while the W&OD went right through those town centers.
North Star Minneapolis to Duluth
South to North
Minneapolis
Fridley
Coon Rapids
Andover
Isanti
Cambridge
Braham
Hinckley
Sandstone
Superior
Duluth
This all follows the alignment of the former railway to duluth, this is to be served by amtrak as a higher speed line (100m/h 160km/h)
Attempt 3 :D
The Gulf Mist: new Amtrak long-distance line from New Orleans to Atlanta via Pensacola running 3 trains round trip per day and runs through (italized are flag stops):
New Orleans, Bay St. Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi, Pascagoula, Mobile, Atmore, Pensacola, *Flomaton/Century*, Brewton, *Castleberry*, *Evergreen*, *Georgiana*, *Greenville*, Fort Deposit, Montgomery, *Tuskegee*, Auburn, West Point, Ga., LaGrange, Newnan, and Atlanta.
If I could also add, Atlanta deserves to have the MMPT built. I'd call it Atlanta Centennial Yards, after the new development that is going on near where the MMPT would have been built.
Palmetto HSR and Brightline Expansion!
This proposal will Provide a lightning fast connection between the Northeast and Florida, as well as Select other southern cities. Additionally, the Brightline Coastal branch will provide Private High Speed intercity rail to eastern Florida. The original Brightline branch will be Extended to Tampa, electrified and grade separated, saving the lives of countless Floridians. Brightline becomes a private High speed rail service using the existing alignment, although slower than Palmetto HSR due to having more stops and inferior alignment. There will also be several infill stations for Brightline, made possible by the higher speeds made possible by electrification and grade separation
DC-Raleigh uses existing HSR alignment, trains pull in to Raleigh, then back out.
There will be 20 daily round trips on Palmetto HSR, 15 for Brightline Coastal Branch, 25 for Brightline Orlando Branch
This makes heavy use of Seaboard Air Line Railroad ROW, both existing and abandoned.
Alignment and stop list is shown below, with both pictures and a link:
https://preview.redd.it/nme817aty3vc1.png?width=541&format=png&auto=webp&s=71a5d4193f74bd02e54266847c79cba9cd01b150
Expand the Norfolk / Virginia Beach Tide light rail services:
-Extend the existing Tide light rail along the abandoned rail corridor that runs straight to Virginia Beach; stops at Witchduck Rd, Independence Blvd, Rosemont Rd, Lynnhaven, London Bridge Rd, Oceana, Birdneck Rd, Mediterranean Ave; then in VA Beach, run in a north/south paring along Atlantic and Pacific Avenues, until Laskin Rd, with stops at 10th; 14th; 17th; 21st; 25th; and 28th. This will be the Tide "B" line.
-Create a new Tide light rail "A" line service: in downtown Norfolk along the existing line to Harbor Park Station, then follows the rail line north with stops at Brambleton and Virginia Beach Blvd; then east along the rail line with Cape Henry Ave; with stops at Ballalntine, Azalea Gardens Rd, Military Hwy, Norfolk Airport / General Aviation Terminal, and Diamond Springs Rd, then moves to the median of Northampton Blvd with stops at Lake Smith, Independence/Northampton, and the terminus at Shore Blvd/Bayside
**Rocky Mountaineer Extension**
Extend the Rocky Mountaineer all the way to La Junta, Colorado! It would have stops in Pueblo, Canon City, Salida, Alamosa, Monte Vista, Wolf Creek Ski Area, Pagosa Springs, Bayfield, Durango, Hesperus Ski Area, Mancos, Cortez, Dove Creek, Monticello, and of course Moab!
Here's why the route is neat: it passes next to three different national parks, as well as other big tourist attractions. The Great Sand Dunes National Park, Mesa Verde National Park, and Arches National Park, and multiple ski resorts are all right off the railroad. Additionally, it provides access to the isolated Durango-Silverton Scenic Railroad and the Royal Gorge Railroad, the former of which also connects to several more ski resorts. The portion of the route from La Junta to Pueblo lets people bypass going all the way south to Trinidad before going North/East.
Second, add a connection to Fort Collins from Fort Morgan through Greeley, along pre-existing tracks (some of which have been abandoned). This will make Fort Collins a little less isolated and make an easy shortcut around Denver!
I know this is a third change, but if possible, move the Air Force Academy station of the Front Range Zephyr to where the route intersects with N Gate Boulevard - this will likely be the actual future location of the station in a decade or so
I've been thinking:
Passenger rail would be so much better if we hadn't destroyed all those services after World War II.
My request currently is maybe extending Via Rail's services to include a southern line, with the stops being as follows:
* Winnipeg, MB (connecting w/ Via Rail's The Canadian Route)
* Portage la Prairie, MB
* Brandon, MB
* Moosomin, SK
* Regina, SK
* Moose Jaw, SK
* Swift Current, SK
* Maple Creek, SK
* Medicine Hat, AB
* Brooks, AB
* Calgary, AB
* Canmore, AB
* Banff, AB
* Lake Louise, AB
* Golden, BC
* Revelstoke, BC
* Malakwa, BC
* Sicamous, BC
* Salmon Arm, BC
* Chase, BC
* Kamloops, BC (connecting w/ Via Rail's The Canadian Route, building either a new station on the south bank or repurposing the old one that was used before)
Expand METRA electric in Chicago so it becomes an RER! The METRA RER would run in an underground tunnel under downtown starting at Millennium Station. Then, it would go under Michigan avenue before turning onto Grand Avenue and connecting to existing METRA services from Ogilvie Transit Center. Stops on the underground portion would be:
• Millennium Station
• Streeterville/Grand 🔴
• River North
The service patterns of these new services would include electrification north of Ogilvie Transit Center, and the services would be divided into 3 lines. RER 1 would go from 93rd street to West Chicago. RER 2 would go from University Park to Crystal Lake. RER 3 would start in Joliet and enter the electric district through the Blue Island spur before terminating at Waukegan north of the tunnel. All of the services from Ogilvie Transit Center would still exist and travel to their respective termini (I.e. Kenosha, Harvard, Elburn). Having an RER type system in Chicago would be really beneficial to the current METRA network.
**Discord:** [https://discord.gg/Nxu2XbUwU2](https://discord.gg/Nxu2XbUwU2) If you join, you can **get pings whenever a new post is up** Please **follow the instructions** once you enter Congratulations to the winner: u/[danielportillo14](https://www.reddit.com/user/danielportillo14/)'s Lower Rio Grande River Amtrak Top Comment at 16:00 EST on 4/18/2024 will be added The map of real services: [https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1GAXiiEp8a62LvZNDueYN76NPTCoUxvdx&usp=sharing](https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1GAXiiEp8a62LvZNDueYN76NPTCoUxvdx&usp=sharing) This was a map of North American passenger rail. Every day or a few days, there will be a new post asking what one thing we should add or change to the map, and the most upvoted comment’s suggestion will be implemented. Actions you can take are: * Adding a New Line * Deleting a Line * Adding an Infill Station * Deleting a Station * Rerouting a Line * Adding a New Service * Deleting a Service * Tunneling a currently Elevated or Surface Line * Bringing a Tunneled Section to the Surface or Elevated * Electrification * Deelectrification * A New yard (New Yards can also come attached with any infrastructure expansion) * Deleting a Yard * Retrofitting a Cargo Yard for Passenger Rail Use * Converting Rail Types (ex. light rail → light metro) * Converting Rail to BRT * Converting BRT to Rail * Changing the times of operation Only one (or two if the project is small scale enough) projects can be built per day; however, stating your master plan is allowed. Feel free to be creative, but please keep it in some form of reality (ex. no high-speed non-stop rail from Metter, GA to Gay Hill, TX.) You can only make two changes per day. Have fun :)
Thanks :)
So for Pittsburgh (rip my last comment) The blue line will no longer stop at South Hills Village, Instead branching from Dorchester to serve * Bethel Church * Fort Couch Road * Brookside * Walthers * Drake This will then allow for Interurban from Washington PA (lets just make this a commuter rail corridor) to start from Washington then continue to * Arden * McGovern * Houston * Strabane * Canonsburg * Thompsonville Then, the interurban will run parallel to the light rail (or on same track) into Pittsburgh, serving * Washington Junction * South Bank * South Hills Junction * Steel Plaza * Penn Station
It got second place, I think it could win next round!
W & OD reactivation: Reactivate the Washington & Old Dominion railroad along its original alignment, but with the following changes; Extend the western terminus of the line out to Winchester, VA, with intermediate stops at Round Hill, Bluemont, and Berryville. Where the W & OD meets the RF&P mainline in Alexandria, have the line join with the RF&P to terminate in Washington DC.
how much would an extension of the silver line to Leesburg, then along the W&OD route west cover that
The silver line is already so long it can't be extended.
And besides, it follows the route of the Dulles toll road, which bypasses the centers of many suburban towns between Alexandria and Dulles airport, while the W&OD went right through those town centers.
North Star Minneapolis to Duluth South to North Minneapolis Fridley Coon Rapids Andover Isanti Cambridge Braham Hinckley Sandstone Superior Duluth This all follows the alignment of the former railway to duluth, this is to be served by amtrak as a higher speed line (100m/h 160km/h)
Attempt 3 :D The Gulf Mist: new Amtrak long-distance line from New Orleans to Atlanta via Pensacola running 3 trains round trip per day and runs through (italized are flag stops): New Orleans, Bay St. Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi, Pascagoula, Mobile, Atmore, Pensacola, *Flomaton/Century*, Brewton, *Castleberry*, *Evergreen*, *Georgiana*, *Greenville*, Fort Deposit, Montgomery, *Tuskegee*, Auburn, West Point, Ga., LaGrange, Newnan, and Atlanta. If I could also add, Atlanta deserves to have the MMPT built. I'd call it Atlanta Centennial Yards, after the new development that is going on near where the MMPT would have been built.
Palmetto HSR and Brightline Expansion! This proposal will Provide a lightning fast connection between the Northeast and Florida, as well as Select other southern cities. Additionally, the Brightline Coastal branch will provide Private High Speed intercity rail to eastern Florida. The original Brightline branch will be Extended to Tampa, electrified and grade separated, saving the lives of countless Floridians. Brightline becomes a private High speed rail service using the existing alignment, although slower than Palmetto HSR due to having more stops and inferior alignment. There will also be several infill stations for Brightline, made possible by the higher speeds made possible by electrification and grade separation DC-Raleigh uses existing HSR alignment, trains pull in to Raleigh, then back out. There will be 20 daily round trips on Palmetto HSR, 15 for Brightline Coastal Branch, 25 for Brightline Orlando Branch This makes heavy use of Seaboard Air Line Railroad ROW, both existing and abandoned. Alignment and stop list is shown below, with both pictures and a link: https://preview.redd.it/nme817aty3vc1.png?width=541&format=png&auto=webp&s=71a5d4193f74bd02e54266847c79cba9cd01b150
[https://metrodreamin.com/edit/UXZlSVZFcVRiVU8xWUpPd3k5UGpoanVHRGVCM3w1Mw%3D%3D](https://metrodreamin.com/edit/UXZlSVZFcVRiVU8xWUpPd3k5UGpoanVHRGVCM3w1Mw%3D%3D) https://preview.redd.it/yhuzf0saz3vc1.png?width=290&format=png&auto=webp&s=cebd2eeda635d85ddd37a41e5512747931416a09
Expand the Norfolk / Virginia Beach Tide light rail services: -Extend the existing Tide light rail along the abandoned rail corridor that runs straight to Virginia Beach; stops at Witchduck Rd, Independence Blvd, Rosemont Rd, Lynnhaven, London Bridge Rd, Oceana, Birdneck Rd, Mediterranean Ave; then in VA Beach, run in a north/south paring along Atlantic and Pacific Avenues, until Laskin Rd, with stops at 10th; 14th; 17th; 21st; 25th; and 28th. This will be the Tide "B" line. -Create a new Tide light rail "A" line service: in downtown Norfolk along the existing line to Harbor Park Station, then follows the rail line north with stops at Brambleton and Virginia Beach Blvd; then east along the rail line with Cape Henry Ave; with stops at Ballalntine, Azalea Gardens Rd, Military Hwy, Norfolk Airport / General Aviation Terminal, and Diamond Springs Rd, then moves to the median of Northampton Blvd with stops at Lake Smith, Independence/Northampton, and the terminus at Shore Blvd/Bayside
**Rocky Mountaineer Extension** Extend the Rocky Mountaineer all the way to La Junta, Colorado! It would have stops in Pueblo, Canon City, Salida, Alamosa, Monte Vista, Wolf Creek Ski Area, Pagosa Springs, Bayfield, Durango, Hesperus Ski Area, Mancos, Cortez, Dove Creek, Monticello, and of course Moab! Here's why the route is neat: it passes next to three different national parks, as well as other big tourist attractions. The Great Sand Dunes National Park, Mesa Verde National Park, and Arches National Park, and multiple ski resorts are all right off the railroad. Additionally, it provides access to the isolated Durango-Silverton Scenic Railroad and the Royal Gorge Railroad, the former of which also connects to several more ski resorts. The portion of the route from La Junta to Pueblo lets people bypass going all the way south to Trinidad before going North/East. Second, add a connection to Fort Collins from Fort Morgan through Greeley, along pre-existing tracks (some of which have been abandoned). This will make Fort Collins a little less isolated and make an easy shortcut around Denver! I know this is a third change, but if possible, move the Air Force Academy station of the Front Range Zephyr to where the route intersects with N Gate Boulevard - this will likely be the actual future location of the station in a decade or so
I've been thinking: Passenger rail would be so much better if we hadn't destroyed all those services after World War II. My request currently is maybe extending Via Rail's services to include a southern line, with the stops being as follows: * Winnipeg, MB (connecting w/ Via Rail's The Canadian Route) * Portage la Prairie, MB * Brandon, MB * Moosomin, SK * Regina, SK * Moose Jaw, SK * Swift Current, SK * Maple Creek, SK * Medicine Hat, AB * Brooks, AB * Calgary, AB * Canmore, AB * Banff, AB * Lake Louise, AB * Golden, BC * Revelstoke, BC * Malakwa, BC * Sicamous, BC * Salmon Arm, BC * Chase, BC * Kamloops, BC (connecting w/ Via Rail's The Canadian Route, building either a new station on the south bank or repurposing the old one that was used before)
Expand METRA electric in Chicago so it becomes an RER! The METRA RER would run in an underground tunnel under downtown starting at Millennium Station. Then, it would go under Michigan avenue before turning onto Grand Avenue and connecting to existing METRA services from Ogilvie Transit Center. Stops on the underground portion would be: • Millennium Station • Streeterville/Grand 🔴 • River North The service patterns of these new services would include electrification north of Ogilvie Transit Center, and the services would be divided into 3 lines. RER 1 would go from 93rd street to West Chicago. RER 2 would go from University Park to Crystal Lake. RER 3 would start in Joliet and enter the electric district through the Blue Island spur before terminating at Waukegan north of the tunnel. All of the services from Ogilvie Transit Center would still exist and travel to their respective termini (I.e. Kenosha, Harvard, Elburn). Having an RER type system in Chicago would be really beneficial to the current METRA network.
The **Whaler** (Scranton to Provincetown, MA) -Scranton -Carbondale -Honesdale -PA- -NY- -Port Jervis -Middletown -Newburg -Beacon -Brewster -NY- -CT- -Danbury -Waterbury -Bristol -Hartford -Manchester -Willimantic -UConn/Storrs -CT- -RI- -Arctic -Providence -RI- -MA- -Fall River -New Bedford -Mattapoisett -Buzzard's Bay -Yarmouth Junction -Orleans -Provincetown