Touring the Empire Corridor with the X2000 - high-speed train starts cross-country tour in New York State

Railway Age, June, 1993 by William C. Vantuono

ABB's X2000 high speed tilting train, having completed revenue service on the Northeast Corridor, has embarked on a U.S. tour, part of Amtrak's plan to promote its incremental approach to high speed rail service. As could be expected, the train elicited a variety of responses from the public, some of whom knew it was coming to their area, others who didn't. In any case, it must have been a bit odd to witness this 150-mph train lumbering along, albeit gracefully, at freight train speeds. The view from the cab of the control car up front was no less unusual. Case in point:

I was making my way back from the Bistro car with a cup of "Swedish coffee"--that's "three hour-old Amtrak coffee", according to one crew member. It was late, around 11:00 p.m., and the X2000 had been creeping up Conrail's Southern Tier, headed towards Buffalo and an overnight stay in Niagara Falls. With two freights preceding us, throttle-man Mike Henesey had been looking at stop or restricting signals most of the evening.

We were stopped at a grade crossing in Silver Springs, N.Y., waiting for a signal to proceed, when I heard a knock on one of the coach doors. Peering out the window, I saw a youngster who looked to be about 13 years old trying to talk to me. I motioned for him to walk up to the head end, where I slid open the cab window and stuck my head out.

The kid looked up at me, and quite matter-of-factly, asked, "Are you lost?"

I attempted to explain that this was a special train, on an excursion. Nevertheless, he repeated, "There aren't any passenger trains on this line. You must be lost!"

He did, though, have a point. There haven't been any passenger trains on the Southern Tier (the ex-Erie mainline) for years. And sadly, there are too many people in this country who are ignorant of--make that uneducated to--the fact that passenger rail service is experiencing a resurgence.

While I was waiting in Syracuse for Amtrak's Maple Leaf to spirit me back to New York City, an elderly traveler asked me about "the new train that was just in town." After I gave her a brief update, she said, "That's nice, but trains are really out of style." At that moment, a seemingly endless Conrail double-stack rolled through the station, indicative of just how strong U.S. railroading in general really is. l just shook my head. Flawed perception, it seems, knows no age limits.

Compared to the speed it achieved on the Northeast Corridor when in revenue service between New York City and Washington, D.C., the X2000 wasn't anywhere near its potential, and its tilting system wasn't in use.

But that didn't diminish the train's impression on the scores of people who turned out to see and ride the X2000 in New York State during the first leg of a three-month U.S. tour.

Pushed by a pair of specially-painted Turboliner power cars, the X2000 made its way in uncharacteristic fashion across Amtrak's Albany-Buffalo, N.Y., portion of the Empire Corridor, with a day's journey down a Conrail secondary line to ABB's Elmira Heights plant. There, employees got to see and ride the train that ABB says will be built at that location should it win the contract for 26 high speed trainsets for Amtrak's Boston-Washington Metroliner service (p. 47).

Not surprisingly, the X2000 was greeted enthusiastically by Elmira Heights residents, since it potentially represents a much-needed infusion of jobs and money into the economically-depressed community. ABB Traction President Lutz EIsner said that a contract with Amtrak, roughly estimated at $400 million, would mean an increase of at least 1,000 jobs--about 400 in ABB's direct employ, with the remainder in the supply industry.

The U.S. tour, a joint project of participating states, the Federal Railroad Administration, Amtrak, and ABB, takes the X2000 to corridors identified by the FRA as having the greatest potential for high speed service.

Amtrak's new AMD-103 dieselelectric from GE Transportation Systems (RA, May, p. 54) is the choice of motive power for the remainder of the tour:

--Washington-Richmond-Raleigh-Charlotte (May 26-29).

--Tampa-Orlando-Miami, with a stay at the APTA Rapid Transit Conference (May 31-June 10).

--Chicago-St. Louis-Detroit-Milwaukee (June 16-30).

--Eugene-Portland-Seattle (July 4-9).

--Sacramento-Oakland-Los Angeles-San Diego (July 8-16).

No doubt, the X2000 should leave a lasting impression on the legislators, transportation officials, and general public who will experience it as it makes its rounds. Amtrak's incremental high speed rail program will certainly benefit.

Later on, this program will receive another shot in the arm, when the Siemens-built InterCityExpress (ICE) embarks on its national tour, to be followed by revenue service on the Northeast Corridor. Amtrak may be "a late-comer to the high speed party," as one official puts it, but "it's going to be a great party."