Submitted by DfcukinLite t3_1277tra in baltimore
Comments
DfcukinLite OP t1_jed9jg7 wrote
It’s Acela. Which we’ve already had, just getting upgraded fleet and It just will now reach full speeds with the completion/expansion of the tunnel. Acela will have its own track now and the bottlenecks will be removed from here and NJ which has been the cause of the service chokepoints historically. They’re also electrifying the tracks and moving away from diesel engines
[deleted] t1_jee28s5 wrote
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ohamza t1_jee570z wrote
The travel time north to NYC is hampered by the tunnel from NJ into NYC, since it's only two tracks in a very old tunnel that lacks maintenance. It's also shared with all the trains coming from NJ. The Hudson Tunnel project is addressing that issue by building a new tunnel with two additional tracks and rehabilitating the existing tunnel.
Southbound there is a new tunnel going in under Reservoir Hill that will replace the B&P tunnel which is also old and lacking maintenance but doesn't allow for higher speeds.
Overall the entire NEC corridor is getting some pretty major upgrades so in the next 10-20 years we should hopefully see decreased travel times between DC and NYC as well as increased frequency of trains.
abcpdo t1_jeea25l wrote
> in the next 10-20 years
: (
DfcukinLite OP t1_jeebgrk wrote
I don’t think that’s the actual timeline. They’ve been working on the old problematic NJ tunnel for some time now and B&P tunnel expansion here will being replacement soon.
ThisAmericanSatire t1_jeeinpp wrote
Don't worry, I'm sure they'll complete a ton of roadway projects in that same time at an even greater expense.
"Why does traffic suck? Why are there so many bad drivers? Why is it so expensive to insure a car?"
wbruce098 t1_jeem9lh wrote
This is how I feel when I see estimates for if they actually decide to build red line after obstructing it for a decade.
sacrificebundt t1_jee8gv6 wrote
The goal is that once all the projects are done (gateway in NY, this tunnel, a couple bridge replacements, track improvements, etc) for the DC -> NYC trip to be under 2 hrs
Viper_Mk_2 t1_jeeer84 wrote
That would be amazing
Matt3989 t1_jeel4fr wrote
There's also a proposal for HSR for the southeast corridor: from DC to Richmond, Raleigh, Atlanta, and Jacksonville.
While the Northeast Corridor is obviously more important due to the population density, it would be great to have connections through the entire coast.
RevRagnarok t1_jee13bo wrote
> electrifying the tracks and moving away from diesel engines
Where? The tracks were electric from Philly to New Haven in the mid '90s. Were they not from Baltimore to Philly?
DfcukinLite OP t1_jeeal9p wrote
Either it is here and they just decided not to purchase the electric locomotives and opted for the cheaper diesel engines, or its they didn’t electrify the track at all then and are doing it now. If I remember correctly it’s the former and as I recall the state wasted millions by doing so as they just bought a brand new fleet of diesel engined locomotives several years ago as an “upgrade”.
Someone with more knowledge than me on this matter feel free to jump in…
I know they’re electrifying now as they’re planning to connect MARC commuter rail to SEPTA from the Perryville station.
Additionally, MARC will run into Northern VA to meet VRE to the south past Union station at L’Enfant Plaza. Regionally lots of big rail things are coming and I’m excited for the future of commuter rail/ train service. High time we got some connectivity round here.
Fitzwashere t1_jeeb936 wrote
NEC is electrified from DC to Boston and Amtrak runs electric trains along the route. I think you’re thinking of the state run service, MARC, that purchased diesel locomotives to run on the electrified lines in order to save money in the short term.
DfcukinLite OP t1_jeebm43 wrote
Correct. I was taking about MARC trains specifically.
RevRagnarok t1_jeecx1t wrote
Ah OK yes I was talking Amtrak sorry. The electric ended at New Haven which is why I got off there even tho a later station was closer to my parents' home; there was a long wait while they swapped out for the diesel engine there.
Nexis4Jersey t1_jeh140b wrote
Electrification was extended in the 90s from New Haven to Boston. CT , RI ,MA are all proposing to electrify the remaining network by the mid 2030s...
DeliMcPickles t1_jeey5ne wrote
Right. I think they're waiting on the completion of the Long Bridge replacement to allow crossrunning for VRE and MARC.
sacrificebundt t1_jefiajj wrote
Is there actually a plan for through running MARC to Virginia? I’ve seen lots of proposals from transit advocates, but I haven’t seen anything from the relevant bodies. MTA wasn’t at the table when VA cut a deal with CSX and Amtrak over the Long Bridge replacement, and I’m not sure they’ve don’t more than study the other infrastructure hurdles.
Nexis4Jersey t1_jeh1om3 wrote
Under Hogan they decided it was cheaper to buy diesel locomotives than pay Amtrak for Electricity costs.
STrRedWolf t1_jeeay2q wrote
Full size renderings are at
https://baltimorepennstation.com/gallery/renderings
and have been up for some time.
Complete-Ad9574 t1_jedv97h wrote
The thumbnail pictures were of no value.
I hope the new building will not clash with the present building, though the present ugly parking lot already does.
shaneknu t1_jee4n74 wrote
I'm not sure how to do it in Chrome, but I imagine they have similar functionality. In Firefox, you can right click on the image and select "Open image in new tab". The images are about 3x the size they appear on the web page.
And yeah, crappy web design, CBS.
YorickTheCat t1_jee99b9 wrote
Works the same in Chrome, thanks for the tip. There is the tried and true Ctrl + +/-, but beyond a certain point the images res starts to degrade.
bvzxh t1_jee660i wrote
Nothing can be uglier than the blue Kohl building on Lanvale…NOTHING.
SliceMcNuts t1_jeeevei wrote
The new glass and metal panel entrance will be nice when its new, but I don't see it aging well.
26thandsouth t1_jeejj6w wrote
How about we also work on nuking that horrifically expensive piece of shit Dunkin Donuts out of existence as well.
dudical_dude t1_jeeovzn wrote
So is that statue out front coming down?
PracticeTrousers t1_jeeq6gh wrote
All the renders seem to have that part of the station conveniently cropped from the image
ratwing t1_jeexnwd wrote
Darn I was pretty sure I read in a previous article that was getting removed.
PracticeTrousers t1_jeg46qv wrote
I would hope so, but I don't know one way or the other
61797664696A69 t1_jef5x7k wrote
Hope so
JPenniman t1_jeedk4h wrote
Hope HSR to boston could be included.
TenTonCloud t1_jeeuvbw wrote
As I’ve seen some people mention, the renovations will include upgrades to the rails at the station to allow HSR travel through as well as having it be part of a larger upgrade to the rail system between Baltimore and NYC that causes so many of the bottlenecks for the rail.
It’s still a far cry from anything like Bullet train level speeds going up and down the coast but it does seem like they’re genuinely taking the necessary steps to making rail travel between these major cities actually attractive enough to see increased use and attention.
quercuslove t1_jeh14wc wrote
Where is the statue?
EthanSayfo t1_jed4o18 wrote
Is there any net gain or loss to parking spaces available at the station? If that lot on Lanvale becomes the new concourse, it sounds like it may eat into parking?
jeweynougat t1_jed4uza wrote
They've said since the beginning that that lot would be going away.
EthanSayfo t1_jed5hy3 wrote
Bummer. Well, I don’t use it as often as I used to, but I imagine this will present challenges for some people who make use of the lot.
DfcukinLite OP t1_jed7n8f wrote
Theres an underground parking garage at the station + a surface lot + parking garage located a half a block away on Charles at the 1700 block in Station North between Metro Gallery and Club 1722.
Theres ample parking, more than there needs to be at a centrally located transit hub such as Penn Station. Can’t wait for the infill development that should happen around Mount Vernon and station north once this is finished to convert all the surface lots near by into something productive and adds to the tax base.
I’m very excited for this project. it’s going to be a game changer for central Baltimore and mount Vernon/station north
dingusamongus123 t1_jedf05y wrote
Im happy theyre removing some of this unnecessary parking. I agree that the lot is more than enough. That lot across the tracks is expensive and heavily underutilized anyways
GoodCloud t1_jedt5b9 wrote
I am so happy to hear the parking lot is going away! It is such an eye sore and the area around Penn Station overall really needs to become more pedestrian friendly. This is a great step towards revitalizing the city.
ohamza t1_jed7h38 wrote
The 5 cars that use it? There’s already a big parking garage right next to the station, that lot could be used much more productively and the city stands to gain from it being redeveloped.
DfcukinLite OP t1_jed9e8i wrote
That garage and surface lot is owned by the owner of Lost City Diner, The Depot, Club Charles, and Club 1722 I believe as I know for a fact she owns that entire block. I hope she sells to the highest biding developer so we can get some new mixed-use buildings in Station/Charles North. It’s crazy to me how there’s all those big mostly unused surfaces parking lots between Charles/Lanvale up to Charles/23rd that would be perfect for redevelopment into a mix of housing/retail/entertainment. It would really had a HUGE impact on changing area for the better.
EthanSayfo t1_jedcokx wrote
The garage next to the station is filled by 9am, at least when I was using it regularly. I doubt it's changed much?
And thanks for the downvote -- yay, gotta downvote people I disagree with parking about, rawr! Go get 'em.
ohamza t1_jee4q25 wrote
I didn't downvote your initial comments, but sure I'll take credit. That station is served by multiple bus lines, including the free circulator and the a light rail a block away. It's accessible as is without a personal automobile that the rest of us have to accommodate. I personally use a scooter to get to Penn.
Anyway like I said, the surface lots in the city can be better utilized as folks on here know.
jeweynougat t1_jeehe5y wrote
I'll have to disagree with this. I park in that garage. It is full and then it turns over and fills again in the evening. I live in the Northeast. It take a 15 minute walk and then two buses to get to Penn Station. The first bus comes every 30 minutes during rush hour (!!!) and often doesn't show up or is running late (I went just now to looks at the exact headway on Google Maps and it is running 20 minutes late, eg, right now). There is no light rail. There is no metro. For physical reasons, I cannot use a bike or scooter. Until Baltimore does better with reliable public transportation that serves all areas of the city, there needs to be some affordable way for people to park their cars near the train. It doesn't have to be on that block but the city is large, this is the only train station, and public transportation is a joke.
ohamza t1_jees02y wrote
Then join us for the fight for better transit. The city can only do so much since the state runs everything besides the circulators.
DfcukinLite OP t1_jee86i9 wrote
The light rail comes directly to the station, not a block away.
ohamza t1_jeechfb wrote
Does it now? I know they used to run a light rail shuttle between Penn and Camden Yards that went directly to the station, but they stopped it during COVID. I know coming down from the north the closest stop is Mt. Royal which is a quick walk over.
DfcukinLite OP t1_jeecyp1 wrote
Yeah, it wasn’t a “shuttle”. It was a legit line. But yes Penn Station has a light rail stop. You have to catch it between Camden yards and Mt Royal, so you coming from the North would mean you’d have to catch the the Penn Station train at Mt. Royal to transfer which is dumb because at that point you could just walk.
The only reason the lightrail stop there is closed is due to the station redevelopment upgrades to the track and platform.
ohamza t1_jeerocx wrote
Gotcha, that makes sense. It is pretty dumb that they didn't build a track so that the southbound trains north of Mt. Royal can go straight to Penn, seems like something pretty obvious. Granted I live just close enough that while walking is too far taking public transit is less efficient than a scooter.
[deleted] t1_jedd1li wrote
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HokieS2k t1_jed8odn wrote
I use it when going to places on N Charles. Very convenient for that neighborhood, and I bet the restaurants and The Charles Theatre like having it
DfcukinLite OP t1_jeddch6 wrote
I’m sure the restaurants owners and Charles theater will be much happier with all the new residents and foot traffic from this than they will miss the underused waste of space parking lots and garage on the 1700 block of N Charles
dingusamongus123 t1_jedf5v9 wrote
Exactly. People bring revenue, not cars. Foot traffic leads to a lively neighborhood, which can lead to even more foot traffic
jeweynougat t1_jeeerpv wrote
It's pretty lively! I park in that garage and in the evening as I leave it fills up again. It has a $3 deal for restaurants, the club, and the Charles Theatre.
Xhosa1725 t1_jedy8aj wrote
That lot is only half full now because of construction workers using it for parking. Without them, maybe 1/4 of the parking spaces are used daily, if that. So the loss isn't nearly as significant as you'd think.
planetarylaw t1_jeee8c7 wrote
If more people begin to use rail though, you have to consider projected numbers, not current. Edit: Ya'll can downvote me because you feel strongly opposed to cars but it doesn't change the fact that if you want more people to use rail you are going to have to make that rail accessible to everyone even people who drive cars.
locker1313 t1_jeefwf9 wrote
They're replacing the parking lot with a garage as part of the building going up on Lanvale. Plans also include potentially expanding the current garage under Penn Station, though that's undecided.
EthanSayfo t1_jeeyscu wrote
Now look, the information that was actually requested! Thank you!
planetarylaw t1_jeelmqr wrote
Got it.
kaykabakes t1_jed8wv2 wrote
Wait we're getting high speed rail?? When is all of this supposed to be done??