Amtrak Downeaster Discussion Thread

[Arlington]

Sounds like the fence needs to be extended further north.

I'd like to keep this on topic by asking what are Amtrak/Downeaster rules when passing through such a station? Is there anything that says the train must yield?

Sadly, there's no fence between the two the tracks. The station is all "carrot" and no "stick" as far as telling pax where it's save to cross.

"The best one can say is that the paved/plastic crossing is clearly marked, flat, and aligned with the East side's entrance steps and perimeter fence gap and the West side's covered seating and schedule board. Arriving in the morning for an inbound trip, it's natural to cross there, but in the evening, trying to get to the parking lot, well, there are a lot of people who would rather risk death than wait/walk and extra 30 seconds.

[markhb]

There has been a lot of discussion on the Amtrak 2010 Great Dome thread regarding additional service by the dome either more often on the Adirondack Route or on other routes as well. Is the Downeaster's route is sufficiently scenic to make using the Dome worthwhile in the fall? Is there sufficient difference between the timing of the foliage changes in upper New York state and Maine to allow the Great Dome to travel in Maine first and then the Adirondacks?

I actually posed the question on the Downeaster Facebook page today, whether they could get access to the Dome for some period next fall. No response of any type yet, but I am not sure how often they check the page.

[Adams_Umass_Boston]

I assumed that the dome could not run on the route.

Earlier in this thread I asked the question about clearance and this is what was said.

For the Downeaster, would there be any clearance issues?

Yes, because Downeaster trainsets are serviced at Amtrak's Southampton Street yard, and to get there from the B&M side via the Grand Junction Branch they have to pass through the Prudential/Back Bay Station tunnel, which won't fit a dome car.

But in any case I'd agree with Mr. 407 that the route really isn't scenic enough to justify one. Scarborough marsh is nice, but most of the route is close-in trees, trees, and more trees with no grand views.

[MEC407]

I actually posed the question on the Downeaster Facebook page today, whether they could get access to the Dome for some period next fall. No response of any type yet, but I am not sure how often they check the page.

Yeah, good luck getting a reply. They almost never answer e-mails either.

[JimBoylan]

Amtrak did test a Dome car long ago on the Boston section of the Lake Shore. Reportedly, it missed a Boston bridge by 1/4 inch. This may have been before the SouthEast Corridor construction and new Back Bay station.

[Gilbert B Norman]

Mr. Carey has previously provided much detail regarding the "test run" Mr. Boylan notes:

http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopi ... 1&#p369181

[markhb]

I actually posed the question on the Downeaster Facebook page today, whether they could get access to the Dome for some period next fall. No response of any type yet, but I am not sure how often they check the page.

Yeah, good luck getting a reply. They almost never answer e-mails either.

Well, they did answer this one; the meat of the answer is "Unfortunately, there are a number of areas on the Downeaster route with low clearance." So far as the question of views goes, my thought actually was that riding through the tunnels of trees in their fall colors would be spectacular, but that's a moot point.

[MEC407]

Feds award $600K to NNEPRA to study possible improvements to the Downeaster:

The federal government is awarding $600,000 for a study on how improvements can be made on the Maine's Downeaster passenger train line to expand service, cut travel time and increase the number of daily trips between Portland and Boston.

Read more at: http://www.pressherald.com/news/Maine-P ... -rail.html

[Hamhock]

Hang on; let me finish writing the study.... "another train set, double-tracking, and improved signaling."

[MEC407]

How does it feel to be $600K richer?

[Hamhock]

How does it feel to be $600K richer?

I can't hear you; I'm meditating inside my golden sarcophagus.

I mean, the rejected NNEPRA HSR application for the 80+ million or whatever it was spelled out their needs in great detail. They want to upgrade and double-track most of the Portland-Plaistow section, and along with MBTA's work on their trackage, that will speed things up considerably. They obviously need another trainset (or 2) of they want to run either more frequencies to Boston, provide better service to Freeport/Brunswick or start thinking about going to Lewiston/Auburn. I just don't understand what else they could say at this point other than to resubmit their application with "THIS:" written on a sticky note affixed to the cover page.

[Jeff Smith]

(Prepares to Duck)

How about extend it to South Station?

(/Ducks)

[MEC407]

How does it feel to be $600K richer?

I can't hear you; I'm meditating inside my golden sarcophagus.

ROFL!

How about extend it to South Station?

Then everyone would just whine about how the trip time to Boston got longer instead of shorter.

[mkellerm]

How does it feel to be $600K richer?

I can't hear you; I'm meditating inside my golden sarcophagus.

I mean, the rejected NNEPRA HSR application for the 80+ million or whatever it was spelled out their needs in great detail. They want to upgrade and double-track most of the Portland-Plaistow section, and along with MBTA's work on their trackage, that will speed things up considerably. They obviously need another trainset (or 2) of they want to run either more frequencies to Boston, provide better service to Freeport/Brunswick or start thinking about going to Lewiston/Auburn. I just don't understand what else they could say at this point other than to resubmit their application with "THIS:" written on a sticky note affixed to the cover page.

They didn't have the environmental documentation done for the Plaistow-Portland application last time, which was one of the reasons it didn't get approved. This will fund that documentation, so that they might actually get funded next time.

[Trinnau]

I'd like to keep this on topic by asking what are Amtrak/Downeaster rules when passing through such a station? Is there anything that says the train must yield?.

The rule for any train at a station like this is that only 1 can be in the station at the same time. As soon as 1 train departs the station another can pull in or through - with no additional restrictions.