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adamj023 wrote:Both Amtrak and CTRail have added capacity on this line. CTRail is using leased rolling stock that is speed limited I hear till they get newer train sets over time.

The reason they both expanded service is because it was the only way Connecticut could get the number of round trips it wanted for the commuter line. The original plan was for CTDOT to just launch a full commuter service on its own and leave the Amtrak service as is. However because of a number of reasons mainly the lack of available rolling stock they had to scale back the number of dedicated commuter trains and they instead approached Amtrak about a cooporative arrangement with the state running some dedicated commuter trains and having the Amtrak trains also accept commuters. Amtrak had the capacity to add 3 round trips of its own which meant CTrail would just have to run 8. They then built an integrated schedule where basically the CTrail trains fill in the gaps in Amtrak's schedule to maximize the service available.

As for commuting on the shuttles goes, you will probably get many people going as far south as New Haven. Even commuting from Greenfield to New Haven takes a bit of time. I wouldn't count on seeing any daily commuters who work in NYC. Yes, I do agree that extending 478 to Greenfield would be too late. I like the 494 idea better. Just remember though that Train # 94 has a very spotty on time record and if that train is very late, 494 won't wait for it. I have seen 494 depart New Haven before 94 arrives just because 94 was running very late.

adamj023 wrote:

Matt Johnson wrote:....All the areas by this line have experienced growth. Vermont tends to be a seasonal destination. Hartford, CT has lots of businesses where I would expect commutation on rail would be high. The smaller towns across the system seem like middle class communities who could benefit from rail,

The vast majority of growth in MA is in Boston and Cambridge and surrounding areas. Especially areas with frequent non-bus public transportation! So maybe build it and they will come? Springfield has their casino stuff going on, but we will see. Greenfield and southern VT are pretty low-density areas.

njt/mnrrbuff wrote:As for commuting on the shuttles goes, you will probably get many people going as far south as New Haven. Even commuting from Greenfield to New Haven takes a bit of time. I wouldn't count on seeing any daily commuters who work in NYC. Yes, I do agree that extending 478 to Greenfield would be too late. I like the 494 idea better. Just remember though that Train # 94 has a very spotty on time record and if that train is very late, 494 won't wait for it. I have seen 494 depart New Haven before 94 arrives just because 94 was running very late.

Yes it was very late the other day when I went down to New Haven and 494 didn't wait and the train 94 Hartford/Springfield passengers ended up on 412. Worked out that 94 got there just before 412 was getting ready to leave.

On time performance on the line hasn't been great this week. (I don't count when Shuttles have to wait in NHV for NER connections.) It seems there's frequent hang ups for southbound trains in the Enfield, CT area and just before Hartford. Southbound trains frequently coming into Windsor Locks late. Not sure if its merely train interference in the areas where it goes down to single track or if there's also work going on in that area. It did seem when I went down on Monday like there may be some track work going on in the Enfield area as there did appear to be a work crew in the area of the slowdown.

I believe the problem you are referring to in Enfield is related to an area which has not been doubletracked yet and won’t be till September. It was not finished in time apparently.

adamj023 wrote:I believe the problem you are referring to in Enfield is related to an area which has not been doubletracked yet and won’t be till September. It was not finished in time apparently.

Probably. Does anyone know why CDOT is waiting until September to do that? Budget issues?

first this tread is about greenfield and Amtrak.
The CT rail forum (enfield) is in MN forum, ct vs mass.

Someone tell us about consists. how many are Amtrak and CT each running and how many cars each ?

No CTrail consist will run to greenfield .

adamj023 wrote:I believe the problem you are referring to in Enfield is related to an area which has not been doubletracked yet and won’t be till September. It was not finished in time apparently.

Enfield south is a ways away from being double-tracked. Heading south from SPG, the double-track ends at the border and doesn't start up again until just south of Hartford, with exceptions: A couple miles-long passing siding from just south of (present) Windsor Locks station to Windsor station AND Newly-laid double track in place from Windsor station south to the Hartford freight yard. There's a switch near Windsor station that needs to be removed in order to provide 2-track service from Windsor Locks to Hartford yard. Amtrak I believe plans to do this in September.

As for double track from the state line south to just south of Windsor Locks, that's part of Phase II which hasn't been funded yet. Windsor and Windsor Locks station upgrades are most likely part of Phase II as well. There's also the Conn River Bridge that will be single track until it is rehabbed (currently the alignment of Track 2 is used on the bridge, Track 1 elsewhere). Most likely there would be temporary crossovers put in on either side of the bridge if Phase II occurs before Phase-Bridge. And then there's Hartford Station itself, which is single-track (at one time had 4 tracks) but the viaduct is due for replacement and so is I-84 above, so we're looking at a long-term crunch-point there.

njt/mnrrbuff wrote:As for commuting on the shuttles goes, you will probably get many people going as far south as New Haven. Even commuting from Greenfield to New Haven takes a bit of time. I wouldn't count on seeing any daily commuters who work in NYC. Yes, I do agree that extending 478 to Greenfield would be too late. I like the 494 idea better. Just remember though that Train # 94 has a very spotty on time record and if that train is very late, 494 won't wait for it. I have seen 494 depart New Haven before 94 arrives just because 94 was running very late.

494 is slightly late for NH commuters (7:35 PM) but if anyone went into NYC for the day it would be great. The problem with 476 is that it is too early for points any further than NY. 478 is too late if Amtrak wants any leisure travel up there

DutchRailnut wrote:No CTrail consist will run to greenfield .

Especially with the bathroom issues and how uncomfortable those cars are.

east point wrote:Someone tell us about consists. how many are Amtrak and CT each running and how many cars each ?

The core rolling stock for the commuter service is four CTDOT trainsets with four MBB coaches (Leased from MBTA) each with a CTDOT GP-40 locomotive (used for the CTrail trains) and three or four Amtrak owned consists with two Amfleet I style coaches (the cab cars are ex Metroliner cars) each with a Genesis locomotive (used for the Amtrak “Shuttle” trains.) At one point one of the Shuttle trainsets had only one car but I’m not sure if that’s still the case. Everything runs push pull except for one round trip every day that is a Northeast Regional through train which terminates in Springfield instead of Boston and is wyed in Springfield. This is a normal Northeast Regional consist that uses a Genesis for its leg north of New Haven. The fleet of Genesis units at New Haven is also used for the Vermonter, but it does not participate in the commuter rail. An additional Amtrak through train runs on Friday nights (northbound), Saturdays (northbound and southbound) and Sunday mornings (southbound only.)

Traingeek3629 wrote:

DutchRailnut wrote:No CTrail consist will run to greenfield .

Especially with the bathroom issues and how uncomfortable those cars are.

It has absolutely nothing to do with bathrooms, the contractor for CT rail will not operate in Massachusetts.
the greenfield extension will be run by Amtrak.

Were they in negotiations with both and ultinately chose Amtrak or was it always going to be Amtrak?