Cape Flyer

Make it an Auto Train. Solves the problem for folks who need their car and all their stuff on the Cape, while taking cars off of the bridges.

So instead of twiddling their thumbs in traffic on the bridges, people would be twiddling their thumbs in waiting rooms at the two autorack terminals waiting for their cars to be loaded/unloaded.

MBTA3247 wrote:So instead of twiddling their thumbs in traffic on the bridges, people would be twiddling their thumbs in waiting rooms at the two autorack terminals waiting for their cars to be loaded/unloaded.

Hey hey hey be fair to this idea, you could always expand the loading gauge of the route to handle Eurotunnel Shuttle-style drive on, drive off consists!

And it's almost as feasible as expecting people to wait 90 minutes on either side for autorack loading/unloading on a 2 hour trip!

Rbts Stn wrote:Make it an Auto Train. Solves the problem for folks who need their car and all their stuff on the Cape, while taking cars off of the bridges.

Autoracks wouldnt fit in S. Station or on the bridge over the canal

Dick H wrote:The thousands of tourist businesses, big and small, on the Cape and the Islands would never, ever, approve any restrictions on non-resident vehicles to become law. Totally, a non-starter.

Thinking about it, I believe any attempt to restrict non-resident vehicles would run afoul of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and the Privileges and Immunities Clause of the United States Constitution. That, of course doesn't mean somebody won't try..

An Auto Train would be a logistal nightmare in Hyannis..

I remember in one of the Trains Magazine articles (June 2013, released in May 2013) before the CapeFLYER started in 2013, Ed Ellis (President of Iowa Pacific) wanted to have premium seating for the passengers. I think passengers would be attracted to a couple of the Iowa Pacific coaches instead of the normal, MBTA coaches.

No. It's all about getting there in the shortest possible time in reasonable comfort and with appropriate conveniences: helpful friendly staff, light meals, alcoholic beverages, clean rest rooms, bike racks and good ferry and bus connections. The first point needs the most improvement, additional stations should be considered next.

Indeed - make the running time more reasonable. Poking along at 35MPH in some stretches isn't impressive.

The Cape Flyer service needs faster speeds and fewer stops.

Well...one hitch is probably the unprotected grade crossing in
Sandwich & Hyannis..and I'm sure there'd be abutter challenges
and The CCRTA already knows that......

I would like to see an additional earlier Friday afternoon express that runs nonstop Boston to BB and faster speeds nonstop BB to Hyannis. I'll bet it would do very well, but maybe at the expense of the "regular" Friday train. The nonstop part may be possible, but faster speeds on the Cape will be harder to accomplish due to NIMBY opposition and cost. (We've all talked about this before, it's tough nut to crack.)

The ViRoCo wrote:I remember in one of the Trains Magazine articles (June 2013, released in May 2013) before the CapeFLYER started in 2013, Ed Ellis (President of Iowa Pacific) wanted to have premium seating for the passengers. I think passengers would be attracted to a couple of the Iowa Pacific coaches instead of the normal, MBTA coaches.

If people were interested in riding in nicer cars, then maybe his pullman service would be as successful as the laughable in Trains Magazine would lead you to believe. I can't imagine many people are riding it if they are soliciting money to restore on of their cars from people over the internet... Bottom line, i don't think people riding the train really care what they are riding in, and if the service is to be successful, the state needs to raise the speeds to over the current 50, which is 5mph slower than the first year I might add, between Middleboro and Buzzards Bay and raise the 30mph track speed on the cape. Also, advertising for the service is terrible. They were advertising it along route 6 3 days before the end of the service this year. Who thought that was a good idea? If you are on the cape already, the train is of no use to you.

railfanner01 wrote:

The ViRoCo wrote:I remember in one of the Trains Magazine articles (June 2013, released in May 2013) before the CapeFLYER started in 2013, Ed Ellis (President of Iowa Pacific) wanted to have premium seating for the passengers. I think passengers would be attracted to a couple of the Iowa Pacific coaches instead of the normal, MBTA coaches.

If people were interested in riding in nicer cars, then maybe his pullman service would be as successful as the laughable in Trains Magazine would lead you to believe. I can't imagine many people are riding it if they are soliciting money to restore on of their cars from people over the internet... Bottom line, i don't think people riding the train really care what they are riding in, and if the service is to be successful, the state needs to raise the speeds to over the current 50, which is 5mph slower than the first year I might add, between Middleboro and Buzzards Bay and raise the 30mph track speed on the cape. Also, advertising for the service is terrible. They were advertising it along route 6 3 days before the end of the service this year. Who thought that was a good idea? If you are on the cape already, the train is of no use to you.

I see your point, and I do agree. Speed and advertising is definitely a factor that will welcome more passengers aboard, and not the equipment (my inner railfanner was getting the best of me )

The ViRoCo wrote:

railfanner01 wrote:

The ViRoCo wrote:I remember in one of the Trains Magazine articles (June 2013, released in May 2013) before the CapeFLYER started in 2013, Ed Ellis (President of Iowa Pacific) wanted to have premium seating for the passengers. I think passengers would be attracted to a couple of the Iowa Pacific coaches instead of the normal, MBTA coaches.

If people were interested in riding in nicer cars, then maybe his pullman service would be as successful as the laughable in Trains Magazine would lead you to believe. I can't imagine many people are riding it if they are soliciting money to restore on of their cars from people over the internet... Bottom line, i don't think people riding the train really care what they are riding in, and if the service is to be successful, the state needs to raise the speeds to over the current 50, which is 5mph slower than the first year I might add, between Middleboro and Buzzards Bay and raise the 30mph track speed on the cape. Also, advertising for the service is terrible. They were advertising it along route 6 3 days before the end of the service this year. Who thought that was a good idea? If you are on the cape already, the train is of no use to you.

I see your point, and I do agree. Speed and advertising is definitely a factor that will welcome more passengers aboard, and not the equipment (my inner railfanner was getting the best of me )

I agree that speed and advertising are very important but I feel that there is a vital "third leg to the stool" and that is the "last mile" issue. The "last mile" being the connection to the ultimate destination. I think the CCRTA needs to step up with convenient and timely connections to places people want to go. Passengers won't ride again if on arrival at the HTC they find that; "Ayuh, ya' can't get theyah from heyah..".