Amtrak Vermonter / Montrealer

Must have fixed it. 54 shown as on time in Holyoke - no doubt headed for points past Brattleboro.

Has the speed restriction at East Northfield been lifted?

BostonUrbEx wrote:Has the speed restriction at East Northfield been lifted?

According to the latest bulletin order, the 10 is still in effect on the switch.

Montrealer update:

Leahy bill to help preclearance operations for air, rail, marine and overland travel to Canada

Approval of the legislation will advance discussions regarding the creation of a preclearance facility at Montreal’s Central Station, reestablishing train service between Vermont and Montreal, and is a step forward in improving the air service between Burlington International Airport and Toronto City Airport. The United States currently stations CBP officers in select locations in Canada to inspect passengers and cargo bound for the United States before they leave Canada. These operations relieve congestion at U.S. airports, improve commerce, save money, and provide national security benefits. Down the road, the bill also will help achieve the goal of restoring “Montrealer” passenger rail service between Vermont and Montreal.

This is the kind of legislation, without specific funding requirements, which should pass through both chambers with relative ease. Smart move not attaching it to one of the larger appropriations bills.

Montrealer timeline update:

Amtrak's Vermonter train could resume passenger service to Montreal within three years, lawmakers were told Tuesday morning.

“The stars are aligned, and I think we are going to go as fast as we possibly can,” said Brian Searles, Vermont's former transportation secretary who now works as a consultant on the cross-border train project.

...

With legislative approval in hand, a "highly speculative" timeline would require 12 months of planning and permitting and 24 months of construction, for a total of three years, Searles said.

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/stor ... /82379346/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


Seems like three years is viewed as the best-case scenario.

I like "highly speculative". Reminds me of LIRR East Side Access.

There's a new rail advocacy group forming in the Pioneer Valley region of Western Mass.
Website launch event will be next week in Northampton.

Further details on this link:
https://trainsinthevalley.eventbrite.com

Thank you for your part in setting this up, Ben. I will look forward to the progress reports!

Amtrak engine 105 failed today on train 55 at or near .Montpelier Jct., unknown "freight engine" added - train running about 1 hr 30 min late as of 1:30p

I would have expected much worse given the need for emergency power.

BenH wrote:There's a new rail advocacy group forming in the Pioneer Valley region of Western Mass.
Website launch event will be next week in Northampton.

Further details on this link:
https://trainsinthevalley.eventbrite.com

Nice website! https://trainsinthevalley.org" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

CVRA7 wrote:Amtrak engine 105 failed today on train 55 at or near .Montpelier Jct., unknown "freight engine" added - train running about 1 hr 30 min late as of 1:30p

Train over 10 hours late into SPG with BP 3000 leading

Has anyone noticed that the Vermonters are losing time north of Springfield, primarily on the NECR? Looks like all those track repairs and upgrades done a few years back are starting to wear out. Usually 20-30" late each day. What worries me is that this is how the decline in track condition started before all the work was done as it seems that the NECR allows the slow orders to pile up instead of performing ongoing maintenance. Hopefully someone more acquainted with the area can comment on this.

CVRA7 wrote:Has anyone noticed that the Vermonters are losing time north of Springfield, primarily on the NECR? Looks like all those track repairs and upgrades done a few years back are starting to wear out. Usually 20-30" late each day. What worries me is that this is how the decline in track condition started before all the work was done as it seems that the NECR allows the slow orders to pile up instead of performing ongoing maintenance. Hopefully someone more acquainted with the area can comment on this.

From what I was told, the NECR put up bunch for 10mph restrictions near rock ledges after the Vermonter derailment.