by jlichyen
gokeefe wrote: ↑Fri Dec 06, 2019 11:26 pm New Haven would probably work better operationally for that option, however either choice affects the Connecticut draw bridge slots.Regarding the Conn River Bridge: Not necessarily. If the cross-platform transfer occurs at New London, it just has to be timed with existing NE Regionals and/or SLEs so no new trains are crossing the Conn River. New trains from NL will impact the Thames River Bridge, but if they're timed for just before/after the regionals pass, it might be doable.
It's worth noting the benefits to the west Boston suburbs of a train running west out of Boston and then south from Worcester towards New London (and not Providence).
Framingham gets some significant improvements in connectivity that at present are unavailable to them as a direct service.
One minor issue with this routing is that it involves crossing the sub base in Groton, and is on the opposite side of the Thames from Mohegan Sun. I don't know if those are serious or not, though.
I also don't know if there's any value in radial commuting between Worcester and Lowell/Lawrence? Basically a parallel to I-495. I haven't been on that highway in forever so I'm not familiar with rush hour traffic. But if there's additional demand for that kind of regular service, an upgrade to 65+ might be sellable.