AMTRAK NEC: Springfield Shuttle/Regional/Valley Flyer/Inland Routing

Jeff Smith is Travelling, he asked me to post this

http://wamc.org/post/commuter-trains-ru ... rting-2019" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

John_Perkowski wrote:Jeff Smith is Travelling, he asked me to post this

http://wamc.org/post/commuter-trains-ru ... rting-2019" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

That is quite a vague statement. Jan 1, 2019 - Dec 31, 2019 ?.

east point wrote:

John_Perkowski wrote:Jeff Smith is Travelling, he asked me to post this

http://wamc.org/post/commuter-trains-ru ... rting-2019" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

That is quite a vague statement. Jan 1, 2019 - Dec 31, 2019 ?.

I'm sure more information will be out soon.

isn't Springfield - Greenfield dispatched by PAN AM ? If so that needs correcting.

This would become the "T west" operation,PAR will need to split the Conn River to 2 DS districts for commuter ops on the south end of Conn River line.
Should become the retirement "home" of the ConnDOT rebuilt MBB's after being returned to MBTA .

More details on the 2019 extension of CTrail service to Greenfield MA:

Some time mid 2019, limited CTrail service (1 additional train in each direction?) using Amtrak equipment will be extended to Greenfield, MA for up to 3 years on a trial basis:

https://www.masslive.com/business-news/ ... rom_s.html

And apparently Pan Am Southern's Conn River freight service will require MaDOT to install more sidings along between Springfield and Greenfield:

But Pollack said the state will have to build bypass tracks so passenger trains can pass the Pan Am Railways freight traffic that already uses the Knowledge Corridor tracks.

Backshophoss wrote:This would become the "T west" operation,PAR will need to split the Conn River to 2 DS districts for commuter ops on the south end of Conn River line.
Should become the retirement "home" of the ConnDOT rebuilt MBB's after being returned to MBTA .

Is the PAR D3 dispatcher that busy that s/he can't handle more trains throughout the day. And if I read it. right, the pilot project is only one R/T a day.

Well the good news about the Amtrak shuttle is that all the gamblers from Franklin County will finally have assured seating to and from the new casino in Springfield. Not clear who will come from Springfield to Greenfield but I'm sure we could do another study.

johnpbarlow wrote:More details on the 2019 extension of CTrail service to Greenfield MA:

Some time mid 2019, limited CTrail service (1 additional train in each direction?) using Amtrak equipment will be extended to Greenfield, MA for up to 3 years on a trial basis:

https://www.masslive.com/business-news/ ... rom_s.html

And apparently Pan Am Southern's Conn River freight service will require MaDOT to install more sidings along between Springfield and Greenfield:

But Pollack said the state will have to build bypass tracks so passenger trains can pass the Pan Am Railways freight traffic that already uses the Knowledge Corridor tracks.

According to MassLive, it is an extra roundtrip in the morning and evening. That means three daily round trips, which is lousy but it is still a step up from the current service. Projected ridership is 24,000, so daily ridership would be 66, which equates to either 16 or 33 passengers per train, depending on if they mean 24,000 riders going just inbound or both directions.

EDIT: My two cents on which shuttles to extend would be 471 and 417 south, and 490 and 494 on weekdays. On weekends 157/147, 467/497 going south and 450 and 140 going north.

I don't mean to appear cynical but spending a $1M/year to attract 24,000 trips that fill less than half a coach per train seems like a low ridership bar. But the venture is positioned as a trial with no guarantees of its long term implementation. But 2018 is a Massachusetts gubernatorial election year...

At $1m for a year it is cheaper and faster than most ridership studies--and real, not a forecast. And passengers get the "study budget" not a few consultants (much as I love 'em).

Even at $40/pax subsidy, it would be transit malpractice to NOT try a pilot this fast, cheap, and accurate.

That it will run 30 or 36 months means it will also capture the usual new service ridership ramp.

I rate this nimble, thrifty government at its best.

Kilgore Trout wrote: My long-standing suspicion has been that the lack of ticketed Acela connections is due to the lack of business class on the shuttles. Amtrak may not want to give an Acela passenger a downgrade in service level from their premium service. At least that was my perception when I used to frequently ride to Hartford ~8 years ago.

Turns out it was simply an oversight. I sent comment emails to CTDOT and Amtrak. Amtrak customer relations passed it on to scheduling and operations and they looked into it and 451/2151 and 2172/412 connections have been added in.

Unfortunately, the rte 91/Knowledge Corridor has very little traffic that doesn't prefer to drive. Buses from Greenfield to Springfield have very sparse loadings at cheaper rates. I think they(Mass Dot) are trying to spice up train travel to Springfield at a time when the casino may/could be a draw especially with packages. Here again the area bus companies excel at casino offerings.

The real demand for Western Mass rail traffic is to get to Boston. Springfield is the favored gateway but there are many hurdles prior to making that multi train service happen. And, there is a ton of bus competition with easy access to the Mass Pike. Greenfield on the other hand has zero east bus service and could facilitate generating a good chunk of rail oriented traffic coming from Southern Vermont, Southern New Hampshire and Western Mass headed to Boston/North Station.

When does work start on the I84 viaduct in Hartford?

answer: around 2021...just about when the piot ends. The obvious step then is to run the train as part of the mitigation for the big construction project

Traingeek3629 wrote: EDIT: My two cents on which shuttles to extend would be 471 and 417 south, and 490 and 494 on weekdays. On weekends 157/147, 467/497 going south and 450 and 140 going north.

I don't know about 157/147/140. Doesn't seem worth the effort to have to turn a longer train around up there. I'd think it'd be simpler for them to all be Shuttles.