Extra Tracks at North Station?

[OT] Electrics with smallish batteries is the only cost-effective way to electrify the Framingham-Worcester Line as tracks cannot be undercut and bridges cannot be raised, especially east of 128.

Since we're going way off topic anyway, are you guys getting ALL of the notification emails from this forum going in to your junk mail forum or am i the only one? It seems to be a DNS problem with the server, I've tried to contact the forum runners about it but had no luck. This place seems to be running on autopilot.

They still need to do a fair amount of wiring to get Providence ready for electrified T trains.

What is the current status of the Drawbridge project and "BON Expansion" anyway?

wicked wrote: ↑Thu Oct 12, 2023 7:25 pm They still need to do a fair amount of wiring to get Providence ready for electrified T trains.

Providence already handles electrified Amtrak trains; what's the difference?

The Providence layover facility and some stations (T.F. Green Airport and Wickford Junction) on the Providence line that do not have MBTA platforms on the tracks used by Amtrak do not have catenary over the MBTA-only trackage, so that catenary would need to be built at those places (and maybe others).

The existing Amtrak electrification infrastructure is designed to support a certain number of trains, which is adequate to Amtrak's present and future needs but not necessarily conducive to adding a large number of commuter trains as well. In addition to the places wire simply doesn't exist, additional traction power substations and other support infrastructure are needed long term. You can get by with adding a power strip in your house for a time (hopefully brief) until you finally have to get the electrician to come and add new services - you can't do that with railroad electrification.

If RI is that concerned with providing express service for its residents to get into Boston, why don't they subsidize tickets for PVD-BOS runs on Amtrak regionals? Insert the trips into the T schedule if you'd like with notes about needing subsidized tickets. It's done on other lines in the area (SLE used to do it, Hartford Line still does).

BandA wrote: ↑Thu Oct 12, 2023 1:16 pm [OT] Electrics with smallish batteries is the only cost-effective way to electrify the Framingham-Worcester Line as tracks cannot be undercut and bridges cannot be raised, especially east of 128.

They still might be able to undercut tracks inside 128. They did it when they introduced the bi-levels in the early '90s.

wicked wrote: ↑Mon Nov 13, 2023 2:22 pm If RI is that concerned with providing express service for its residents to get into Boston, why don't they subsidize tickets for PVD-BOS runs on Amtrak regionals? Insert the trips into the T schedule if you'd like with notes about needing subsidized tickets. It's done on other lines in the area (SLE used to do it, Hartford Line still does).

I can't find anything in this topic mentioning Rhode Island express service.

That would be like MARC allowing weekly/monthly commuters on selected Regionals (or the pre-2005 Clockers
whose ridership was almost all NJT weekly/monthly commuters).

BandA wrote: ↑Mon Nov 13, 2023 4:07 pm

wicked wrote: ↑Mon Nov 13, 2023 2:22 pm If RI is that concerned with providing express service for its residents to get into Boston, why don't they subsidize tickets for PVD-BOS runs on Amtrak regionals? Insert the trips into the T schedule if you'd like with notes about needing subsidized tickets. It's done on other lines in the area (SLE used to do it, Hartford Line still does).

I can't find anything in this topic mentioning Rhode Island express service.

Folks mentioned electrifying Providence (which I assume would lead to much desired, higher speeds). I think Northeast Regionals do Boston to Providence in less than 50 minutes.

Please bring this discussion back to North Station expansion...

Ok. What is the deal with the old Spaulding building? Is it being knocked down? Is it being sold or leased? It's sitting there like a tall ghost town right now

When will North Station need those extra tracks to be connected? Vs when it will happen