Metro-North Scraps Peak-Hour NHL Express Trains

In an absolutely bizarre "new normal" schedule, MNR has scrapped the popular "super-express" trains to and from New Haven that typically don't make local stops after Fairfield. Instead, every trip to New Haven during rush hour is at least a full two hours. It seems that room has been left in the schedule to allow for the return of these express trains in the future, but in the meantime...having every train stop at Southport and East Norwalk isn't an ideal solution if you want to get your peak-hour ridership back.

Another highlight is the return of full Danbury thru service. Because of this, the majority of the peak New Haven trains do skip Noroton/Darien/Rowayton.

https://new.mta.info/document/48706

Weekend Service has also been restored.

I do agree with you about the rush hour NHL schedule Traingeek3629. Yes it would be great to have more super express trains to New Haven restored. Stopping at stations like East Norwalk, Greens Farms, and Southport still slows down the schedule a little, even if the trains run nonstop from 125th St to Stamford and then skips Noroton Heights and Rowayton. However, on Fridays only, there is Train # 3638 that runs nonstop from 125th St to Stamford and after Stamford, it skips stops until Westport, and then it skips Greens Farms and Southport. 3638 takes an hour and fifty three minutes to travel from GCT-NHV according to the schedule but being that the train can run early east of Stamford, I'm sure the train arrives and departs the stations east of Stamford ahead of schedule. I noticed that that train takes 48 minutes to travel between GCT-NHV which is almost the same times before 2012.
A few trains in the morning that I don't agree with-#1513 and 3417. Being that 3417 starts out in Bridgeport, I don't see why it should be skipping the stations like Southport, Greens Farms, and East Norwalk whereas Train # 1513 should be running more as an express from NHV skipping stations like Southport, Greens Farms, and East Norwalk

It's worse for anyone connecting from/to SLE and the Hartford Line. Some connections have only a 5-10 minute wait, but the average wait time appears to be around 15-20 minutes; some SLE trains have 30 minute wait times.

But with work patterns changing for the time being I don't how that many people who live closer to Bridgeport, New Haven, and point N & E would continue to make use of the super expresses. Perhaps MNR thought if they need to go into the city every other day or 2 days a week they could either take the 2 hour train or take Amtrak since it wouldn't be worth keeping them in the schedule.

RE: the Danbury Branch did they have 4 weekday through trains to/from GCT in each direction prior to the pandemic? Or was it 3?