by Ridgefielder
New London-Palmer hosted passenger service as recently as the mid-90's. What is the $110mm for? PTC?
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The EGE wrote:Yeah, Montrealer from 1989-95. Perhaps I didn't make it too clear when I wrote the article...The Norwich Bulletin article?
Ridgefielder wrote:New London-Palmer hosted passenger service as recently as the mid-90's. What is the $110mm for? PTC?CDOT's been pouring a lot of money into NECR for 1st-gen double stack clearance and 286K upgrades (http://www.ct.gov/dot/lib/dot/documents ... _GRANT.pdf), and this will be the first line in the state prioritized for upgrade to full 2nd-gen domestic DS. So you'd have to parse with a fine-toothed comb what among that $110M is primarily freight with piggyback passenger benefit and what's the above-and-beyond that's passenger-specific. Right now it's 1st-gen DS south to Willimantic with the restored Willimantic Branch newly open as a high-clearance interchange with P&W. I don't know if Willimantic-New London's got the clearances yet, but if not that would be on the docket to closeout the 1st-gen work and then the whole route south of Palmer gets the bump to 2nd-gen. Obviously NECR is wooing passenger so hard because it's the $$$ source to get their prized clearance route complete, so I would not be surprised if the lion's share of that is for fast-tracking the second phase of all this clearance work and getting it done a lot sooner than they would if it were a long, drawn-out, piecemeal-funded freight-only effort.
The EGE wrote:The Wikipedia article. Different username, same guy.You did a great job! Lots of resources (and the links won't always work forever), description, maps, etc.
Backers of expanded rail service that would connect New London to Storrs and points north are anxiously awaiting approval of a $17 million federal grant that would jump-start the upgrading of tracks in preparation for higher local freight- and passenger-train capacity.
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The rail improvements eventually would extend to Brattleboro, Vt., if the money is approved. A previous federal grant led to rail upgrades from Brattleboro to the Canadian border.
The project, as conceived by the Central Corridor Rail Coalition that includes officials in the regions to be served, is expected to cost $125 million to $150 million when complete. About $50 million of the cost would be for track upgrades, with another $15 million to $20 million each for new rail stations and new freight cars, O'Donnell said.
The updated tracks would accommodate freight cars that are up to modern standards, rather than the small-capacity cars currently in use in southeastern Connecticut. This would end the need to re-load cargo that comes or leaves from here because the region's tracks can't accommodate higher-capacity cars.
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Stops would run from New London to Mohegan Sun Casino, Norwich, Willimantic, Mansfield, Storrs and Stafford Springs. Other stations along the way would include Palmer, Amherst and Millers Falls in Massachusetts, as well as Brattleboro, Vt.
According to a summary of the project, Palmer, Mass., "is the nexus for all passenger and freight service moving through central New England." Brattleboro "will be the connection for Amtrak service north and serve southern New England skiers and tourists looking to avoid congestion on I-91."
F-line to Dudley via Park wrote:Ridgefielder wrote:New London-Palmer hosted passenger service as recently as the mid-90's. What is the $110mm for? PTC?CDOT's been pouring a lot of money into NECR for 1st-gen double stack clearance and 286K upgrades (http://www.ct.gov/dot/lib/dot/documents ... _GRANT.pdf), and this will be the first line in the state prioritized for upgrade to full 2nd-gen domestic DS.
The thinking was that in the future, the center will play a role in ferry and rail service. For example, the city has expressed its support for a Central Corridor Rail project that would have a stop at the new center while creating passenger rail service between New London and Brattleboro, Vt.