Railroad Forums 

Discussion relating to the operations of MTA MetroNorth Railroad including west of Hudson operations and discussion of CtDOT sponsored rail operations such as Shore Line East and the Springfield to New Haven Hartford Line

Moderators: GirlOnTheTrain, nomis, FL9AC, Jeff Smith

 #1539935  by Backshophoss
 
2 givens 1: the Shoreliner I's and II's that are ConnDOT owned will cascade to SLE and NHHS services.
2: ConnDOT will be part of MN's order for BBD MLV III design that will re-equip the Danbury and Waterbury Branch services.

Am leery of putting in a shop in Waterbury yard,as ConnDOT's mainshop is in a reasonable range to deadhead to.
Devon Transfer is sorely needed.
 #1539940  by njtmnrrbuff
 
I think probably before the Shoreliner Is and IIs that are CDOT owned transfer to SLE and NHHS services, MNR will have to order its brand new MLV III cars and that goes with CDOT's share for the MNR pool. MNR needs as many of its Shoreliners as possible for it's own routes.

As for the building a shop in Waterbury, that would be good, given the fact that trains would get serviced along the branch rather than having to backtrack to East Bridgeport or New Haven. There should be a lot of room in Waterbury to build a shop and yard. Now, there will have to be adequate security at the yard and shop given that it's not the best neighborhood there.
 #1540062  by GirlOnTheTrain
 
On what planet are we building car barns in Waterbury? Pretty sure they're content with servicing the minis out of Stamford. East Bridgeport is more of a MOW base than anything else, and the Waterbury sets haven't been based out of New Haven since 2014, which is also when they quit using a SLE set for the midday round trip when the main minibomb was being refueled in NHV.
 #1540088  by Jeff Smith
 
Yup, agree, why build an expensive facility in Waterbury and then have to worry about security? Waterbury is not going to turn back into a heavy huge yard like it was back in the day. Unless Poland Spring, which had been looking at a transload facility in Naugatuck, decides to do something in Waterbury. Then I'd get excited.

There's not nearly the amount of equipment that would justify such for the branch. Even if they build a permanent Devon transfer, you're not cutting off the main line; at the end of the day, any equipment sets can just deadhead down for equipment turns.
 #1540125  by DutchRailnut
 
not all places are ok by EPA to fuel , lots of watershed area's no matter what precautions you take .
If you build a shop and originate trains in Waterbury you also have to build a crew facility cause it becomes a starting point .
you still need to schedule deadhead moves cause trains do not get to major shops for equipment changes on their own .
 #1563415  by Jeff Smith
 
https://www.mycitizensnews.com/news/lam ... bury-line/
Gov. Ned Lamont’s proposed budget recommends $1.2 million to increase the number of trains servicing the Waterbury line from 15 to 22 beginning in fiscal year 2022-23.

The seven additional trains include two in the morning, one midday, two in the evening and two at a time yet to be determined, said Max Reiss, a Lamont spokesman. Specific times need to be worked out with Metro-North Railroad.
...
The state has nearly finished a $120 million project to signalize the Waterbury branch, and the work is set to be completed by April.

Three passing sidings have been built on the single-track railroad, allowing northbound and southbound trains to pass.

The line has also been outfitted with signals, which direct traffic and prevent collisions, and Positive Train Control, a system that automatically enforces safety rules, such as speed limits, if the engineer fails to act.
...
Last March, leaders of the newly formed Waterbury Rail Line Caucus proposed the DOT acquire eight dual-powered locomotives and 24 new rail cars, which it said were necessary to meet the branch’s long-term service needs.
...
 #1566970  by Jeff Smith
 
https://www.rep-am.com/local/localnews/ ... -to-state/

Note: the Republican-American now allows up to five free articles per month with a free registration.
WATERBURY – State officials say adding service to the Waterbury branch of Metro-North Railroad will help revitalize the Brass City and the corridor along the 28.5-mile passenger railroad, which runs between Waterbury and Bridgeport.

Gov. Ned Lamont’s proposed budget includes $1.2 million to increase the number of daily trains from 15 to 22 starting in 2023. The seven additional trains will run during peak and off-peak hours, in the morning and afternoon.
...
State Sen. Joan V. Hartley, D-15th District, said the increase in service is possible due to a $116 million upgrade that involves signalizing the Waterbury branch, which is set to be completed by April. Three passing sidings have been built on the single-track railroad.

The line has also been outfitted with signals, which direct traffic and prevent collisions, and Positive Train Control, a system that automatically enforces safety rules, such as speed limits, if the engineer fails to act.
...
 #1567004  by Train322
 
Where precisely are the new passing sidings and how long are they?

I've been on a train where we had to wait for a passing train and it can cause schedule delays. If the sidings are a few miles long, not as much chance for a delay but if only a few hundred yards, that can be a problem.
 #1571259  by Jeff Smith
 
https://www.progressiverailroading.com/ ... ork--63377
...
The work includes railroad crossing improvements, the replacement of ties and curves, completion of passing sidings and track resurfacing to ensure smoother rides.

A priority of the Connecticut Department of Transportation, the work is part of the $116 million capital improvement project, which when completed will enable more reliable Waterbury Branch service, according to a news release.
...
 #1571271  by ElectricTraction
 
Jeff Smith wrote: Thu Apr 16, 2020 11:53 amNYC/GCT has never really been a Waterbury branch priority, at least not in years. The biggest service priority was Stamford service, I believe. Again, intrastate should be the priority here, no one is talking about GCT service for Waterbury branch.
Absolutely true. Stamford and New Haven (via Devon Transfer) make a lot more sense.
I can't recall on the fleet RFP for CTDOT, but were they considering DMU's, i.e. Stadlers? Perhaps that's the reason that they're not ready to go to bonding on those 12.
Let's hope so! 4-car (two pair) DMU or HMU sets could be used for pooled service on Waterbury, Hartford Line, SPG Shuttle, and the Valley Flyer. Even without Amtrak cooperation, CDOT could at least use them for Waterbury and Hartford. The northeast railroads should get together and make a common DMU or HMU design, one that can use high or low platforms and clear third rail for LIRR and MN shuttle services, unlike the previous designs (Nippon Sharyo) that couldn't clear the third rail. Whoops.

CDOT needs to lose the push-pull sets. There are a few cases for diesel push/pull into busy city terminals like the Old Colony Lines or dual-mode service to Port Jervis. Most lines either go towards electrification or towards HMU/DMU, however.
njtmnrrbuff wrote: Thu Apr 16, 2020 3:13 pmWhatever service improvements come to the Waterbury Branch will be beneficial. If people who live along the branch don't like the fact that there are no direct trains to Grand Central, then the solution is to drive to a station on the New Haven Line.
Agreed. A reasonable solution that would benefit all the services would be a cross-platform at Devon Transfer going in, with an up-and-over coming back out.
Backshophoss wrote: Fri Apr 17, 2020 9:37 pm2: ConnDOT will be part of MN's order for BBD MLV III design that will re-equip the Danbury and Waterbury Branch services.
How did CT get wrapped up in multilevel cars? The only potential use CDOT has for them would be Penn Access service from New Haven, even that could likely be handled by 8-12 car single-level sets. They're ill-suited to anything else in the state. As it is, NJT has too many of them. The big need is eventually for Comet VI cars for NJT, Penn Access, MN WOH, maybe SLE.
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