Berkshire Flyer: Pittsfield - New York City Service via Albany

Out of genuine possibly morbid curiosity, wondering how the Flyer flew to and from Pittsfield this year. Would love to know the actual ridership statistics either bearing witness to a hugely successful venture or possibly an expensive politically expedient experiment performed to satisfy west mass cravings for rail service to and from the big apple.

Safetee wrote: ↑Fri Oct 14, 2022 10:20 am Out of genuine possibly morbid curiosity, wondering how the Flyer flew to and from Pittsfield this year. Would love to know the actual ridership statistics either bearing witness to a hugely successful venture or possibly an expensive politically expedient experiment performed to satisfy west mass cravings for rail service to and from the big apple.

From the manifests I saw and the conductors I talked to ALB PIT averaged about fifty to sixty people a trip. Never had a chance to see any paperwork on PIT to ALB I would say the numbers would be about the same.

well that's a lot better than 20-39 but it certainly is not substantiation for expansion of the service or even an annual repeat.

Massachusetts has funded this for two years so we have at least one more year.

That said, I wonder if they'd save fuel by turning it into a 2-3 car dinkey. Though that adds operational costs too.

Anyway, I do hope to ride it again next year.

What will the Commonwealth of Tax dream up next?

Maybe extending the Flyer South to Canaan, CT since many of the attractions in the area are along the New Haven.

Understand that to handle plastic pellet traffic to Becton Dickinson at Canaan, the track is Class 2 (sure can't say same of around Kent) . Oh but what does the Commonwealth care; just make it Class 4.

Greg Moore wrote: ↑Fri Oct 14, 2022 9:02 pm Massachusetts has funded this for two years so we have at least one more year.

That said, I wonder if they'd save fuel by turning it into a 2-3 car dinkey. Though that adds operational costs too.

Anyway, I do hope to ride it again next year.

That would either require,
A) A stub train with a transfer and Albany barely has enough equipment (engines) to cover the regular service some days.
B) A switching move to cut or add two or three cars off the rear end of the train and that adds time, money, and work. Work I do not mind its job security. Money and time... Amtrak doesn't have a lot of one and there are days the yard crews and mechanical forces do not have much of the other.

I can't recall. I thought they were adding an engine at Albany anyway, I don't think they're turning the train.
So there's already extra work required.
But I'd tend to agree it's probably not worth the effort.

Greg Moore wrote: ↑Sun Oct 16, 2022 10:11 am I can't recall. I thought they were adding an engine at Albany anyway, I don't think they're turning the train.
So there's already extra work required.
But I'd tend to agree it's probably not worth the effort.

Way quicker to cut/add an engine. ALB to PIT, coaches have to be cleared, brake tested and removed from the train. THEN the engine can be added to the rear. Leaving to go south cut the road power add the two or three coaches to the head end then tie the road power back on. Plus all the associated brake tests.

It worked the way it was set up and it will likely stay that way next year.

Gilbert B Norman wrote: ↑Fri Oct 14, 2022 9:33 pm What will the Commonwealth of Tax dream up next?

Maybe extending the Flyer South to Canaan, CT since many of the attractions in the area are along the New Haven.

Understand that to handle plastic pellet traffic to Becton Dickinson at Canaan, the track is Class 2 (sure can't say same of around Kent) . Oh but what does the Commonwealth care; just make it Class 4.

This all started during the Governator Deval Patrick adminstration; They wanted to spend a boatload of money in eastern Massachusetts, so they proposed stuff for western Massachusetts that cost the same per capita, based on the population of Berkshire and Hampshire counties. Actually a brilliant piece of politics which surprised me because I didn't think Patrick was very smart. We are seeing the weight of bureaucracy holding the deadman switch of spending for new service when they should be fixing (MBTA not Amtrak) safety issues and improving existing service. Ultimately service to Pittsfield will fail or underperform. Eventually service around Springfield will start to catch on.

They should be doing both.

Service to Pittsfield may fail now, in the last days of the ICE car-based world that has ruled for 70 years, partly due to people like you that are stuck in the past. Car culture is dying.

Looking forward, there will likely be demand in the BEV future to just drive your BEV to the nearest train station and take the train to the Berkshires, or Montreal, Boston, or NYC. I'll remind you that the Albany metro aera is 1.1 million going by the CSA, and steadily increasing. The close proximity to all of those major cities is one of the reasons why. It's likely that the east coast megalopolis will include the Albany metro in the not distant future. Especially considering the areas of the country that are and will continue to see adverse conditions due to climate change. The next generations that will live here do not care about driving.

I'm 50 and I understand that change is hard, but the change has to start somewhere. I find it disappointing that there is no vision of the future anymore even if I won't see it.

Things always have to be like they were is the mindset now.

taracer wrote: ↑Mon Oct 17, 2022 7:21 pm ........ in the last days of the ICE car-based world that has ruled for 70 years, partly due to people like you that are stuck in the past. Car culture is dying.

Looking forward, there will likely be demand in the BEV future to just drive your BEV to the nearest train station and take the train to the Berkshires, or Montreal, Boston, or NYC. I'll remind you that the Albany metro aera is 1.1 million going by the CSA, ....

Mr. Taracer, could you decrypt the acronyms?

ICE = Internal Combustion Engine
BEV = Battery Electric Vehicle
CSA Over 400 possibilities on https://www.acronymfinder.com/
but from the context is likely Combined statistical area

All a bit abstract within my lexicon

Mr. Taracer, you should note I will be renting from Hertz, a Tesla Model Y BEV at White Plains (HPN) in a few weeks, but otherwise for myself, I take road trips, and after 450 miles of driving, I want to "take ten", gas up, and go.

I'm also mindful that Swedish gal is quick to tell all that listen to her preach, that aircraft pollute somewhere in the league of ICE MV's.

I also like to attend out of town concerts such as in Ann Arbor, Detroit, Cleveland, and maybe Pittsburgh. Amtrak Midwest Corridor to the first two noted is there, but simply not workable. And the others...if you're into "0-dark-30" arrivals and departures, fine. But I'm not!.

So for those reasons noted, ICE is what I need to meet my needs.

Railjunkie wrote: ↑Sun Oct 16, 2022 11:17 am Way quicker to cut/add an engine. ALB to PIT, coaches have to be cleared, brake tested and removed from the train. THEN the engine can be added to the rear. Leaving to go south cut the road power add the two or three coaches to the head end then tie the road power back on. Plus all the associated brake tests.

It worked the way it was set up and it will likely stay that way next year.

One seat ALB to PIT? That's a double engine switch: One in Penn and one in Philly. You might as well do the ICE+Electric pickup there and save on the switch-over.

I'm not sure how you're getting a Philly in there between Albany and Pittsfield.
Perhaps you're mistaking PIT (Pittsfield) with PGH (Pittsburg, PA)?

Now that said, electrifying from NYP to ALB would be nice, but for other reasons