Lake Shore Limited

[bdawe]

I'd be curious about the legality of such a shuttle train under PRIIA.

[Balerion]

The LSL gets wi-fi.

[east point]

Wi-Fi LSL ? Some one will have to tell us if receptions in sleepers are better when 8400 is the diner than a Heritage diner which has no pass thru facilities ?

[Rockingham Racer]

The LSL gets wi-fi.

Actually, several single level LD trains are getting it.

[Jeff Smith]

Separate from the WiFi conversation: can someone 'splain to me why 48 has such a long layover in Albany? It arrives 2:50pm but doesn't depart until 3:45pm. Meanwhile, 448 doesn't dawdle at all, leaving at 3:05 for Boston.

I also have another question: I'm considering riding 448 from ALB to BOS on a PV trip in May (the trip starts on 281 from NYP - ALB). The intention is to get on 67 to come back down to Savannah via a connection to 89 at DC. The connection at South Station if on time is arrive at 8:01pm depart on 67 at 9:30. Normally, I'd say piece of cake, but 448's OTP is pretty poor for arrival; 5 times in the last month, it's been over that connection time late.

What I was thinking was, buy a BOS ticket to SAV, but potentially jump off 448 at Back Bay, and catch 67 there. 448 BBY arrival would be 7:53pm, catch 67 at 9:36pm.

It's not a valid connection (448 to 67) in the Amtrak system, but since I'd be PV'ing it, it's my risk.

Thoughts?

[gokeefe]

Do it. Assume worst case scenario is you stay overnight in Boston. Nothing to say you couldn't talk to the crew ahead of time and see if they can call ahead and let 67 know you're coming. It's not like they would be "holding the Panama" as GBN might say.

My impression is 48/448 doesn't loose a lot of time between ALB and BOS. It's CHI - ALB where the problems happen. In ALB you could check train status and worst case divert directly to NYP. You would probably know ahead of time if the train was going to be REALLY late. Layover at NYP would be awful but I can think of worse problems to have if you've got a long ride ahead anyways.

I would guess that some of the OTP issues this time of year might be a result of weather related delays which are pretty unlikely in May.

[mvb119]

Separate from the WiFi conversation: can someone 'splain to me why 48 has such a long layover in Albany? It arrives 2:50pm but doesn't depart until 3:45pm. Meanwhile, 448 doesn't dawdle at all, leaving at 3:05 for Boston.

Thoughts?

Ignoring the current situation with the cross platform transfer, 448 was separated from 48 and could just pull away with the same locomotives since the Boston section was always on the front of the train. 48 has to have a new locomotive attached to take the train the rest of the way to NYP. Even though that would hardly take 55 minutes (barring major issues), since 48 is often late, it adds a good amount of slack in the schedule for a more timely arrival in NYP.

[mohawkrailfan]

The LSL gets wi-fi.

What does this mean, technically? Are all the Amfleet II coaches getting wired? The sleepers?

If the cellular uplink is in the cafe car (as it is on a lot of northeast trains) and the cafe car goes to Boston on 448/449 (as it used to), then will the NYP-ALB link have no Wifi?

[gokeefe]

I'd be curious about the legality of such a shuttle train under PRIIA.

As long as they still kept it as "technically" part of the Lake Shore Limited route I doubt there would be any questions.

[Backshophoss]

Untill all the construction kinks and groans are finished at Albany trackwise,figure on the "shuttle" setup for now.
The Boston sleeper will return sometime soon.

[electricron]

The Boston sleeper will return sometime soon.

Amtrak said the same thing when they killed the Sunset Limited east of New Orleans, i.e. service will return soon. It's been over a decade, and service hasn't returned..... ;(

[Backshophoss]

You forget that CSX wanted $$$$ from Amtrak for service restoration that was more than a fair share of the costs.
That started that impasse that now is beginning to disappear with talk of a "Gulf Coaster" from NOL to MIA.

[afiggatt]

What does this mean, technically? Are all the Amfleet II coaches getting wired? The sleepers?

If the cellular uplink is in the cafe car (as it is on a lot of northeast trains) and the cafe car goes to Boston on 448/449 (as it used to), then will the NYP-ALB link have no Wifi?

Pretty sure that all the Amfleet II coach and diner/cafe cars have now been wired for WiFi. Same with the Viewliner I sleepers. Amtrak announced at the end of March that WiFi was now officially available on all the single level Eastern LD trains: Free Wi-Fi now available on eastern Long-Distance trains, groundbreaking wireless upgrades underway.

WiFi is likely to be spotty in the Viewliner I sleeper cars until the new diner cars arrive, figuring that the Heritage diner car in the middle of the consist is not wired to carry WiFi signals. But WiFi will have dropouts and long dead zones for everyone on the LD trains when the trains pass through areas of poor to no cell coverage. As the press release indicates, Amtrak is looking at satellite WiFi options, but I suspect the cost and bandwidth issues will keep satellite upgrades off of the LD trains for some time.

As for the NYP-ALB section of the LSL, yes, without an Amfleet II diner car or an Amfleet I cafe car, there would be no WiFi cell uplink available. Would be useful if someone who has taken the LSL to/from NYP recently can confirm this. One solution would be to equip the new Viewliner II diner cars with WiFi cell stations, so there would WiFi service for the ALB-NYP section and dual base stations for more capacity for the rest of the overnight single level trains.

[gokeefe]

Nice report on the Waterloo (WTI) Station renovation project in Indiana.

WATERLOO -
Moving day is here for a project designed to put a historic train station back into service. Once it's relocated near the existing Amtrak boarding area, improvements to the more than 130 year-old Waterloo Depot are expected to be complete in June. Town Council President David Bolton believes the refurbished landmark will boost ridership at the DeKalb County stop.
...
"The Waterloo Train Depot was built in 1884 and refurbishing it was complete in 2010. This Train Depot played a central role in Waterloo's history and it will once again play a significant role in its future. The Train Depot will be used 365 days a year for Amtrak passengers and provide modern conveniences for its customers," said Bolton.

It is expected to be moved to a new block foundation next month. A grand opening is scheduled for June 24, which will coincide with the opening of a new Town Hall.

[Rockingham Racer]

Thanks for that. I forget: do they plan to have a platform long enough for a one-stop station call?