NH Line - Three Sections?

[Jeff Smith]

The most recent CT Rail Countil Minutes had this:

http://www.trainweb.org/ct/minutes0108.htm

Mr. Jelley raised the question of off-peak express service between GCT and the Fairfield to New Haven end of the New Haven line. He said that some years ago, Harry Harris had spoken of plans of breaking the New Haven line into three sections, as opposed to the present two sections (New Haven to Stamford and Stamford to GCT). Mr. Colonese said that the DOT was looking into that question.

Although I would probably put the break at Bridgeport (is that where Waterbury branch service runs from?) or even S. Norwalk (Danbury Branch), this seems like a good idea to me to speed service to eastern CT outside of peak rush-hour service.

I know we usually discuss the minutes "in toto" (sp?), but thought this would deserve it's own thread.

[Otto Vondrak]

Having rode the entire New Haven Line this weekend, I can attest that weekend semi-express service is like riding the slow boat to China. I know why they do it- the demand isn't as great on the weekends, so they did what made sense at the time.

I made a couple of round trips to New Haven this weekend, and I was thinking how great it would be if the train made first stop Bridgeport instead of visiting every station east of Stamford.

Local New York - Stamford
Express to Stamford, local to Bridgeport.
Express to Bridgeport, local to New Haven.

If the service was staggered into three segments, would they simply combine the number o trains? There's a finite number of employees and equipment available, after all.

-otto-

[theozno]

otto,
I pay my state taxes to CT, I would be against that plan Living in Old Greenwich. I pisses me off enough that Old Greenwich off peak is always the last local stop with no semi expresses etc... Its Bad enough on weekends if I miss my local I have to pay an extra 4.50 so I can save 20 to 30 min when I take the express to stamford and then backtracking to old greenwich.
when I go to NYC to meet up with friends etc I am not going to check the schedule I'll just get to GCT and find out when the next train is.
this has happened to me more than once on saturday nights and Sundays when I miss the local by a few minutes or up to 20 and I look at the express where I can save time by backtracking.
I wish they had an exception on the weekend or weekday if there was a way you could prove residency in greenwich you could take the train in the Greenwich zone (excluding Greenwich) just Cos Cob, Riverside, Old Greenwich to stamford and the express it to NYC without an extra charge..

unfortunatly being in college in Vt a lot of the time, I have always wanted to get to a rail meeting but cannot so if one of you guys ever want to bring it up feel free

ok enough of my bitching... sorry I wanted to vent it out on my two cents on the 3 zone opinion and I am only human so you guys could be against my comment on this issue or with it. feel free to discuss

Having rode the entire New Haven Line this weekend, I can attest that weekend semi-express service is like riding the slow boat to China. I know why they do it- the demand isn't as great on the weekends, so they did what made sense at the time.

I made a couple of round trips to New Haven this weekend, and I was thinking how great it would be if the train made first stop Bridgeport instead of visiting every station east of Stamford.

Local New York - Stamford
Express to Stamford, local to Bridgeport.
Express to Bridgeport, local to New Haven.

If the service was staggered into three segments, would they simply combine the number o trains? There's a finite number of employees and equipment available, after all.

-otto-

[Noel Weaver]

otto,
I pay my state taxes to CT, I would be against that plan Living in Old Greenwich. I pisses me off enough that Old Greenwich off peak is always the last local stop with no semi expresses etc... Its Bad enough on weekends if I miss my local I have to pay an extra 4.50 so I can save 20 to 30 min when I take the express to stamford and then backtracking to old greenwich.
when I go to NYC to meet up with friends etc I am not going to check the schedule I'll just get to GCT and find out when the next train is.
this has happened to me more than once on saturday nights and Sundays when I miss the local by a few minutes or up to 20 and I look at the express where I can save time by backtracking.
I wish they had an exception on the weekend or weekday if there was a way you could prove residency in greenwich you could take the train in the Greenwich zone (excluding Greenwich) just Cos Cob, Riverside, Old Greenwich to stamford and the express it to NYC without an extra charge..

unfortunatly being in college in Vt a lot of the time, I have always wanted to get to a rail meeting but cannot so if one of you guys ever want to bring it up feel free

ok enough of my bitching... sorry I wanted to vent it out on my two cents on the 3 zone opinion and I am only human so you guys could be against my comment on this issue or with it. feel free to discuss

This is a typical response from a "way station". Everybody at every
station wants an express to everywhere, this is simply not possible.
You have the best commuter service in the history of this line and you
are still not satisfied.
I am not one bit impressed.
Noel Weaver

[Jeff Smith]

I think the idea here is to get some of the outer, eastern CT stations some faster GCT service by running express from Bridgeport where there could be some real time savings given the distances. I'm not sure the stretch from Stamford to GCT on the local is all that bad, given the closer proximity to GCT, although I think you could make a case that some of the western Fairfield stations (Greenwich to Riverside) could run more off-peak modified express service from either Rye or Harrison. Of course, how many stations do you skip doing that? Through Mt. Vernon, I count five or six, depending upon if you stop in Harrison. Then there's the matter of the intermediate stop users, to whom you add more transfers. What about someone who wants to go from PC to L'Mont?

No, I like Otto's idea, if you add a stop for the B'Port express in Stamford, since that would be an intermediate destination from points east, including SLE stops.

[Otto Vondrak]

Mr. Ozno, once again you have failed to make a compelling argument for debate. The idea is to improve weekend express service to the eastern end of the New Haven Line, not micro-shuttle the GCT-Stamford segment just to provide you with an express to your doorstep.

-otto-

[SubaruWRX]

Hey Otto the 2:35Am train that stops in Stamford expresses to Stamford right? Had a new engineer last week and the conductor said to me I don't know how he found time to be 5 min early.

[Otto Vondrak]

Subaru, do you go to school with ozno, by any chance? What the heck does that have to do with anything we're talking about?

[SubaruWRX]

Subaru, do you go to school with ozno, by any chance? What the heck does that have to do with anything we're talking about?

Who the hell is Ozno?

[theozno]

Subaru, do you go to school with ozno, by any chance? What the heck does that have to do with anything we're talking about?

Who the hell is Ozno?

:


Just a big railbuff trying to learn the ropes of the MTA and put in my suggestions. Born and raised old Greenwich CT. Like I said I don't expect you guys to agree with me, I am just putting in my input.

in answer to your question if a person wanted to go from Port Chester to Larchmont their is a bus as well i believe...

You can disagree on this as well but this is what I have seen as well,
I just love it when a train semi-expresses it from Rye onward because if you have a green signal you fly through larchmount and Memerineck and onward onto the city insted of constant signal slowdowns as well as stops on the local tracks. and dependent on the signal you can get into GCT 10+ min early (especially sundays with less congestion)
isn't the trackspeed 80mph or so through there?

If you see me on the train Inbound ( sometimes outbound if open or in the last open car). I will be always seen in the first car with an FM walkman ( I am a radio buff and DJ) not Ipod looking out the front window if your lucky to catch me this week before I go back to school wink:

P.s. don't expect a response but I always wanted to get a Job with the MTA and could use some help just e-mail me thanks

-OZ

[Jeff Smith]

Subaru, do you go to school with ozno, by any chance? What the heck does that have to do with anything we're talking about?

Who the hell is Ozno?

:


Just a big railbuff trying to learn the ropes of the MTA and put in my suggestions. Born and raised old Greenwich CT. Like I said I don't expect you guys to agree with me, I am just putting in my input.

in answer to your question if a person wanted to go from Port Chester to Larchmont their is a bus as well i believe...

I just love it when a train semi-expresses it from Rye onward because if you have a green signal you fly through larchmount and Memerineck and onward onto the city insted of constant signal slowdowns. and dependent on the signal you can get into GCT 10+ min early (especially sundays with less congestion)
isn't the trackspeed 80mph or so through there?

If you see me on the train Inbound ( sometimes outbound if open or in the last open car) I will be always see me in the first car with an FM walkman ( I am a radio buff and DJ) not Ipod looking out the front window if your lucky to catch me this week before I go back to school wink:

P.s. don't expect a response but I always wanted to get a Job with the MTA and could use some help just e-mail me thanks

-OZ

Your answer on the bus says it all; have you ever ridden the 61? It's not a viable alternative for PC to Larchmont. In short, you'll inconvenience someone else so you can have an express without any semblance of operational feasibility or only the most slight relation to the current topic just so you can pick your nits (and I say this as a "foamer"). I thought your original post had a slight relation to my original post, but I think with your last, you're way off base.[/i]

[theozno]

sarge,
thanks,
you have a very good point there.

Your answer on the bus says it all; have you ever ridden the 61? It's not a viable alternative for PC to Larchmont. In short, you'll inconvenience someone else so you can have an express without any semblance of operational feasibility or only the most slight relation to the current topic just so you can pick your nits (and I say this as a "foamer"). I thought your original post had a slight relation to my original post, but I think with your last, you're way off base.[/i]

[Otto Vondrak]

Just a big railbuff trying to learn the ropes of the MTA ... if you have a green signal you fly through larchmount and Memerineck and onward onto the city insted of constant signal slowdowns as well as stops on the local tracks.

Why don't you pay a little more attention to your spelling, first?

What does Port Chester and Larchmont have to to with a discussion of weekend service on the east end of the New Haven Line? Do you even understand what Sarge and I are proposing? Weekend. East of Stamford. New Haven Line.

-otto-

[henry6]

You are dealing with railroad logic and operations here not rapid transit. That being said, it might be propitious for MN to look into doing a three tiered set up or going "rapid transit" and do an every fourth or fifth station express stop concept. It would take a lot of planning. And a lot of changing mind sets in terms of redefining the operation. And who is to say that there are not "planners" within MNRR thinking down the (rail)road already?!!

[Noel Weaver]

[quote="theoznoYou can disagree on this as well but this is what I have seen as well,
I just love it when a train semi-expresses it from Rye onward because if you have a green signal you fly through larchmount and Memerineck and onward onto the city insted of constant signal slowdowns as well as stops on the local tracks. and dependent on the signal you can get into GCT 10+ min early (especially sundays with less congestion)
isn't the trackspeed 80mph or so through there?


P.s. don't expect a response but I always wanted to get a Job with the MTA and could use some help just e-mail me thanks

-OZ[/quote]

If you want a high speed experience, I suggest you take the subway to
Coney Island and ride the Cyclone Coaster.
Noel Weaver