An interesting idea/proposal

[Shawn Ryu]

Since a lot of people use NE Regional to get to Boston, heres an interesting thought.

Have NE Regional from Lynchburgh routed to go through Hartford and Springfield, where then it will head towards Boston South Station. While trains from Newport News use the traditional New Haven-New london- Providence route to South Station. And the same the other way.

I think then we can get rid of the New Haven Springfield shuttle services.

And I also propose to electrify New Haven to Springfield and Springfield to Boston South Station.

 

[anon]

One train a day replaces the shuttles? And electrify the whole route for one train a day? I doubt that's happening.

 

[Long Train Runnin']

Taking trains over the inland route really wouldn't make to much sense. Maybe route trains like 148 which currently terminate in Springfield that way, so they run all the way through to Boston, I think diesel shuttles between NHV-SPG have decent ridership and shouldn't be discontinued. Electrification wouldn't offer you a very good return on your investment.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

Agreed, switching back and forth twice (maybe thrice) between Lynchburg and BOS would be a proverbial pain in the rear.

 

[had8ley]

Don't think we'll see it in our life times. The LSA's that come up that route on the regular NEC track scream loud enough about the long hours. Via Springfield would only prolong the agony. And overhead wiring; you might need a new Stimulus Bill to finance it. How much per mile George?

 

[Shawn Ryu]

Taking trains over the inland route really wouldn't make to much sense. Maybe route trains like 148 which currently terminate in Springfield that way, so they run all the way through to Boston, I think diesel shuttles between NHV-SPG have decent ridership and shouldn't be discontinued. Electrification wouldn't offer you a very good return on your investment.

Yes, that would work. My main point here is to route the New Haven-Springfield train so it would serve Boston.

I was hoping that maybe its realistic to go all the way from either Lynchburgh or Newport News or DC to Boston via Hartford and Springfield full time. How much worse can it do then going to Old Saybrook-New London-Mystique-Kingston-Providence-Route 128-Back Bay-South Station?

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

And what's wrong with the shuttles? They get people to and from the NEC in both directions-- I just don't see a gap in service.

 

[Shawn Ryu]

I dont like to transfer when I am going from New York Penn to Hartford.

 

[amamba]

The big gap in service actually exists Boston and Springfield. IIRC, and someone please correct me if I am wrong, but presently the ONLY available train on any service (MBTA included) between BOS - SPG is the LSL, running 1x a day. Not very conducive to travel from Boston to points westward. It also ends up making someone who wants to go from say, Boston to Hartord, have to go all the way down to New Haven and then take the shuttle back up an hour. I do think it would be nice to take the train (is it the 148?) that goes from SPG - DC (or farther south) and have it start in Boston and not Springfield. I think that would be a nice enhancement to the route. Other than that, I don't think we should take any more trains away from the coastal route - but that may just be me being selfish as they all go through PVD! :lol:

 

[eagle628]

Taking trains over the inland route really wouldn't make to much sense. Maybe route trains like 148 which currently terminate in Springfield that way, so they run all the way through to Boston, I think diesel shuttles between NHV-SPG have decent ridership and shouldn't be discontinued. Electrification wouldn't offer you a very good return on your investment.

Yes, that would work. My main point here is to route the New Haven-Springfield train so it would serve Boston.

I was hoping that maybe its realistic to go all the way from either Lynchburgh or Newport News or DC to Boston via Hartford and Springfield full time. How much worse can it do then going to Old Saybrook-New London-Mystique-Kingston-Providence-Route 128-Back Bay-South Station?

Much worse. The schedule would be significantly longer.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

I dont like to transfer when I am going from New York Penn to Hartford.

I'm sorry. I really don't see that as a horrible thing though.

 

[amamba]

I dont like to transfer when I am going from New York Penn to Hartford.

Then take the vermonter. Doesn't that go through Hartford?

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

I dont like to transfer when I am going from New York Penn to Hartford.

Then take the vermonter. Doesn't that go through Hartford?

It does indeed. It also has 2-1 BC seating last I checked.

 

[Long Train Runnin']

I dont like to transfer when I am going from New York Penn to Hartford.

Then take the vermonter. Doesn't that go through Hartford?

It does indeed. It also has 2-1 BC seating last I checked.

I believe train 148 runs DC-Springfield as well

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

141, 143, 145, 147 and their opposite numbers all offer one seat rides between SPG and WAS.

 

[Long Train Runnin']

141, 143, 145, 147 and their opposite numbers all offer one seat rides between SPG and WAS.

4 trains in each direction is pretty much double what the average Amtrak train sees so I would hardly call it a gap in service, and that does not include the Vermonter or the Shuttles.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

Of course if you are going from, say HFD to BOS-- you'll have to get off at NHV and wait for a NB regional, or go to SPG and wait for the LSL. So I see the sense of extending one of those through to Boston, but it doesn't make a ton of sense. If you use the BOS LSL as a model, it adds two hours to the trip and only two additional stops.

 

[Shawn Ryu]

I dont like to transfer when I am going from New York Penn to Hartford.

Then take the vermonter. Doesn't that go through Hartford?

Vermonter? Oh yea, forgot about that one.

 

[amamba]

Of course if you are going from, say HFD to BOS-- you'll have to get off at NHV and wait for a NB regional, or go to SPG and wait for the LSL. So I see the sense of extending one of those through to Boston, but it doesn't make a ton of sense. If you use the BOS LSL as a model, it adds two hours to the trip and only two additional stops.

That is what I am saying. Why not just extend the trains that run SPG - DC to start at BOS? What would it add - an hour to the time?

 

[MattW]

This is somewhat off-topic but still applicable. Where do the terminating/originating Springfield Regionals layover? The longest platform I can see at Springfield can support 6 85ft train cars of 5 and one locomotive, and while I can see people en/detraining being shuffled one car up or back, that still doesn't explain where the whole trainset laysover.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

Of course if you are going from, say HFD to BOS-- you'll have to get off at NHV and wait for a NB regional, or go to SPG and wait for the LSL. So I see the sense of extending one of those through to Boston, but it doesn't make a ton of sense. If you use the BOS LSL as a model, it adds two hours to the trip and only two additional stops.

That is what I am saying. Why not just extend the trains that run SPG - DC to start at BOS? What would it add - an hour to the time?

Read my above post.

If you use the LSL model it takes two hours (and is prone to delay) and ONLY two stops. When you look at the dynamics, it isn't practical.

 

[amamba]

I just don't understand the mechanics of why it would take two hours to get to springfield via rail from boston. and why would there by delays? but maybe this is the big question of rail travel. I don't know who controls the tracks but I would assume that it is not amtrak.

 

[railiner]

For many years, Amtrak did run through service on the so-called 'inland route'. I believe the train was called the 'Bay State', forgot the numbers. And later on, Amtrak ran a mail train from Boston to Washington on that route that had to have at least one coach (Conrail demanded it on their portion BOS-SPG).

The running time BOS-SPG-NHV is considerably longer than BOS-PVD-NHV.

That said, I still think they should run at least one train on that route to give those at Worcester a one-seat ride to NYP and the other segments as well.

And it would be nice if they ran one more trip from BOS to ALB to connect to Empire route trains to supplement the LSL.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

I just don't understand the mechanics of why it would take two hours to get to springfield via rail from boston. and why would there by delays? but maybe this is the big question of rail travel. I don't know who controls the tracks but I would assume that it is not amtrak.

Chessie-Seaboard. Who knows about as much about running a railroad as a British hedge fund can be expected to.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

I just don't understand the mechanics of why it would take two hours to get to springfield via rail from boston. and why would there by delays? but maybe this is the big question of rail travel. I don't know who controls the tracks but I would assume that it is not amtrak.

It's quite simple, get a map and draw a line from New Haven to Boston. Then draw a line from New Haven to Springfield to Framingham to Boston. The inland route is much longer and the track is in much poorer shape, not to mention it isn't electrified.