Train progress in western Massachusetts!

[penfrydd]

So things are progressing on the change of route for the Vermonter and the opening/reopening of stations in Northampton and Greenfield. They are anticipating possibly being open by the end of this year (though I had heard summer of '15 a couple of months ago).

The big news is: The state is picking up the bill to have some older MTA cars refurbished and they're to be used for as many as four runs per day between Springfield and Greenfield.

There's also talk, though I've not seen any solid evidence, that Metronorth will be running to either Hartford or it might have been Springfield. If it's only Hartford, then it would make way more sense for those MTA cars to go all the way to Hartford.

I, for one, can't wait.

 

[SubwayNut]

It's not MTA (New York cars) its the MBTA (Boston) that makes much more sense since its all within MassDot

It wouldn't actually be Metro-North service exactly (as the press say it) getting a one seat ride from Grand Central from New Haven to Springfield but a new New Haven-Hartfield-Springfield Commuter Rail Line that will compliment/replace Amtrak's Springfield Shuttles with much more frequent service. The plan is to use the cars currently on New Haven to New London's Shore Line East and that line will get its own fleet of electric M8s since it currently uses diesel cars under wire.

 

[penfrydd]

Thanks for the clarification.

What will be the power for the Greenfield to Springfield commuter trains? I assume diesel?

 

[SubwayNut]

It will all be diesel. All MBTA trains are diesel. (Even those that operate under wire on the NEC)

 

[afigg]

The big news is: The state is picking up the bill to have some older MTA cars refurbished and they're to be used for as many as four runs per day between Springfield and Greenfield.

 

There's also talk, though I've not seen any solid evidence, that Metronorth will be running to either Hartford or it might have been Springfield. If it's only Hartford, then it would make way more sense for those MTA cars to go all the way to Hartford.

 

I, for one, can't wait.

You will have to wait before there is MBTA service or equivalent north of Springfield. How long is an open question. What you heard about is a Mass DOT public presentation on the options for a study under the Northern New England Intercity Rail Initiative which covers a range of possible service expansions: commuter service on the CT River line, Inland Route track upgrades for Springfield to Boston service, Inland Route Regionals, service to Montreal, 79 vs 90 vs 110 mph upgrades.

 

The recent public presentation from Mass DOT is here (36 page viewgraph PDF). The current study is due for completion in September, 2015.

 

The New Haven to Hartford to Springfield corridor service will be run by CT DOT, not Metro-North. It will be all diesel powered north of New Haven with the SLE equipment to be shifted for use as the initial equipment for the commuter service. The project website with numerous documents and presentations is here. The project is only funded through Phase 3A for track and station upgrades from New Haven to Windsor. CT is looking for still looking for funds for Phase 3B to complete double track segments and upgrades from Windsor to Springfield. The plans appears to be have New Haven to Windsor as the Initial Operating Segment in 2016.

 

With 3 states and the Providence of Quebec involved, there are different interests and a number of moving parts in the plans. However, the prospects are very good that over the next 10 years, there will be a considerable resurgence in passenger rail services in central to northern New England. New Haven to Springfield to Greenfield MA service. Boston to Springfield service which could be MBTA or Amtrak. Restoration of Inland Route Regionals. Not only Vermonter getting extended to Montreal, but a Boston to Montreal train as well.

 

[penfrydd]

All of this is great news.

Now all I need to do is manage to live until the trains are in service!

 

[WoodyinNYC]

All of this is great news.

Now all I need to do is manage to live until the trains are in service!

LOL.

That lament applies to most of the stuff

we (65+) post about here. Do you think we'll

live to see new Acelas? Maybe. Fuhgetabout

seeing the Gateway tunnels or Penn Station

South. Even upgrades to 110-mph St Louis-

Chicago, the billions being spent now don't

include the harder, more expensive, more

time-consuming sections near Chicago,

near St Louis, and thru Springfield; so we

probably won't see less-than-4 hour trips

before rigor mortis sets in. I do think I'll

make it to see the ACS-64s and the 130

Viewliner IIs, if they don't postpone them

much longer.

It's a problem so many Congresscritters

are about our age and surely are thinking

that if they vote money to improve trains,

they won't live to see any results. Obama

got $10 or $12 billion for passenger trains

back when the first Stimulus was passed.

How many ribbon-cuttings will he see before

his second term is over?

Well, we are like old men planting saplings.

And there's nothing wrong with that.

 

[Shawn Ryu]

If MBTA can extend commuter service to Springfield then I can finally do MA to VA via all commuter trains

 

[MikefromCrete]

I don't think MBTA will have anything to do with the Springfield trains (which will run north of Springfield, not east). It's a MassDOT project.

 

[afigg]

It's a problem so many Congresscritters

are about our age and surely are thinking

that if they vote money to improve trains,

they won't live to see any results. Obama

got $10 or $12 billion for passenger trains

back when the first Stimulus was passed.

How many ribbon-cuttings will he see before

his second term is over?

Obama will attend few if any ribbon cuttings. That is the job of the cabinet secretaries and agency heads.
It has been frustrating just how long it is taking for many of the HSIPR funded projects to get the agreements signed, complete the engineering and environmental assessment, and then start the track work. There are $10.1 billion in HSIPR funds that were committed ($8B stimulus, $2.1B FY10 after recission) before the Hose Republicans turned off the pipeline. Would not be surprised if less than a 1/4 of those funds have actually been spent. The extremely slow process has resulted in the Obama Administration and US DOT making rule changes to speed up and trim some parts of the environmental review and project approval phases, but whether those changes will really make a difference may be hard to tell.

The good news for the New Haven to Springfield corridor is that major track and ROW work is supposed to start in 2014 (along with track work on a number of other corridors). By 2016, roughly 40 miles of the corridor to Windsor will be significantly upgraded with restoration of double tracking.

As for the other lines, there may be commuter service from Springfield to Greenfield sooner than I thought. Although it may still take 4-5 years since Mass DOT and MBTA are not known for their quickness in implementing projects. The MA House passed a $12.7 billion 5 year transportation financing bond bill this past week. If I am following the news correctly, the bill still has to pass the State Senate and get signed by Governor, but it is an election year. Time to dole out the money for transportation projects.

The bond bill has $30 million to purchase or lease locomotives and rehabilate MBTA coach cars for expanded service on the Knowledge corridor. There is also $175 million for engineering, construction, acquisition for Springfield to Worcester service, Boston to Cape Cod service, and Pittsfield to NYC. Also $325 million in bond funds for South Station expansion. This is the state bond financing which is not the only source of money that can go to these projects. What it does mean is that there will be funds available for track upgrades between Worcester and Springfield once the LPA study is completed and MA, CSX, and Amtrak agree on what improvements are needed.

 

[Sam314]

$10 billion is what small countries like Switzerland or Austria spend for one single tunnel - forget about any kind of ribbon cutting if the money has to last for the whole US. Also, unless you're in China, it takes decades from the first plans to the opening of a high speed line. The swiss for instance discuss a new tunnel through the alps since the sixties, it will open in 2017.

But this isn't the important money, the small money spent on track upgrades or new engines delivers a great deal of improvement on existing lines for relatively little expense.

 

[Nathanael]

It has been frustrating just how long it is taking for many of the HSIPR funded projects to get the agreements signed, complete the engineering and environmental assessment, and then start the track work. There are $10.1 billion in HSIPR funds that were committed ($8B stimulus, $2.1B FY10 after recission) before the Hose Republicans turned off the pipeline. Would not be surprised if less than a 1/4 of those funds have actually been spent. The extremely slow process has resulted in the Obama Administration and US DOT making rule changes to speed up and trim some parts of the environmental review and project approval phases, but whether those changes will really make a difference may be hard to tell.

The biggest delays have usually been negotiations with the freight railroads.

The purchase of the line is the biggest delay on the "Connecticut River" corridor.

The lease of the line was the biggest delay on Poughkeepsie-Schenectady.

Purchase of the tracks was one of the bigger delays on the new Niagara Falls station (though there have been others).

Similar negotiations also delayed the Worcester line improvements of the MBTA, the construction of SunRail, and if I remember back far enough, the construction of Tri-Rail.

The negotiations with the freight railroads held up St. Paul Union Depot for over two years.

The fact that these negotiations take forever is one reason why I strongly support the outright purchase of the railroad lines by the government -- then you only have to do this negotiation ONCE, rather than every single time you want to improve something.

 

[AlanB]

The lease of the line was the biggest delay on Poughkeepsie-Schenectady.

The biggest delay for what? :unsure:

This line has been higher speed for years, with much of the improvements paid for by the State of NY to CSX. Long before there was even any talk of a lease. And part of the delay that did happen back then was simply because NY State considered the RR's a cash cow, so CSX stalled things like the second track SDY-ALB because they weren't going to pay NY State even higher and outrageous taxes for an improvement that they didn't need.

Yes, there was some delay in turning things over to Amtrak, but IIRC that was Amtrak's fault. And maybe there was some help from a natural disaster IIRC too.

 

[Nathanael]

The lease of the line was the biggest delay on Poughkeepsie-Schenectady.

The biggest delay for what? :unsure:

Starting construction on the ARRA-funded projects.

Yes, there was some delay in turning things over to Amtrak, but IIRC that was Amtrak's fault.

Citation or it didn't happen -- are you talking about the unimportant one-week delay?
Negotiations with CSX dragged on for about a year longer than they were expected to.

 

[jis]

That was because NY State and CSX could not agree on the financials about the lease AFAIR.

The shorter delay in the actual implementation of the transfer was due to a certain storm or something as I recall.

But also, NY State was not exactly ready to get things rolling earlier either. So there is enough blame to go around. Most people don;t realize that the entire passenger train division of NYS DOT consist of exactly 3 persons. These are the guys who manage the entire shebang starting from lease negotiations to PRIIA negotiations to monitoring and governance of Amtrak's execution of Empire Service. So no wonder things get delayed and slip at the NYS DOT level all the time.

 

[WoodyinNYC]

Most people don't realize that the entire passenger train division of NYS DOT consists of exactly 3 persons.

Lemme guess. About 300 people in the highway division of NYS DOT?

Probably 50 to 100 of them assigned to the governor's favorite Tappanzee boondoggle.