The idea that for so long Amtrak just ran trains may be crumbling. To substitute for cancelled service on the shore line due to the floooding near Kingston Amtrak is initiating 3 round trips today BOS - NYP with regional trains thru Springfield, Ma.The trains appear not to be stopping at any of the Lake Shore stations to Springfield but are stopping there and selling tickets to/from Bos for SPG - all stations - New Haven - NYP. Amtrak also lists these trains as thru trains from the SPG - all stations - NH to NYP.
It appears that they are using the diesels for the Springfield - NH turns + maybe some others. For Amtrak to round up enough qualified crews may or may not have been a problem? To actually get these trains into the Arrow reservations system is very interesting. Having spent some time in an airline res center I know how hard it was to enter extra sections quickly.
Again Amtrak is now providing service not just running trains over a set route. Has anyone in the NE area heard any Amtrak advertizing of this temp service?
There once was service Boston to NY via Springfield and Hartford but not now.
What may be happeningis that Amtrak is running this route because of severe flooding damage on the ShoreLine east of New Haven through Rhode Island and into Southeastern Massachuessets
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Checked with an Amtrak agent and a decision will be made around 5:00PM today if Amtrak will continue this service tomorrow. Evidently there is a lot of uncertainty as of track conditions for the near term on the shore line. Anyone with more information?. Right now shore line trains are shown sold out for tomorrow but suggested that a note be placed saying service availability tomorrow will be posted after 5:00PM.
Note: added that this service is due to flooding into original post.
A further check indicates Amtrak anticipates no shore line service on Sunday.
Back when Amtrak was replacing the Thames River (?) drawbridge, they did provide NHV-SPG-BOS detour service. It took some howling, but... They have another NEC bridge replacement coming up, no?
Hays
Getting around a single bridge is quite different than getting around almost a hundred miles of flooding. Also, they had time to plan the river leap but not the emergency loss of the railroad for so great a distance.
Well it appears that Amtrak is initiating additional service SAT and Sun fairly much duplicating the three
RTs BOS - SPG - NYP. Putting these detours together evidently took a day or so but at least they are trying to provide some service. Let us give them that much credit.
Positioning equipment and Amtrak crews plus CSX and others, the being able to come up with a schedule against the CSX schedule...yeah, it would take about a day or so to put together...
Normal Northeast Corridor Service is out of Boston over X New Haven tracks to Providence RI, New London CT, and on to New Haven, New York and Washington. It is all powered by overhead Catenary. Heavy flooding in Rhode Island south of Providence, and in the Stonington to New London area will require inspections of the Right Of Way before service can resume and come up to speed.
The Inland Route is over Amtrak owned trackage from New Haven to Springfield MA. An 80 mph line that serves Hartford CT and Springfield MA with Shuttle Service (diesel powered) as well as the Vermonter. Equipment and crews are their and could handle the "Regionals". At one time, before the Corridor was electrified, some trains turned at Springfield and continued east on the CSX Main to Boston by way of Worcester. Stimulus Funds are looking at restarting that service. You gain Worcester but lose Providence and New London, you also add about an hour to the run in the Corridor.
Comment on Bridges, when the Bascule Bridge over the Thames River in New London was replaced with a Verticle Lift bridge, Amtrak ran Corridor Service by way of the Inland Route. The next bridge replacement, that got underway in March, the Niantic River bridge, involves building a new bridge south of the present one on a longer, higher approach. No re-routing should be needed until the line is cut over.
Don U. TCA 73-5735
Amtrak's service yesterday suffered from very slow BOS - SPG runs. They took anywhere from 1 - 2 hr delays over normal Lakeshore times. No adjustments are listed for today and tomorrow so maybe it was problems with the tracks. Anyway Amtrak is trying.
2PM Sat 4/3: Amtrak site cites three round trips with coach, business and snack services via the Inland Route as emergency measures continue.
Amtrak service BOS -SPG - NYP scheduled for 5:15 took about 7:00 both ways. Trains scheduled thru PVD tomorrow. We will see how time keeping and the actual condition of the tracks are.
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