Will Amtrak extend shuttle service to Boston and Springfield?

[zkr123]

Why is there no Amtrak shuttle service between Boston and Springfield? Seems to the easiest way to have a permanent Inland regional service.

[D.Carleton]

With a current run time of 2.5 hours to cover 100 miles it's not time competative. Further, at 100 miles it's a commuter line not an intercity line. Such service will have to be paid by the Commonwealth.

[SD70M-2Dude]

Didn't some Northeast Regional trains used to be routed this way?  Of course this was before the catenary was extended to Boston so all trains had to change engines at New Haven anyway.  Has restarting that service ever been proposed?

[daveklepper]

Amtrac k did operate NY – Boston service via Springfield, two trains a day, at or shortly after 1 May 1971 startup.  But by the time I rode it for a Newton, MA destination, it was only one train, New Haven- Boston, and the equipment was RDC, two ex- Daniel Webster Budd hotrod cars and one regular RDC.  Connected with regular NY-Boston trains at New Haven  

[Deggesty]

In the spring of 1997, my wife and I rode from Boston to New York City on the Boston to Richmond train that went through Springfield.

[RME]

daveklepper

Amtrak  did operate NY – Boston service via Springfield, two trains a day, at or shortly after 1 May 1971 startup.  But by the time I rode it for a Newton, MA destination, it was only one train, New Haven- Boston, and the equipment was RDC, two ex- Daniel Webster Budd hotrod cars and one regular RDC.  Connected with regular NY-Boston trains at New Haven

I remember this very differently, circa 1973.  The ex-Roger Williams cars operated up through Springfield, but we got off before then to connect with the east-west 'regular' RDCs at Berlin.

This was a different thing from the Bay State, or the Virginia Service trains Johnny was describing, which I think ran on the Boston and Albany and not ex-New Haven "inland" routing...

[D.Carleton]

RME

 

daveklepper

Amtrak  did operate NY – Boston service via Springfield, two trains a day, at or shortly after 1 May 1971 startup.  But by the time I rode it for a Newton, MA destination, it was only one train, New Haven- Boston, and the equipment was RDC, two ex- Daniel Webster Budd hotrod cars and one regular RDC.  Connected with regular NY-Boston trains at New Haven 

I remember this very differently, circa 1973.  The ex-Roger Williams cars operated up through Springfield, but we got off before then to connect with the east-west 'regular' RDCs at Berlin. 

One may alaways browse here: http://www.timetables.org/ to see what was running when and where. I've stopped trying to keep up.

[CandOforprogress2]

Peter Pan bus lines has the market locked up. Also its bad for Amtrak to have seats taken for short trips outta Boston that you cant then sell for longer trips aka Boston to Chicago.

[bo-Jack]

There has been Section 403b sedrvice via the inland route several occaskons for greater or smaller time periods.  Trouble is, the service was very lightly patronized. When the electrification was extendined to Boston for high-speed service, it became more sensible for Worcester and Framingham patrons to take an MBTA commuter train to Boston or to drive to the large parking deck at Route 128 station to access the faster service.  Remember, the Springfiled-New Haven segment is still conventional speed.

Even back in the heyday of passenger rail, the inland route was not competetive with the Shore Line.  Perusal of reprints of the Official Guide from 1945 and 1954 show far less service for the slower Inland route.  Worcester and Framingham by themselves could not support more trains and no Boston-New York riders in their right minds would travel that route.   

[MidlandMike]

If Massachusetts wanted a successful Boston-Springfield service, they would need to work at it like NC's Piedmont service.  Eventually combining it with Springfield-New Haven should cut terminal/turn-around costs in half, as well as catching some cross-traffic.

[daveklepper]

[quote user="RME"]

 

 

daveklepper

Amtrak  did operate NY – Boston service via Springfield, two trains a day, at or shortly after 1 May 1971 startup.  But by the time I rode it for a Newton, MA destination, it was only one train, New Haven- Boston, and the equipment was RDC, two ex- Daniel Webster Budd hotrod cars and one regular RDC.  Connected with regular NY-Boston trains at New Haven

 

 

I remember this very differently, circa 1973.  The ex-Roger Williams cars operated up through Springfield, but we got off before then to connect with the east-west 'regular' RDCs at Berlin.

This was a different thing from the Bay State, or the Virginia Service trains Johnny was describing, which I think ran on the Boston and Albany and not ex-New Haven "inland" routing...

 [/quote above]

 

There was and is only one official "Inland Route" and it used the Boston and Albany between Boston and Springfield.  The Bay State operated on this route.  If you swapped equipment at Berlin, it was because of some equipment inspection or overhaul or defect problem, and not  a regular operation, ever.

 

The New Haven did have a direct Boston - Hartford route, through Willamantic, with service through Hartford to Waterbury, where one could take anothe train to Bridgeport.  I rode that also, several times, once in the Comet.  My good friend Gerry Dyar still lives in the Hartford area, and I would travel NY-Boston via that route when we were both MIT undergrads because of the great O-Gauge layouot he had in his parents' home's basement.  (I was his boss in the Army, and we are still friengs.)

 

Some may remember the American Flyer HO-gauge oassenger set, two New Haven coaches and a bag-mail with a NYC J-1 Hudson.    Well, the only time that could be prototype would be on the Inland Route.   But it should be a B&A (did say New York Central on the tender sides, the only B&A power that did at the time) J2 with smaller drivers and square sand-dome and smaller tender.

 

The only thru all-New Haven Boston - NY service, without using the B&A, was the Shoreline, after the "White Train" direct Willamantic-Ceder Hill tracks were cut and only the route via Hartford remained.   Or you coud for a period get off the Hartford train where it crossed the Worcester - Groton/New London line and ride down to New London on the RDC, and I suppose some railfans did just that.