Massachusetts and Vermont are (or were) planning such a train sometime in the future. The rebuilding/upgrading of the CSX line (for Boston-New York Inland Route service), Springfield Union Station and the Conn River really make the use of the winding, speed-restricted Palmer Sub a lot less attractive. It used to take almost as long to get to the Amherst station (in a residential neighborhood) from U Mass as it takes now to get to Northampton.
The two "new" stops (Greenfield, Holyoke) should do better with the faster schedule. Loadings at Greenfield seem to meet expectations, and the station is shared with local buses.
Amtrak has trackage rights on CSX for the Boston section of the LSL. Previously I wondered of a Boston-Vermont train might take the shortcut thru Palmer, and serve Amherst, but I sounds like the new route may actuall serve it better. I suspect if they created a Boston connection to the Vermonter/Montrealer it would connect at Springfield, maybe even a Boston-Springfield-NYP train.
Anyone know if Amtrak retained trackage rights on the Palmer route on CSX and Vermont RR for detours and / or new service ?
rcdrye With much of the trackwork on the ex-B&M Conn River Line now done, the first significant schedule change since 2012 will occur on Jan 11, with the new timetable. Looks like it will knock around 30 minutes out southbound and about 20 northbound. More improvement expected after the work on the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield line is done some time next year.
With much of the trackwork on the ex-B&M Conn River Line now done, the first significant schedule change since 2012 will occur on Jan 11, with the new timetable. Looks like it will knock around 30 minutes out southbound and about 20 northbound. More improvement expected after the work on the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield line is done some time next year.
NHT (Northampton) is easily reached from Amherst by public transportation. The station is located downtown and is also served by the five college shuttle buses, which didn't serve the poorly located Amherst station. Patronage has picked up nicely.
I wonder if the stations on the relocated line have picked up the business of the bypassed Amherst station?
Cannot imagine keeping a computer ( Quick track ) out in the winter time and expect it to operate normally. The idea of keeping something at a close by indoor facility seems much better.
None of the Vermonter stations in Vermont have Quik-Trak machines (or agents), nor did Amherst before it closed. Before the on-board scanning went into effect you had to call the 800 number and get a "control number" to board the train the same day, even with a credit card purchase. Now all you need is a picture ID that matches your reservation name.
Most students have smart phones and handle "tickets" that way.
Did the regional leaders have any idea that there'd be no Quik Trak when they talked to Amtrak? I mean, it's one thing for the station to not have any Amtrak staff, but it's completely different that there's no kiosk, especially when the displaced station is home to FIVE colleges and universities and students from said displaced town are now using Northampton. As for the people taking it out on Ms. Cote, grow up and talk to your leaders for not guaranteeing more concessions from Amtrak.
Now Greenfield is upset. -- No ticket Kiosk.
http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2015/01/greenfield_celebration_of_amtr.html
55 went south today with yesterday's double-ended consist - made up 28 minutes in the 18 miles from Northampton to Springfield. 56 had Amtrak business cars trailing - 10021, an ex-UP 10&6 that ran on the Montrealer in the 1980s, and Theater/inspection car 10004 "American View". No word on whether all the coach seats faced forward.
Amtrak's "Track A Train" map no longer shows Amherst - on the other hand, the route line still shows the jog via Palmer.
Today is the last day for service via Amherst and Palmer. It looks like a lot of passengers are planning to board at Amherst - forecast calls for a 20 minute stop for #57.
Special train today over the Conn River line with Governor Patrick and other officials from Springfield to Greenfield and return.
Sunday the 28th marks the end of Amherst as a station stop. It was introduced some time after the 1987 Montrealer reroute. Northampton is about six miles away, with good bus service including the U MAss campus.
Track speed test runs over the last couple of days.
The contracts for the service require an eventual reduction of time over the section between Springfield and Brattleboro from the present 135 minutes to somewhere below 75, a reduction of more than an hour from the current schedule. The backup move at Springfield takes only a few minutes. It just takes time to set up and announce changes. The 1964 B&M timetable allows about the same amount of time as the released Dec 29 schedule, including the same backup move at Springfield.
Amtrak does not normally use the track 1 platform at Springfield. The NB train will pull in from the south, back out and cross the diamond to go north. The SB train will cross the diamond and back in. The Montrealer did this from 1972 to 1987.
Overmod Can someone explain to me why it takes 48 minutes to go an indicated 21 miles between Springfield and Northampton, and an hour and four minutes between those points southbound? Even allowing for the coming stop at Holyoke, that seems a bit extreme... Is it timed to be competitive with Peter Pan? ;-}
Can someone explain to me why it takes 48 minutes to go an indicated 21 miles between Springfield and Northampton, and an hour and four minutes between those points southbound? Even allowing for the coming stop at Holyoke, that seems a bit extreme...
Is it timed to be competitive with Peter Pan? ;-}
Could it have something to do with the fact that serving the Springfield station by trains off the N-S line involves a back-up move. If it involves a back-in movement, then leaving from the station will be faster than arriving at the station.
Here's Amtrak's Press Release:
http://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/348/797/Amtrak-Vermonter-Service-To-The%20Knowledge-Corridor-ATK-14-114.pdf
Tickets are now available for Northampton and Greenfield starting Dec. 29. The end-to end schedule won't change until later. New schedule is posted on Amtrak.com.
Northampton (NHT) and Greenfield (GFD) are now shown on the web site. Other sources say they should be bookable after December 15.
An office car special went south sometime today on the Conn River Line at much higher than usual train speed. Makes me wonder if the signals (and grade crossing protection) are cut in.
Train times for reservations after December 29 have not been altered yet.
MidlandMike Are the U-Mass students who take the train home for Xmas vacation, going to need a car to get back to school?
Are the U-Mass students who take the train home for Xmas vacation, going to need a car to get back to school?
I wonder if any Amherst Collge students take the train to/from home? [Just the type of information I could post on my college listserv to enhance my reputation among my classmates, although just what that reputation might be shall remain unstated here.]
It appears that the kicker to the direct route was the desire for a high-level platform at Mechanicville, which wouldn't work with the required tight curve. A lot of documents at http://ny-vt-passengerrail.org/documents.html including the proposed track changes.
It looks like the Colonie route would have to make a back-up move at the Albany connection. At the Mechanicsville end, topo maps show at one time there was a 3rd leg of the wye at the east end of the yard. Sattelite view shows that the former ROW is alley-ways or otherwise not directly built upon.
The study looked at the Albany-Schenectady-Mechanicvile route, as well as a more direct route via Colonie to Mechanicville. In addition to the required full rebuild of the route via Colonie, some kind of connection would have to be built at Merchanicville to allow the turn from North to East. With 100+ MPH track from Albany to Schenectady there isn't much of a penalty for the detour.
Since the removal of the lines thru Troy, a train from NY thru North Bennington, would probably have to go thru Schenectady as the most practical route.
The State of Vermont is quite serious about extending the Vermonter to Montreal, up to the point of applying for, and getting, TIGER grants for the New England Central's piece from St. Albans VT to Cantic QC, where the route would join the Adirondack's route. Return of the overnight Montrealer seems a bit less likely, even for optimists like me. Vermont is also looking at extending the Ethan Allen from Rutland to Burlington, and has worked with New York to push a Green Mountain Flyer-like service from Albany to Rutland via (North) Bennington.
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