Amtrak Vermonter / Montrealer

The NTSB has released their report of the Oct 5, 2015 Passenger Train 55 Collision with Rocks Northfield, Vermont.

https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/Acc ... AB1703.PDF" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
"The NECR had neither a rockfall detection program nor a rock face program maintenance initiative...geologists identified two additional NECR locations where rock slide mitigation was recommended. The NECR implemented speed restrictions for trains at these two locations. "

Has NECR installed any rockfall detection equipment at any of these locations or will the speed restrictions continue for ever?

Kind of hard to accept the idea that NECR was ignoring an obvious and immediate problem when the rock face of the cut had withstood nature and steam/diesel locomotive pounding from 1848 to 2015. Just need to knock the rest of the Green Mountains over to keep them from dropping...

M. Alouette makes a good point above. This was of course an unfortunate incident, but unless there was evidence of recent destabilization of the rock wall, it seems reasonable that NEC would have assumed that things were OK as they had been for a century and three quarters. Stuff happens, y'know.

Now that the interstates in New England have been here a while there are some interesting areas in cuts where large pieces of rock have fallen.

I am booked on #54 Saturday June 24, NY-Northampton. Just received a phone call from Amtrak re "service disruption" which involves train to New Haven, bus from there to Springfield, then train from Springfield to Northampton. I am also booked on #57 on Sunday June 25 from Northampton to NY, which the agent said is not affected. I am a little suspicious that if they have this disruption northbound on Saturday, they would have a similar one southbound on Sunday. I am thinking about cancelling altogether as I am not interested in riding a bus for 60 miles. Any advice out there?
Coincidentally, I had also been booked Springfield to Rensselaer on Sunday's #449, but they told me several days ago that was going to be a bus, which is why I changed my reservation to #57.

I was on such a bus bridge last year, because of track work. The bus was a hired motorcoach and not at all unpleasant. No reason for this to affect 57 (25); there's still equipment north of Springfield.

I know it's irrelevant...sort of - but I did Salisbury to Charlotte on the Carolinian as a bustitution last month. It wasn't awful...and it was roughly the same mileage. Just be grateful it's a Saturday. The ride up 91 really shouldn't be that bad.

Honestly, disruptions beyond the "LOL what shuttles" schedule they're running currently that screw the inland regionals and Vermonter probably are going to become more frequent as they rush to get the work done for Springfield commuter service up and running some semblance of "on time"...

Amtrak Vermonter service suspended north of Springfield MA due to
800 ft of track stability failure north of WRJ. From WCAX TV.

http://www.wcax.com/story/35797847/verm ... ck-damaged" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Washout location is near MP 17 on the Roxbury Sub in the village of Hartford. Photos on WCAX site are all near the VA Cutoff Road or on Old River Road.

Northampton MA Ridership Far Above Original Estimates,
From WWLP
http://wwlp.com/2017/07/03/northampton- ... t-station/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

For one train a day each way 17,000 is a very good early number for a single station.

Looks like the first Vermonter since the Hartford washout will be #56 Northbound
Wednesday 7/5.

From another board :
July 4 NECR washout update: Contractors worked steadily since Sunday morning on the damaged portion of New England Central Roxbury Subdivision, completing the majority of work by last evening. Plans are for the full restoration of freight and passenger service on the route between St. Albans and Brattleboro, Vermont today/tonight. The first southbound freight, NECR 324, is planned for late night departure from St. Albans tonight.
Amtrak service was restored with last evening's northbound 56 Vermonter train.

I don't think 54 came north last night (7/4). The Amtrak app still only shows estimated times for the stations I checked.

So when are we going to see a second daily Vermonter? I'd do an "equipment utilization run" that started at St Albans at 5am (4.5hrs earlier than the current run and making a convenient WRJ 7am ish) and returned at Midnight (serving WRJ at 9:30pm) so as to use equipment that might otherwise be sitting idle at Sunnyside (for at least part of that time). Are their candidate NYP trains that can be started in VT before their "economic day" would ordinarily start, and return after its normal end?