FCM2829 wrote:Is there any plan or study for direct service Montreal-Boston? VT seems to be the most logical routing, as the planning for a Montreal-Boston train via ME is still in the science fiction stage. With continued SPG line upgrades, are there plans/provisions for a connectiing train at Springfield?
That's part of the
NNEIRI study referenced above, which consists of:
-- restoration of Inland Route service with
Springfield Shuttles extended to Boston, and expansion of the BOS
Shuttle schedule to 10 round trips.
-- a BOS-MTL thru frequency
-- schedule coordination between a Springfield
NE Regional and the BOS-MTL train, netting a de facto second
Montrealer frequency for WSH-MTL patrons via cross-platform transfer @ SPG.
-- schedule coordination between an Inland
Shuttle and the
Montrealer, netting a de facto second BOS-MTL frequency via cross-platform transfer @ SPG.
The reason they're all lumped together in one multi-service study is that the Inlands are the primary demand and revenue driver, but they also set up the cross-platform transfers that give everyone WSH-SPG and BOS-SPG two daily shots at Montreal (and thus lowers the ops cost burden for the loss-leader running miles north-of-SPG). The study also tosses out a third short-turn
Vermonter frequency running New Haven-St. Albans (undecided on continuing to MTL), but that's a bridge too far for launching simultaneously with BOS-MTL given VTrans' meager budget so is almost certainly going to be a wait-and-see that they chase later if demand merits.