Railroad Forums 

Discussion relating to the operations of MTA MetroNorth Railroad including west of Hudson operations and discussion of CtDOT sponsored rail operations such as Shore Line East and the Springfield to New Haven Hartford Line

Moderators: GirlOnTheTrain, nomis, FL9AC, Jeff Smith

 #1312015  by AlphaOneSix
 
Clean Cab wrote:No more stations!! There are some stations on the NH Line that should be closed if not get reduced service. Every stop you add makes the trip longer. The one proposed in Bridgeport is a joke. It's barely one mile from the current very busy station in Bridgeport (which should be expanded). Money should be spent on necessities like replacing the overhead wire, fixing the tracks and replacing the drawbridges instead of pipe dreams about new and totally unjustified stations.

Leave it Da Da Dan Ma Ma Malloy to waste money on the wrong things. Are they still trying to build that bus route in Hartford?
 #1312017  by AlphaOneSix
 
The Express train solution sounds like it would be the best answer. Those are the trains that would serve the interstate commuters the most. Making Semi express, and local trains run regularly is also important. I would love to see the river crossings improved, and upgraded though. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link, so it's probably time to shore up the existing infrastructure to ensure the vitality of the railline's future.
Last edited by AlphaOneSix on Tue Jan 13, 2015 2:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.
 #1312043  by Ridgefielder
 
NH2060 wrote:Isn't that partially due to the fact that the planned development(s) near/at the two stations have yet to materialize? So far the Fairfield Metro Center is somehow still in the planning stages. And West Haven was supposed to be near the site of a new University of New Haven campus. So I don't think those numbers will go up until those things materialize. I do find the fact that West Haven hasn't met ridership projections to be interesting. It's location between Milford and New Haven is more or less ideal considering the long gap in stations that used to exist.
IIRC Fairfield Metro Center was one of those big real estate development projects that was planned and started before the financial crisis of '08, then halted when the economy went south and the developer and/or the lender went belly up. Same thing happened with "95-7" in South Norwalk (that huge vacant lot between the Danbury Branch, West Ave., N. Water Street and 95) and the old Gilbert & Bennett works in Georgetown.
 #1312103  by runningwithscalpels
 
And on the West Haven topic: Why do people still seem to think that Orange needs their own station?

I was under the impression that a.) Orange and West Haven were to be an either/or not a both proposition, and b.) West Haven has plenty of parking available - those that want an Orange station can go there, it's not that far. [Or take a bus there if driving is not feasible for them.]
 #1336910  by Jeff Smith
 
Developments:

Progressive Railroading

Brief, fair-use quote:
Connecticut applies for $11.1 million TIGER grant for new rail station

...The grant would pay for the design of a new station on the east side of Bridgeport, to be known as Barnum Station. Funding would be matched with $7.4 million previously authorized CTDOT bond funds, in addition to funds appropriated to transportation purposes in the biennium budget.

Including environmental review, design and construction, the Barnum Station project would cost about $146.1 million, CTDOT officials said. The station will feature two center island platforms, which are aimed at providing the flexibility to serve both local and express MTA Metro-North Railroad and Amtrak trains.
So we know it would be called "Barnum". And it would be meant to replace the Amtrak stop at the current awful Bridgeport station. I would also guess the Waterbury connection would be moved as well. Not sure of the location's proximity to the Bridgeport yard.

I know many here rue the additional stations being constructed and opened on the eastern portion of MNRR service. West Haven, Fairfield-Metro, Orange, etc. But it's nice to see the Department of Endless Study and Tar actually doing stuff on rails.
 #1336931  by shadyjay
 
Jeff Smith wrote:So we know it would be called "Barnum". And it would be meant to replace the Amtrak stop at the current awful Bridgeport station.
Would it really replace the present [Amtrak] Bridgeport station? I haven't seen anything mentioned like that, though it would make sense if they're designing it with two center-island platforms.

Instead of selecting this station for a TIGER grant, I would have used it for the Springfield Line commuter service, perhaps putting the funding towards the Windsor-Springfield leg. But that's just me.
 #1336967  by DutchRailnut
 
correct I have seen no effort to move Amtrak from Bridgeport to Barnum. as for waterbury yes it makes sense as Barnem will be next to interlocking
 #1336970  by NH2060
 
Jeff Smith wrote:So we know it would be called "Barnum". And it would be meant to replace the Amtrak stop at the current awful Bridgeport station. I would also guess the Waterbury connection would be moved as well. Not sure of the location's proximity to the Bridgeport yard.
"Barnum"? What is this the T? ;-)

I don't see the need for specially designed center island platforming @ Barnum Ave. since it's primary purpose is to directly serve East Bridgeport neighborhoods that feel cut off from downtown with the lack of adequate transit connections and that could be served in spades by a copycat Fairfield Metro/West Haven station. There's no good reason for Amtrak to stop there when the Bridgeport station is literally right in the heart of downtown and THAT station is the one more in need of a complete makeover + center island platforming.

Of course if East Bridgeport is marked for some serious residential/commercial/downtown BPT style TOD then that could explain a change in Amtrak stops. Perhaps they figured that'd be a better way to help put BPT "on the map"
I know many here rue the additional stations being constructed and opened on the eastern portion of MNRR service. West Haven, Fairfield-Metro, Orange, etc. But it's nice to see the Department of Endless Study and Tar actually doing stuff on rails.
Well for crying out loud not everyone is going all the way to/from GCT on MNR each day so they better not grumble if they're already going 70 miles each way as it is and can't stand 1 or 2 more relatively quick stops.....
 #1336976  by 35dtmrs92
 
From my limited experience with the New Haven Line, it is apparent that Bridgeport's downtown station is right on the water and constrained on all sides. Furthermore, while I have never been inside the station itself, I have heard that it is spartan at best. From my armchair, it seems that even minor upgrades to the downtown station would be a costly undertaking. In contrast, the Barnum site looks ample enough so that future additions of more platform tracks and/or other facilities at that site would be relatively cheap to execute. The distance from Barnum seems well suited for some kind of circulator bus to serve those who have difficulty going by foot. Given the operational flexibility that more platforms would probably provide for both Amtrak and M-N and the civic boost that a real train depot would bring, I think moving Amtrak and Waterbury connections to Barnum and keeping the downtown station for M-N locals is an idea well worth studying.

Bridgeport-Barnum, that has a ring to it :wink: .
 #1336995  by Backshophoss
 
The current Bridgeport station was built when the New Haven Line was getting Hi-level platforms,was moved from the
now long gone old station on the curve toward Peck movable bridge. That part of town was very rough, back then and there's zero
room for a center island platform to boot.
Also the current station is on a curve as well and the Ferry to Long Island was across the street.
If the Barnum station site allows for center island platform,great,the deadhead move to/from E Bridgeport Yard will
be a little longer for the Waterbury trains if the connection is moved from "Downtown" Bridgeport station.
 #1337073  by Jeff Smith
 
I haven't read the grant application, but the Progressive wording indicates Amtrak would move. Not many NEC trains stop there now anyway. It would be a loss to the downtown/ferry station, of course, as that is already intermodal. But center-island would seem to dictate an Amtrak shift, and get the NEC off local tracks 3 and 4 back to express 1 and 2, maybe even enabling more Amtrak stops, or at least a third express zone for the eastern-most stops. I bring up the dwell/time-cost of the additional stops as some in CT have complained about the amount of time it takes to get from NH and other eastern stops to places like GCT, and even intermediate points like Bridgeport and Stamford. Barnum would add to that.

So it seems Barnum would almost be a replacement Devon.
 #1337086  by TomNelligan
 
The EGE wrote:While Bridgeport is a bit of a drag operations-wise, it seems like a poor choice to move Amtrak away from downtown.
My impression as well, as one who long ago lived in the area and still visits regularly. The current Bridgeport station is indeed spartan but it's in the heart of the Bridgeport business district, is served by the downtown bus routes, sits across the tracks from the Port Jefferson ferry dock, is just a couple blocks from I-95 and Route 8 ramps, and is adjacent to two big parking garages. Future development in the urban wilderness of East Bridgeport may make a Barnum station viable for commuters, but I don't see how it would benefit intercity passengers except maybe for a couple minutes time saved by eliminating crossover moves.
 #1337101  by nomis
 
For reference, Amtrak yearly boardings by NARP's Ridership Statistics in 2013:
Bridgeport = 80,309 pax
Stamford = 383,516 pax
New Haven = 730,781 pax

Without digging to see how many trains served BRP vs NHV or STM back in 2013, it's interesting to note that the discrepancy in amount of people boarding across NHL stations. The primary connections for Amtrak passengers were to WAS, BOS, PHL in both ridership and revenue, with NYP 4th for ridership and 6th for revenue. Also, there were no "First" class for Bridgeport, so you are missing on any Acela connections.
 #1337118  by GirlOnTheTrain
 
Jeff Smith wrote:ISo it seems Barnum would almost be a replacement Devon.
Wasn't the logic on a permanent Devon transfer to keep the Waterbury branch on the branch, since main line slots to run to Bridgeport are at a premium? Making the transfer at Barnum doesn't exactly eliminate that herdle.
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