AMTRAK NEC: Springfield Shuttle/Regional/Valley Flyer/Inland Routing

gprimr1 wrote:Springfield...WOW! I lived in MA in 2005-2006 and I remember when that was an abandoned building. That station is beautiful. It looks like there is still some work to do though. Amtrak is still operating out of Lyman Street. The big beautiful sign in the station does not display Amtrak arrivals or departures. It looks like also they are getting a high-level platform.

Springfield is still a work in progress and in somewhat of a "temporary" setup. The Amtrak departures will display on the new boards once Amtrak actually starts the process of moving into their new space. The process of moving Amtrak in has been an absolute boondoggle. Recent rumblings would seem to suggest some progress has been made on some of the core issues, but I don't know what the present timeline is or if there is one yet. The high-level platform will also have digital displays tied into that system once everything is finally done. The new platform canopy will be made to look exactly like it did over the former low platform and will actually reuse much of the structural steel. The historical commission pushed that hard and it has caused some delays in planning and construction (along with the original issue of the old platform not being wide enough.) Hopefully by this summer the Springfield station will be in its final configuration.

lordsigma12345 wrote:Springfield is still a work in progress and in somewhat of a "temporary" setup. The Amtrak departures will display on the new boards once Amtrak actually starts the process of moving into their new space. The process of moving Amtrak in has been an absolute boondoggle. Recent rumblings would seem to suggest some progress has been made on some of the core issues, but I don't know what the present timeline is or if there is one yet. The high-level platform will also have digital displays tied into that system once everything is finally done. The new platform canopy will be made to look exactly like it did over the former low platform and will actually reuse much of the structural steel. The historical commission pushed that hard and it has caused some delays in planning and construction (along with the original issue of the old platform not being wide enough.) Hopefully by this summer the Springfield station will be in its final configuration.

After all the specifications for the new ADA-compliant Platform C had been worked out, construction was to have been completed last November. I guess that hasn't happened. What is the status?

Construction work didn't get underway until the fall, so there was no way it was going to get done in November. It is currently being worked on.... here's a shot of what it looked like at the end of November:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/shadyjay/ ... 164181891/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

You can see the northern platforms which are stripped down to skeletons, with their former stairwells/elevators/headhouses removed as part of the waterproofing of the tunnel below. Yup, everything's been taken out. Seems too bad, as the other platforms could have remained open, with access from the tunnel below, via the previously-existing/now-removed stairs/elevators.

Thanks for sharing! Nice to see work progressing. "Slow and steady wins the race."

shadyjay wrote:Construction work didn't get underway until the fall, so there was no way it was going to get done in November. It is currently being worked on.... here's a shot of what it looked like at the end of November:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/shadyjay/ ... 164181891/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

You can see the northern platforms which are stripped down to skeletons, with their former stairwells/elevators/headhouses removed as part of the waterproofing of the tunnel below. Yup, everything's been taken out. Seems too bad, as the other platforms could have remained open, with access from the tunnel below, via the previously-existing/now-removed stairs/elevators.

I don't believe there were passenger elevators - there were two stairwells to each platform. They have simply been walled off and provisions were made to open them back up if further expnaded service (east-west perhaps) requires an additional platform to be improved. The first elevator was the current Amtrak one. There were FREIGHT lifts down to the former freight tunnel (the large headhouses to the west.) Once platform C opens the vast majority of trains will be able to board/arrive at it (some trains may still use track 8 with its lower platform, and the lake shore limited will still likely stop where it currently does. If east-west service comes then it might make sense to also rebuild platform B (tracks 2 and 2a.)

The current Amtrak elevator was built at the very bottom of the second stairwell for platform 4 (and the second stairwell itself leads to the elevator machine room.) For the new elevator they are doing it a bit different with a new elevator shaft in the center of the tunnel - the second stairwell for platform C was capped and sealed.

Thanks for the photographs, Mr. Hogan.

lordsigma12345 wrote:For the new elevator they are doing it a bit different with a new elevator shaft in the center of the tunnel - the second stairwell for platform C was capped and sealed.

This would appear to be somewhat shortsighted. Why would they eliminate the second set of stairs of an island platform? Of course, if there were no budgetary concerns, I'd also like to see escalators installed in one of the stairwells.

Cost if I had to guess. They don’t need it for egress as they are putting two ramps to grade level on each side of the platform.

There were indeed passenger elevators on the other platforms... IIRC they were in between two sets of stairs, in a situation similar to New Haven-Union. These were all located to the east of the present cross-track walkway. The freight elevators were to the west, by the remaining baggage towers, as the baggage section of Union Station was to the west, where today's bus terminal/garage area is.

I believe in the period after Amtrak closed Union Station and before they built their track 8 station, all passenger facilities were in the under-track subway, and passengers accessed each track via the stairs/elevators to each. Track 2/2A, 4/6, and 8/# had elevators/stairs. By the time I started passing through SPG on Amtrak, I did not see any stairs/elevator structures for Track 1... just a platform.

I'll take a look and see what I got for pics and post a link if/when I find something.

Looks like the extension to Greenfield is still a go: MassLive.com

Also a brief aside on the platforms discussed just recently.

Springfield-Holyoke-Northampton-Greenfield passenger trains a go for summer

SPRINGFIELD — Expanded passenger rail service north of Springfield to Holyoke, Northampton and Greenfield is still on track for this summer.

The estimated start date is June, said Timothy W. Brennan, executive director of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, following a meeting this week with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.

Construction work on the Knowledge Corridor along the Connecticut River — including replacing ties and repairing bridges — might push that start date back to July, but no later, Brennan said he was assured in meetings this week.

That timing matches up with a separate $8.2 million Massachusetts-funded project to renovate and make handicapped accessible Platform C at Union Station. That work is expected to be completed this spring.
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Arguably one of the most underappreciated expansion projects in Amtrak history.

What's the historic service timeline on multiple daily frequencies that far north? I'm assuming nothing since B&M in the 60's?

Yes, the 60's, and like the service to Portland, I believe it was the B&M's Budd Highliners. The Day White Mountain Express was long gone by then!

1964 ETT shows the two through trains (Montrealer/Washingtonian and Ambassador) plus one Friday-only and two Sunday-only round trips from Springfield to Greenfield. The through trains were conventional GP or F powered, with CN or NH cars including a buffet-sleeper on the night trains (presumably not open in the middle of the night...) and various coaches from CN/CV, B&M and NH on the day trains. The Ambassador lasted until Sept 1966. Only a six year gap before the Montrealer/Washingtonian reappeared in Sept 1972, though it didn't stop at Greenfield.
I don't know if the Friday and Sunday trains were handled with RDCs. The round trips open to passengers went Springfield-Greenfield-Springfield, so a deadhead move from Fitchburg to Springfield of about 75 miles on Friday afternoon returning Sunday night would have been required, unless B&M left an RDC sitting around in Springfield all week.

Didn't the B&M cancel a bunch of passenger service in 1960? So they probably had a spare RDC to leave in Springfield during the week.

Two round trips daily: one a.m. one p.m.

Extended shuttles: any idea which two? I’m thinking 495/490 as 495 still makes Hartford before 8 and 490 is the first NB. 451 is too early. Afternoon I’m thinking 475/476. Thoughts?

Cost looks reasonable:

...
For example, a trip from Northampton to New York City’s Penn Station and can vary between $68 and $47 over the next few months depending on discounts or promotions.
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That’s the Vermonter, subsidized IIRC. This will be unsubsizized service. Not sure what the fares will be.

Costs should be similar to Vermonter - this is subsidized by MA - they are just not offering a more heavily subsidized local fare for commuters like what is done for the New Haven - Springfield service. I think the Hope was that for travel within the corridor of GFD - NHV it would be an extension of the Hartford Line fares so people could get a fixed fare into Grand Central or to allow commuting witbin the GFD-SPG corridor but sadly this won’t be the case.