Danbury Branch - History, Electrification, Studies

the 16 minutes difference would be mainly the 10 mph in increased speed with will never happen .
as for tree trimming you can't trim trees that are not on railroad property.

The railroad, as any other property owner, is allowed to trim any branches that encroach the airspace above its property. It is not allowed to trim or remove trees outside its property just because those trees could potentially fall onto the right of way during a future storm.

Electrification could only happen for environmental reasons if politicians decide to make a showcase out of it. Otherwise it remains a large expense for marginal benefit (16 minutes is actually very significant and will lead to some ridership gain, but as Dutch points out most of that could be achieved with the diesels if the will and the money to improve the tracks were there).

Mod Note: moved the Danbury Re-electrification talk from the Hudson Line Electrification thread.

Even with curvature mitigation, you still have a lot of grade crossings, and as others will note, during slip-slide season, an EMU is going to have issues. Most of the M8 sets are 8-car consists I think; that's a pretty big set for more limited ridership; I'm not sure how full the maxi's are on the branch at this time, but I'd bet they're mostly empty.

AND, most importantly, are the residents of the Route 7 corridor going to want catenary? It works for New Canaan, but that's a short branch with high ridership/density. Route 7 is not.

People need to realize that the line is curvy for a reason. From Wolfpits Rd. in Wilton to Turkey Plain Rd. in Bethel the tracks thread their way up country through a series of narrow and relatively deep valleys with steep, rocky sides. Any project to eliminate the sharpest curves-- like the one just north of Wilton station-- would require a significant amount of blasting through hard rock. Not to mention that the tracks are also hemmed in such that any line relocation would be incredibly disruptive.

What, for instance, would you do here? https://goo.gl/maps/sZd6aCpzEgLb4Ain7

Or here? https://goo.gl/maps/kx9hFzhZZT5XUJVK9

Or here? https://goo.gl/maps/kx9hFzhZZT5XUJVK9

I just don't see the disruption being worth it.

I was just looking at a chart, I think in the same study that detailed electrification, that showed a 10mph increase along much of the route, but not all - IE the curve north of Wilton remains largely as is.

As for the issue of aesthetics, well, the catenary poles are there right now, and with only brief exceptions, the line is hidden in the woods. And I would think the quieter operation of EMUs versus diesels would be a big plus for homeowners along the route. The existence of the catenary poles also means a huge part of the electrification work, and the cost of it, is already done, even if some need to be replaced. And with the newly wired dock yard on the south end... Prior estimates for this project are way out of line.

Increasing traffic congestion through Danbury on the Rt 7 corridor and I-84 should force a conversation about truly modernizing and expanding this line to serve modern needs.

90 % of those poles are ready to come crashing down , the base crumbled and 3 guy rods long removed , they have trouble holding up a 1/2 inch fiber optic cable in a plastic sleeve. as for non intrusive with over 20 crossings and open spaces in town electrification would be tied up in court for decades. again the Electrification would bring trouble (no sanders) and since speed will most likely never be increased would only gain you about 3 minutes at a cost well over 120 million just for catenary and another 90 to 120 million for extra 30 or maybe more MU cars needed. and still trains would terminate in South Norwalk outside the rush hours.

TCurtin wrote: ↑Mon Sep 09, 2019 6:21 amI may be the only living user of this forum who actually remembers riding the Danbury branch when it was electrified (How's that for a bizarre distinction?).

Me too.

Further, I'm quite certain I am the only user, living or deceased, who has boarded or alighted trains at Woodrow, CT.

dha10001 wrote: ↑Fri Dec 27, 2019 4:16 pm I was just looking at a chart, I think in the same study that detailed electrification, that showed a 10mph increase along much of the route, but not all - IE the curve north of Wilton remains largely as is.

As for the issue of aesthetics, well, the catenary poles are there right now, and with only brief exceptions, the line is hidden in the woods. And I would think the quieter operation of EMUs versus diesels would be a big plus for homeowners along the route. The existence of the catenary poles also means a huge part of the electrification work, and the cost of it, is already done, even if some need to be replaced. And with the newly wired dock yard on the south end... Prior estimates for this project are way out of line.

Increasing traffic congestion through Danbury on the Rt 7 corridor and I-84 should force a conversation about truly modernizing and expanding this line to serve modern needs.

What is re-wiring the Danbury going to do to alleviate traffic congestion on I-84?

Also, there is nothing about the Danbury Branch as it exists today that is not "modern." The line has heavy welded rail, high-level platforms, a <10 year old signal system, and three remotely-operated sidings in ~24 miles. The diesels working the line are mid-90's-vintage GE P32AC-DMs or Brookville BL20GH's from 2008. Rolling stock is standard 1980's-90's-vintage Shoreliners. It's not like we're talking about some anachronistic survivor like the Ashmont-Mattapan High Speed Line.

Those diesels, by the way, are not particularly noisy. Certainly not compared to the trucks on Route 7. We're talking light passenger trains scooting by at 50mph, not 100 car freights hauled by 4 or 5 SD40-2's.

A substantial portion of the westbound traffic on i-84 through Danbury in the AM is headed down Rt. 7, from either East or North of Danbury. A faster and more frequent DBL (that is also extended in one or both directions) could attract many more Stamford-bound commuters. Riding the DBL feels like a step into the last century compared to the main line. There's clearly room for improvement.

tHE 1 mistake NH did was not scrapping the old cat poles,now you have wayside rusting hazards to service.
MN needs to send a work train down the branch to scrap the poles and put in wood poles for the Fiber optic cable.
As long as HRRC controls the Maybrook line remains,MN cannot reach New Milford. HRRC needs to GO!!!
HRRC is made up by Ex- Guilford officals,have "scorched Earth" policy on the Maybrook line.
The only wire to remain is to Dock Yard while Walk bridge is replaced.

If they were to electrify the Danbury Branch how many substations would they have to add?

Except to dock yard while Walk bridge is replaced,the wire Will Not return to Danbury!
Wild guess 4 substations.

Staying true to the original New Haven/Penn Central route from Grand Central to Pittsfield!

http://berkshirerecord.net/berkshire-le ... ice-study/

ADMIN NOTE: Added brief, fair-use quote per railroad.net policy

Berkshire legislators introduce Housatonic rail line passenger service study

GREAT BARRINGTON — Concurrent House and Senate legislation has laid down a parallel track toward connecting the Berkshires and Grand Central Terminal with passenger rail.

After nearly a half-century break from providing passenger service, the Housatonic Railway could soon serve as a passenger line from Pittsfield to New York City, with potential stops in Lenox, Lee, Great Barrington, Stockbridge and Sheffield.

A House bill, presented by state Rep. William “Smitty” Pignatelli, D-Lenox, and a Senate bill, presented by state Sen. Adam Hinds, D-Pittsfield, have been “reported out” favorably by the state’s Joint Committee on Transportation, according to the bills’ petitioner and Great Barrington resident, Karen Christensen.

The two pieces of similar legislation call for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) to convene a working group on the benefits of passenger rail service between Pittsfield and New York City via the Housatonic Railway.
...

HRRC made a fresh batch of "kool aid" again,got a bunch of state critters drunk on it,wasted $$$$ unless ConnDOT takes control of the line
outright,MassDOT is a bit stressed out money wise now with the Valley Flyer service and that no bid 2nd gen Rotem order.