GRAND' AMTRAK DETOUR

During the next two weekends, Grand Central Terminal will be the New York City stop for Amtrak trains to and from Albany while railroad switches are upgraded at Penn Station.

The detour will involve 45 Amtrak trains per weekend.

While the switch work is under way, Amtrak passengers on the Hudson Line will see some changes. Some trips will be longer, some will depart from or arrive at different stations and some trains will split in two at Albany, with extra engines waiting.

Amtrak will provide shuttle buses from Penn Station to Grand Central.

Warm up the cameras guys!

To amplify the above, numbers 63/69 & 64/68 will be combined south of Rensselaer on all four days, running on the later train's schedule. These trains, plus 48/49, will detour via Mott Haven Jct, Woodlawn Jct , New Rochelle and the Hell Gate line into/out of Pennsylvania Station. Most other Amtrak Empire Services that operate north/west of Albany Rensselaer will operate through to Grand Central Terminal. Most services that normally operate only between Albany Rensselaer and Pennsylvania Station will originate/terminate at Harmon, with customers transferring to MNR equipment operating as passenger extras in Amtrak Service between Harmon and GCT. The Amtrak equipment on those trains will deadhead to Mott Haven Jct to be turned on the wye for northward service.

The above service changes are being done to allow for replacement of the switches that permit southward moves from track 2 to track 4 and from track 4 to the Empire Line at CP12 on Metro-North's Hudson Line. During the times these switches are being replaced, there will be no way to access the Amtrak Empire Line at CP 12.

Jim

Also being discussed on the Amtrak forum:

http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopi ... 46&t=55746

It has been a long time since I ran trains in this territory but apparently when the Empire Line was built and connected at
CP-12, there is ONLY ONE switch between Metro-North and Amtrak at this location.
With all that New York State spends, seems to me that they could and should spend some to make this junction a little bit
more flexible and save the cost of all of these moves, detours etc. In the long run, they would have been well ahead of the
game and would not be going through this inconvience for Amtrak's passengers and extra costs to Amtrak and Metro-North.
Noel Weaver

Still only one switch for the empire connection at CP12. But one article I've read say it was switches at NYP that they are repairing. Was is Amtrak's idea to do the track work and MNR just decided since the Empire connection will be out of service to repair the switch on it's end, or vice-versa?

RearOfSignal wrote:Still only one switch for the empire connection at CP12. But one article I've read say it was switches at NYP that they are repairing. Was is Amtrak's idea to do the track work and MNR just decided since the Empire connection will be out of service to repair the switch on it's end, or vice-versa?

The work that is the proximate cause for this outage and resulting detours is being done by MNR at CP12. If there is work being done at Penn Station (I don't think there is, but I could be wrong), it is not the cause of this outage and resulting detours. Any press article that states otherwise is incorrect.

Jim

Here's the link to the previously mentioned article. http://www.wcbs880.com/Amtrak-Using-Gra ... ds/3134330

This is exactly why I won't work any overtime this weekend or the next....

Someone at the Associated Press obviously doesn't know their rectum from their elbow. This article makes it sound like EVERY Amtrak train is going to Grand Central, and there won't be anything happening at Penn Station, when that's definitely not the case.

Additionally, it's too bad nobody at WCBS took the time to review that article and correct it manually (their website is obviously just regurgitating AP content automatically).

pnaw10 wrote:Someone at the Associated Press obviously doesn't know their rectum from their elbow. This article makes it sound like EVERY Amtrak train is going to Grand Central, and there won't be anything happening at Penn Station, when that's definitely not the case.

Additionally, it's too bad nobody at WCBS took the time to review that article and correct it manually (their website is obviously just regurgitating AP content automatically).

Hate to call you out on this, but i guess you missed the words "from Albany" that are clearly in the story.

One thing I can add, I read where a Metro-North spokesperson says the Amtrak trains will use Tks 34-35 at GCT. (The last NYC No.s 25/25 dpt-arr on 34)

Two questions- Amtrak's going to be using electric into Terminal, right? Meaning they have to have the third-rail shoe position changed? Or is Metro-North providing 'pilot' power? How about engine crews? Will Amrak need pilots?

MN engines will be towing Amtrak consists.

Please see http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopi ... 46&t=55746 for more details.

Amtrak crews are not qualified CP12 to GCT or via detour route of CP12 to Mott Haven to CP212 to CP217 so yes no matter whats on head end the MNCR crews will be operating on those territories.
MNCR rules specify that the Pilot will operate the train unless other arrangements are made.

Those Empire trains that won't go to GCT, but are connecting with MNCR trains, will still head for MO under own power, to be wyed and returned to Croton Harmon.

I know of at least two Amtrak engineers who have maintained their qualifications from CP 12 to GCT. Of course this is a rare case and not a requirement of working for Amtrak.