Loss of Nighttime Services at NYP?

One of my friends was looking to take Amtrak home from NYP in September of this year, but looking at the schedule, it appears they are no longer offering trains between 8pm and Midnight out of Penn heading south.

I checked three random dates in September and October, and the 9pm train is missing, as well as the 10:05/11:05 that rounds out the evening.

I also noticed that 66/67, which usually spends about 2 hours in Penn, is now doing it's 2 hour stop at 30th Street in PA.

I hope that this is just temporary due to repair work or improvement work being done at Penn or in the tunnels, as the loss of those two trains would be a big blow for tourism in NYC.

Service changes on the overnight Regionals have something to do with Metro-North's Penn Station Access work
on the line between NYP and New Rochelle.

That's understandable, but also frustrating that they couldn't get one additional slot to keep the 10pm train.

Amtrak’s railroad, Amtrak’s rules. If they wanted to run the train, they would have made Metro-North work around it. They had no problem telling East Side Access to pound salt, resulting in millions (maybe billions) of dollars in overruns and years of delays to the ESA project.

I’d guess it has to do with their own East River Tunnel work, if track outages even have anything to do with it.

That makes it even worse.

Can't recommend Amtrak for a day in NYC unless you are willing to leave by 8pm.

That's usually something I watch for when the wife and I go to any concerts or stand-up comedians. We usually take Empire Trains into the city but even they have a somewhat early cut-off. If it's a late show we'll either take Metro-North out of Wassaic (or Brewster if it's real late), or just stay at the Garden Inn down on the Battery.

I can see from a ease of operation why Amtrak shuts down at 9pm and takes the line OOS perhaps. Six to eight hours of uninterrupted work. Amtrak generally does not use stop signs to protect work areas. Its watchmen with radios and lollypops. The Hellgate line is only two tracks if memory serves. Lots of workers near the tracks always a chance of intercourse.
Metro North however does use stop signs to protect workers but you must stop before passing and it is medium speed or lower through the limits after permission is received. How many stop signs could one encounter on the trip and how big a delay would it cause.

Railjunkie wrote: ↑Mon Jan 08, 2024 10:10 am The Hellgate line is only two tracks if memory serves.

Double track with crossovers so single track operation overnights is possible. Much like the North River Tubes
(the corridor's biggest bottleneck) may be single track weekends and overnight).

R36 Combine Coach wrote: ↑Tue Jan 09, 2024 12:58 am

Railjunkie wrote: ↑Mon Jan 08, 2024 10:10 am The Hellgate line is only two tracks if memory serves.

Double track with crossovers so single track operation overnights is possible. Much like the North River Tubes
(the corridor's biggest bottleneck) may be single track weekends and overnight).

Double track if you prefer. Two =Double last I looked. Myself as a railroader I look at the number of tracks, crossovers are part and parcel of said tracks. I would never say the area between Yonkers and Croton Harmon is quadruple track its a four track mainline. Anyway...

Like I posted previously Amtrak rarely uses stop signs to protect work areas. Its still the old school watchman and lollypops which at night would be a LED wand. You have tons of moving equipment and workers who may or may not be familiar with railroad operations or the speeds at which the trains travel. Why take the chance of intercourse between men or equipment with a train at speed. Bad press for Amtrak even if it was not their fault.
Metro North on the other hand uses stop signs as I explained in my previous post.

Just take the tracks OOS and let the project get 6 to 8 hours of uninterrupted work a night.

"Once upon a time" within my memory, but I doubt if anyone else's around here, there were four tracks over HGB, and these little puppies , EF-!'s and 2's, sure had their work cut out for them.

I can't say I ever observed them ascending HGB (Bay Ridge originating train), but even on level track through Riverside, they sure seemed to this then-12yo, having their "think I can" moments.

Now I realize this is not the New Haven Forum, but so long as I got this off topic spiel going, please allow me to note the EF-3 and EF-4. Fortunately, others than the EF-4's , which were acquired "late in the game" and saw both PC and CR revenue service, were spared from "McNuisance Orange (whoops, Vermillion)" and block lettering ($$$ could have been better spent of soap and water than "puff and paint". Mr. Cain, I respect your differing viewpoint).

They should at least run service to Newark from DC, connecting to PATH, and service to Grand Central from Boston.

I think Newark would be difficult as far as turning and servicing train sets.

Grand Central opens up the can of worms of running in the Park Avenue tunnel, Metro-North pilots, platform space, turning and servicing train sets, etc.

....and suggesting what for motive power to access GCT?

...or Rules, Agreements..that only scratches the surface.

Yes, there are options, but by the time any could be "put in place", Penn will again be open through this "window".

NaugyRR wrote: ↑Tue Jan 09, 2024 9:16 am I think Newark would be difficult as far as turning and servicing train sets.

Grand Central opens up the can of worms of running in the Park Avenue tunnel, Metro-North pilots, platform space, turning and servicing train sets, etc.

And that GCT closes between 2am to 5:15am every day.

R36 Combine Coach wrote: ↑Tue Jan 09, 2024 12:58 am

Railjunkie wrote: ↑Mon Jan 08, 2024 10:10 am The Hellgate line is only two tracks if memory serves.

Double track with crossovers so single track operation overnights is possible. Much like the North River Tubes
(the corridor's biggest bottleneck) may be single track weekends and overnight).

Both two tracks, but not equivalent. The North River tubes are completely separate tubes, each with a single track. Hellgate is two parallel tracks immediately next to each other, so track worker safety and track equipment fouling is a significant factor.