New York - Canada Railroad Bridges

cr7535 wrote:All freight goes over the international Bridge. This way, they don't need customs agents on duty all the time for both bridges. I believe they want to get rid of the remaining bridges in Niagara Falls, because no one wants to maintain them for one passenger train each way a day.

When did that change? I was railfanning the Niagara Sub about 16 months ago... and it sure looked like there was freight traffic going to/from Canada on that line.

Pics from that day: http://s857.photobucket.com/albums/ab13 ... ?start=all

Michigan Central/Canada Southern bridge still stands but is out of service. CN bridge stands and is used by Amtrak 63 and 64. A good friend of mine works for an engineering company. He and other structural engineers recently inspected the CN bridge pursuant to drafting reconstruction plans. They conducted a very thorough inspection of the entire bridge. That is as much as I know. H.T. Guillaume

Matt Langworthy wrote:

cr7535 wrote:All freight goes over the international Bridge. This way, they don't need customs agents on duty all the time for both bridges. I believe they want to get rid of the remaining bridges in Niagara Falls, because no one wants to maintain them for one passenger train each way a day.

When did that change? I was railfanning the Niagara Sub about 16 months ago... and it sure looked like there was freight traffic going to/from Canada on that line.

Pics from that day: http://s857.photobucket.com/albums/ab13 ... ?start=all

THey moved some of switching job from frontier to NF... that's all... it doesnt means that they go over the bridge at there.

CPSmith wrote: That roadway is no longer open to the "general public" (my emphasis) - you need an enhanced license (or something similar, the term escapes me at the moment) to use. Road traffic has dropped like a rock.

It's called a NEXUS pass. It's meant for US/Canadian citizens that frequently cross the border and are "pre-cleared."

CPSmith wrote:Scot,

If Amtrak moved to the International Bridge, the following is likely:

Amtrak Albany to NF NY would remain in some form as there is sufficient patronage at present.
Those wishing to continue from NF NY to NF Ontario (only) could be bused or cabbed across the main bridge in town or 190. (Advantage - that'd be an easier trip through customs)

It is deeply ridiculous, absurd, and obscene that that would be an easier trip through customs, but at the moment you seem to be right.

You are absolutely correct. "Easier" is a relative term, of course. There are two considerations: 1) passengers aren't cleared through customs until they're ALL cleared through customs, meaning you have to wait for everyone else; and 2) Amtrak and VIA pad their schedules to accommodate this, meaning even if there only 3 people on board, the train doesn't leave until the appointed time. Neither ever bothered me since I was clean & green and took a nap while they rousted everyone else. But if you plan on heading to the casinos in downtown NF Ontario, you might as well get off in NF NY and cab it over - it beats the hour plus delay just trying to get off the train in NF Ontario. To each his own, I guess.

Before Canadian Pacific sold their right of way in Niagara Falls several years ago I recall they ran a few daily trains across the Michigan Central Railway Bridge. From some maps I've seen I can see with the realignment why they would cross at Fort Erie. I still don't see why CN is crossing at Fort Erie as well. Am I mistaken about who is crossing? Is there relatively little total traffic crossing from Fort Erie into Buffalo? I would have thought that if CN is coming into the US they would cross at Niagara Falls since the Grimsby Subdivision ends there. I would imagine that crossing at Fort Erie brings its own set of challenges due to height/width restrictions on the bridge that Niagara Falls does not.

According to the latest Trains newsletter, CN has officially requested to abandon the Whirlpool bridge.

CPSmith wrote:According to the latest Trains newsletter, CN has officially requested to abandon the Whirlpool bridge.

so that means 63/64 has to go through new route?

The April issue of Trains has a news article about the Amtrak - CN battle apparently about delays, etc.

Makes you wonder whether the bridge is part of the battle.

FYI The Whirlpool notice is being discussed at length in the Amtrak forum: http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopi ... 46&t=93406