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

Dusting this thread off for a minute...

Amtrak has started to install ACSES transponders on the Springfield Line. As of last night it looked as if they had gone from Mill River to Wallingford with them.

Is the Springfield line the only stretch of track that Amtrak still hasn't finished? Also one other question: I was under the impression the line already has ATC speed and signal enforcement with penalty braking in the diesel locomotives used on the line which runs off the old style cab signaling the line already has and that it just needs the ACSES overlay to be fully compliant. Is that correct?

I rode train 143 yesterday and at one point somewhere between Hartford and New Haven, can't remember the exact spot, we unexpectedly slowed down and were switched from track 1 over to track 2 and just after the switch I could see that a crew was working in the area around track 1. Maybe those crews were working on that, although its also possible they were doing general track repair on track 1 I couldn't really tell what was going on.

Does anyone know what the timetable is for connecting the second track into the original siding that is north of the Windsor CT station? No activity in a few weeks and the switch at this location is still in place and being used. From what I have heard, the main track (track 1) needs to move 6 or seven inches toward the old Windsor station and for them to do this they would need to connect and activate track 2 at this spot. Also there is the signals that come with this switch that is still used, will they be coming down or will a new signal need to be put in placed. Has AMTRAK run out of money to connect this second tack at this spot?

lordsigma12345 wrote:Is the Springfield line the only stretch of track that Amtrak still hasn't finished? Also one other question: I was under the impression the line already has ATC speed and signal enforcement with penalty braking in the diesel locomotives used on the line which runs off the old style cab signaling the line already has and that it just needs the ACSES overlay to be fully compliant. Is that correct?

I rode train 143 yesterday and at one point somewhere between Hartford and New Haven, can't remember the exact spot, we unexpectedly slowed down and were switched from track 1 over to track 2 and just after the switch I could see that a crew was working in the area around track 1. Maybe those crews were working on that, although its also possible they were doing general track repair on track 1 I couldn't really tell what was going on.

I'm not sure about the rest of the NEC. The line already has cab signals and speed control on the equipment. They just need to finish ACSES and then the speed can be raised.

Larry wrote:Does anyone know what the timetable is for connecting the second track into the original siding that is north of the Windsor CT station? No activity in a few weeks and the switch at this location is still in place and being used. From what I have heard, the main track (track 1) needs to move 6 or seven inches toward the old Windsor station and for them to do this they would need to connect and activate track 2 at this spot. Also there is the signals that come with this switch that is still used, will they be coming down or will a new signal need to be put in placed. Has AMTRAK run out of money to connect this second tack at this spot?

You don't want to know. Your head would probably explode. Amtrak isn't paying for it, which is the problem.

New Haven -Springfield is the last section to get ACSES gear due to the trackwork and the return of the second mainline ,If and when the
I-84 rebuild begins,the trackage thru Hartford will be rearranged again,along with the signals and ACSES gear.

It's Unknown when CSX will start their PTC work on the B&A to Worcester from Selkirk,as it already has cab signals
and the odds of MassDOT getting a deal done are not getting any better as Mantel Ridge starts to cash out due to EHH's passing on.

Larry, Per the 562 plans submitted to the FRA by Amtrak, Windsor interlocking will be no more.

Thanks for that info on the inter locking, I figured it would go as it is not needed. They have about 50 Yards to connect the new track 2 up to that siding. Sad it just sits with no work or equipment to hook the two lines up as this would give them the full double track from Windsor into Hartford CT.

Wait so the Windsor interlocking won't be completed? So will there be any double track at all between Hartford and Windsor? Also I think this really belongs in the Hartford Line thread, as this one is really about north of Springfield.

The double-track will replace Windsor interlocking. After the last section of track is connected, it will be double-track from Hartford yard to Hayden, just south of Windsor Locks. There will be no switches where the present Windsor interlocking sits, so passengers will have to cross Track 1 at grade at Windsor station, until the next round of station upgrades gets funded.

daybeers wrote:Also I think this really belongs in the Hartford Line thread, as this one is really about north of Springfield.

55 pages of posts beg to differ...and CDOT doesn't own the line...thus why it was merged into where it was merged into

To clarify; this thread discusses Amtrak physical improvements (double-tracking, PTC signals, etc.) and Amtrak service on the line, both current and contemplated. The Hartford Line thread covers, um, Hartford line operations. That would be the commuter service's scheduling, station improvements, equipment, etc.

I'm not sure where the confusion lies... not installing an interlocking in Windsor would seem to be an Amtrak issue, not a commuter service issue.

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It appears that Friday June 8th is the last day of the current Amtrak schedule on the Springfield line. On Saturday June 9th, it appears Amtrak will be making its schedule changes on the line including some additional service that was made possible by the New Haven - Hartford - Springfield program. The weekend schedule only involves a couple changes, most of the big changes begin June 11th, the first day of the new weekday schedule. The Hartford Line commuter service starts the following week on June 16th. On that day the state of Connecticut will begin running its new "CTrail" dedicated commuter trains and the Amtrak fares between the Hartford Line commuter stations will change to match the Hartford Line fares on the 16th - intercity fares to destinations beyond NHV remain the same. These additional trains can now be seen on Amtrak's booking site but it appears they are still updating the system as the train numbers don't yet appear. Most changes are positive and add additional service and connections in New Haven. Only two losses of service: one is a loss of connection to train 93 for Windsor, Windsor Locks, and Springfield - 493 shuttle is going away. A Hartford-terminating CTrail southbound train will replace 493 in its timeslot and two new Amtrak Shuttles will launch an hour earlier and two hours later (471 and 473.) Hartford and south can still connect to 93 using the new CTrail train. Presumably, folks that were already booked for 493/93 June 11th and later will get swapped to either 471/171 or 473/173. The other service loss is Berlin and Wallingford are being cut from the Vermonter beginning that week. Folks can view http://www.hartfordline.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; to see the full schedule. All changes proposed there seem to be taking effect in June. As seen on there, in addition to Amtrak's new trains the CTrail trains also allow a couple of additional Amtrak connections to be made at New Haven and they are listed there (obviously with no connection guarantee as they aren't operated by Amtrak.)

I did notice that per the schedule on the Hartford Line website, connection times have increased a lot, sometimes double or triple. That's too bad.

The inly Shuttle connections that are greater than 15 minutes seem to be because of rescheduling due to Track work on No. 1 Track West of Branford on the Shore Line. CT rail connections work within the time slots on the MRS and to align with Metro North trains, and Amtrak trains are there for reference.

Certainly is going to be interesting to watch how everything operates. They are truly blurring the line between commuter rail and corridor intercity on this corridor. Hopefully people won't be confused by the "dual service provider" model on the commuter side and that they realize that they aren't just limited to riding the 8 CTrail roundtrips. Communications will be key and hopefully the ticket media will make it clear which trains riders can board. They should remove the Vermonter off that Hartford Line schedule as they won't be accepting those fares. If this thing really takes off will be interesting to see if they end up needing to add a third car to some of the Shuttles to accommodate CTrail commuters who board Amtrak trains and presumably with the added trains there will be an uptick in regular Amtrak travelers also.