BandA wrote: ↑Wed Jul 20, 2022 6:43 pm
The easiest thing to pilot, and the most bang for the borrowed money would be extending the Springfield trains as Inland Regionals. Could this be done simply by adding an Amfleet or two? We should leave additional service from SPG to PIT or North Haverbrook for the future.
Extending the Springfields makes sense as a first step - although you might want more of a Vermonter stopping pattern up the Hartford Line - to deliver more of an express/long distance v commuter delineation of service - keep the seats for the right journeys. Maybe extend 1-2 MBTA Worcester line services to Springfield too, to test out that market.
Equally, increased services from Albany would be good and I understand 2-3 per day are wanted. I think an additional Boston-Albany daily return would be a reasonable start.
Might that eventually carry on down to NYC to give a regular Pittsfield-NYC option, and another, much slower Springfield - NYC? Or could it run on to Toronto/Buffalo/Montreal - even combining with a service from NYC?