cle wrote: ↑Fri Dec 02, 2022 10:07 am
It's a shame they can't run it a bit further - Saratoga could do with the additional service. Probably a few more.
I'm involved with governmental affairs with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. Over the last couple of years I'd tried to see about getting the train reinstated to Plattsburgh. This endeavor started when travel between the two countries was still restricted. Long after domestic travel had resumed, the North Country was still without rail service. Plattsburgh has a state university. Many of the parents likely don't want to shell out for a car as well as tuition. Besides, the D&H has facilities to turn and store the train between trips a few miles south of the station. Unfortunately, I never got enough traction on it.
Now it's all moot anyway. They have a firm restart date in early April. Over the last few months Amtrak crews have been making test runs to prequalify over the line. They'd done so periodically over the last few years, but now they have been doing so frequently. One other pressing issue is that the building and platform at Westport has been under renovation. Before the cold set in some of the rebar work was installed on the new platform. The building still has its windows boarded up. I don't know what the expected completion date will be.