Shore Line East or Metro North to Rhode Island Green Airport

How about they get testing of M-8's finished before even thinking about going anywhere, the NJT P40's still have not moved since june, and overhaul of other junk has not even started.
SLE and springfield line, I see buses in forecast.

MCL1981 wrote:A few hundred people?? Worthless waste of time and money. If a few hundred people need to go to work, that is what cars and roads are for. A few hundred people will fill one train once a day. And they want to spend a billion dollars on all these stations, track modifications, rail cars, motive power, scheduling, managing, bridge BS, etc... for a few hundred people? No.

I'll ask again. Where is this citation that they are spending a billion dollars? Please provide one if you're going to keep throwing the "B" word around, because the highest estimate I have seen quoted for SLE-Westerly is $200M.

I also don't think it will cost that much (a billion). But even if a billion is hyperbole' meant to illustrate a point (and I think it is), that's $200m that could be spend on enhancing existing SLE or other CtDOT service, funding or completing the Hartford line (new stations, north of Hartford), or used as a funding source for replacing main line draw bridges. Not to mention my aforementioned list.

7% is pitiful recovery. I'm curious as to what the real numbers are here, i.e. how many millions subsidy for how many riders on SLE. I love trains, and as I said, this would be a nice to have project. But there have to be priorities. The eastern part of the state has poor transit, sure. That doesn't mean the $$$ shouldn't be spent where they get more bang for the buck.

Yes, the number is hyperbole. The $200 million estimate is equally outrageous. And I'd expect it to actually cost way more than they're estimate.

In a state were workers are being laid off because state is totally bankrupt its ludicrous to expand services.

MCL1981 wrote:A few hundred people?? Worthless waste of time and money. If a few hundred people need to go to work, that is what cars and roads are for. A few hundred people will fill one train once a day. And they want to spend a billion dollars on all these stations, track modifications, rail cars, motive power, scheduling, managing, bridge BS, etc... for a few hundred people? No.

A few hundred people is actually a lot of people. If there is a single station that they could built that would net them another 100 passengers each way from the date it opens with the current level of service then they need to build it. If the initial demand is that high by the time the service has ran for a few years it would have doubled or tripled. Now, I agree with you -- if you need 5 stations to get these 100 passengers each way (for 20 passengers per station on average), then it is definitely not worth it. There are many commuter railroads which consider a station generating 100 passengers one way a great success and SLE has no reason to be different given the density of the area which it traverses.

As for the dismal recovery, it might not be the revenue side that is the only problem. How about the cost side? I would insist that even a four car train should be operated with a crew of 2 -- an engineer and a conductor. Are they doing that?

on trains with manual doors you normally have a trainman too.

MCL1981 wrote:Yes, the number is hyperbole. The $200 million estimate is equally outrageous. And I'd expect it to actually cost way more than they're estimate.

No, it is not equally outrageous. It is exactly one-fifth as outrageous.

The hyperbole adds nothing to the discussion.

I think we should stop and do a study. If one has already been done, then another study to study the study should be set in motion.

F-line to Dudley via Park wrote:

MCL1981 wrote:Yes, the number is hyperbole. The $200 million estimate is equally outrageous. And I'd expect it to actually cost way more than they're estimate.

No, it is not equally outrageous. It is exactly one-fifth as outrageous.

The hyperbole adds nothing to the discussion.

Yes it is. It's colossal waste of money whether it's 200 million a billion. Apparently you're not interested in the actual topic and would rather just nitpick wording to avoid the discussion. It's too much money for too little benefit for too few people.

Mod Note: Time to let the theoretical costing banter stop gumming up the thread ...

Not to mention, we already know this will cost us

For those who say "oh no there won't be customers?" I point to one thing. New London has a huge naval base, with horrid traffic (Good old shitty groton. The worst sub base). There are officers who commute from far and wide as is to get to the base. The government will pay for public transit passes as parking is awful at Groton (its built on those nasty hills that lead to the thames), and I could easily see the morning trains full of sailors commuting down to a waiting shuttle bus to hit Groton proper. Electric boat would also fill up the trains in the morning and night shift as well.

I mean, unlike when Amtrak tried to DMU the Connecticut lines, we have a (thanks Nippon Sharyo) viable FRA approved DMU if we don't get M8s that is cheap and can run up and down the NEC for a fairly low cost!

yup see this project doing down fast
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To extend a select number of existing diesel trains to Westerly is NOT going to break the bank especially if it's for a trial period. That'll cost chump change compared to the full blown $200M "M-8s + high level platforms + additional electrification" figure. This is something that can be relatively easily accomplished and at the same time provide real life ridership data figures that could either support or fail to support continued or expanded service.

the problem is, the diesel equipment is going to springfield line, and there is not even enough M-8's for SLE as it stands.