Status of Danbury Branch Signalization Project

Its the most states way of doing business , from blacktopping to transit , for Kawasaki to have gotten the M-8 and maybe M-9 contract they had to take shortcuts, and the state knows it.
afterwards those shortcuts get corrected as extra cost warranty work, that's how the elected idiots work , no matter if its Harford, Albany , Trenton or where ever.

For example Road work, you think a contractor gets best contract by offering best work and warranty, no he gets it by doing Job cheap with cheapest blacktop, not fit for winter or highways.
look at blacktop in for example a mall parking lot (built to last) very fine aggregate or in comparison a driveway mostly done cheap and with very coarse blacktop, no go look at the road, what do you think??
yup same coarse blacktop with lots of voids to get water into in winter.

The schedules page now says the Danbury busing temp schedule is valid through May 10. Since that's the schedule change day, it may go further.

Noticeable progress lately with almost all crossings now activating as they were before but stop & warns are still in place (8). Also last night cab signal code put back in the rail from Bethel station through Shelter Rock road so now trains can do track speed between stop and warns.

Currently Shelter Rock Road is completely dug up and being completely redone (almost done at this post). Interesting note though they are using recycled plastic RR ties there. Next crossing coming out for a week is Triangle Street starting Friday.

Crossing work reportedly will be finished first week in July, with normal train service resuming July 7th

DutchRailnut wrote:For example Road work, you think a contractor gets best contract by offering best work and warranty, no he gets it by doing Job cheap with cheapest blacktop, not fit for winter or highways.
look at blacktop in for example a mall parking lot (built to last) very fine aggregate or in comparison a driveway mostly done cheap and with very coarse blacktop, no go look at the road, what do you think??
yup same coarse blacktop with lots of voids to get water into in winter.

And I've been wondering why the roads in my town are falling apart so soon after being repaved, even when they spend even more $$ to rebuild the underlying roadbed....

Back to the Danbury branch, is there a simple technical explanation of what the problem & fix were in the end? JS

They are rebuilding crossings with new ties and better drainage, apparently signal current leaking via old ties and water/salt caused the problems with new more sensitive equipment.

thanks, JS

Well, the Danbury branch resumed full train service today but 6 out of 8 stop and warns are still in effect. Great to see trains again after so long bustituting. Hopefully the other 6 will be OK'ed soon.

Just got an email Tuesday night
For the next 3 Saturdays between 7 and 4 buses will replace trains
Starting July 12,19, and 26th
For crossing work

correct and Danbury mini will be used as a test train during that period of time on Saturdays to test crossing activation and timing.

Hopefully after the 3 Saturdays of busing all will be normal and trains at regular speed

Six months of disrupted service and stop-n-warns.... jeesh !!

Back when I was a young fireman on the Danbury branch with FL-9's and the old New Haven coaches, the trains ran better than they do now with the "new modern" signal system !!

It's amazin' that the Danbury branch trains are still doing "stop and warns" coming into town.

How long until Metro-North decides to admit defeat, and contract some other company to come in and re-engineer and rebuild the signal system that Siemens has screwed up so badly?

As an aside -- considering Siemens' performance record with MN, I wonder if it isn't giving Amtrak some jitters regarding those new electrics they bought ???

Can't compare the two they make very good locomotives and so far I haven't heard too many negatives. As for signal system I'm sure the signal system works fine on freight railroads where crossings are spread far apart but with passenger trains constantly making stops within crossing operating limits and with crossings activations overlapping each other (the problem area Bethel-Danbury) it doesn't work. Still at 5 stop and warns and a few speed changes have been made.