CT shuttle--what type of car was I in?

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Speaking of the Shuttles, as of January 2nd all the Shuttles are back to normal service - no more bus-stitutions. Rode the 490 that day which was the first 490 since August of 2015.
 
Wonderful news, lordsigma--thanks!

Now I can start planning another trip to visit relatives up there (in good weather, of course!
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) and will do the shuttle connection when I go.
 
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lordsigma said:
Speaking of the Shuttles, as of January 2nd all the Shuttles are back to normal service - no more bus-stitutions. Rode the 490 that day which was the first 490 since August of 2015.
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I wonder if the passengers will actually return.
 
There was a decent amount of people on that 490 and there seemed to be people waiting in Springfield station when I got there and it was too early for them to all be Vermonter people they must have been waiting for 493 which was getting ready to depart when we pulled in. Both were bus-stituted Trains since 2015 and that was the first day they were back. Im sure people will return when they realize the train is back - I was driving to new haven in lieu of the bus, but now that the train is back Ill ride from SPG again and Im sure Im not the only one.
 
Its unfortunate that no attempt of media outreach is done. There were local media articles and reports when the bus substitutions started and when they continued beyond their originally announced period. However now that all train service is resumed I have yet to see one media article saying that youd think Amtrak and Conn DOT would want the word out...
 
lordsigma said:
Its unfortunate that no attempt of media outreach is done. There were local media articles and reports when the bus substitutions started and when they continued beyond their originally announced period. However now that all train service is resumed I have yet to see one media article saying that youd think Amtrak and Conn DOT would want the word out...
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Maybe they don't want the press to bring up again the fact that the Hartford Line commuter rail won't open till May of this year (quite delayed, what a surprise), the work for which was the reason the Shuttles were bustituted for so long.
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daybeers said:
lordsigma said:
Its unfortunate that no attempt of media outreach is done. There were local media articles and reports when the bus substitutions started and when they continued beyond their originally announced period. However now that all train service is resumed I have yet to see one media article saying that youd think Amtrak and Conn DOT would want the word out...
Click to expand...
Maybe they don't want the press to bring up again the fact that the Hartford Line commuter rail won't open till May of this year (quite delayed, what a surprise), the work for which was the reason the Shuttles were bustituted for so long.
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True have you seen their new site? http://www.hartfordline.com/. I noticed there is one proposed train that is listed on their PDF schedule but not on their webpage schedule a proposed Amtrak 451 shuttle that would connect with Acela 2151. I hope the PDF is right, a shuttle connecting to 2151 would be a great addition as it would make it possible to get to NY before 9 and DC before noon via a direct connection from the Springfield line.
 
lordsigma said:
daybeers said:
lordsigma said:
Its unfortunate that no attempt of media outreach is done. There were local media articles and reports when the bus substitutions started and when they continued beyond their originally announced period. However now that all train service is resumed I have yet to see one media article saying that youd think Amtrak and Conn DOT would want the word out...
Click to expand...
Maybe they don't want the press to bring up again the fact that the Hartford Line commuter rail won't open till May of this year (quite delayed, what a surprise), the work for which was the reason the Shuttles were bustituted for so long.
Click to expand...
True have you seen their new site? http://www.hartfordline.com/. I noticed there is one proposed train that is listed on their PDF schedule but not on their webpage schedule a proposed Amtrak 451 shuttle that would connect with Acela 2151. I hope the PDF is right, a shuttle connecting to 2151 would be a great addition as it would make it possible to get to NY before 9 and DC before noon via a direct connection from the Springfield line.
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I have seen the new site. I would suspect (and hope) that the PDF is right and someone just forgot to add that one on the new website. However, the schedules do say proposed-subject to change, so who knows. I'm not sure if someone on AU is closer to the project.
 
daybeers said:
lordsigma said:
daybeers said:
lordsigma said:
Its unfortunate that no attempt of media outreach is done. There were local media articles and reports when the bus substitutions started and when they continued beyond their originally announced period. However now that all train service is resumed I have yet to see one media article saying that youd think Amtrak and Conn DOT would want the word out...
Click to expand...
Maybe they don't want the press to bring up again the fact that the Hartford Line commuter rail won't open till May of this year (quite delayed, what a surprise), the work for which was the reason the Shuttles were bustituted for so long.
Click to expand...
True have you seen their new site? http://www.hartfordline.com/. I noticed there is one proposed train that is listed on their PDF schedule but not on their webpage schedule a proposed Amtrak 451 shuttle that would connect with Acela 2151. I hope the PDF is right, a shuttle connecting to 2151 would be a great addition as it would make it possible to get to NY before 9 and DC before noon via a direct connection from the Springfield line.
Click to expand...
I have seen the new site. I would suspect (and hope) that the PDF is right and someone just forgot to add that one on the new website. However, the schedules do say proposed-subject to change, so who knows. I'm not sure if someone on AU is closer to the project.
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For sure and I'm sure there will be changes I'd just love to see the 2151 connection. They also seem to be proposing other tweeks to Amtrak's existing schedule. For example they appear to be proposing to swap the times of the weekday 148 and Friday 136 through trains (and also have a Shuttle Monday-Thursday around the same timeframe that 136 would run.) The only proposed loss of service I see (obviously could change) is the loss of the ability for folks north of Hartford to connect to Northeast Regional 93 as they appear to get rid of 493. The connection to 93 is maintained for points from Hartford to the south as 493 would be replaced by one of the new CTrail commuter trains that would terminate in Hartford.. Meanwhile Amtrak would add new shuttles connecting to 171 and 173 which would be alternatives for north of Hartford passengers who used to take 93.
 
Yeah I think I'd support these changes overall. There are still unfortunately some service gaps of around two hours in some places with the new service, but oh well. Too bad the further improvements to bring faster service and more frequencies probably won't see the light of day for quite a while due to Connecticut's current financial situation.
 
Correct they will be using former VRE mafersa cars now used on SLE. max speed for those is 90 mph. and some P40 and GP40-2H locomotives used on SLE.

ConnDOT owns 6 of the GP40-2h and 12 former Amtrak P40's .

Unlill the M-8's are accepted for SLE use the diesel fleet will need to be shared between the two lines.
 
The SLE trainsets are push-pull with a cab car like the Shuttles correct? I would think they'd want them to operate in the same manner as the shuttles.

Does anyone know how many trainsets Amtrak has for the Shuttle? Given the unique setup with the seat direction and the need for the metroliner cars I'd imagine they have a couple dedicated trainsets they keep around for it. I know there are at least 3 dual car consists and one single car consist. I wonder if the current Shuttle fleet can handle the additional 3 round trips that are being proposed or if they'll have to add another metroliner cab or two.
 
The SLE sets are push-pull coaches with fixed (but rather comfortable) seats, some in facing booth positions, in some cases with tables. They were built by Mafersa for VRE and are basically Budd cars in terms of engineering. They have cab cars and are pulled by ex-Amtrak P40s and GP40s whose origins I forget. They are done in a livery based off the old New York, Hartford & New Haven.

Its a nice operation, and stunning scenery. I used to ride from New York to New Haven and then out to OSB or New London as a day trip, back when the bar cars were running on MN.

If you want a nice day trip, with a little adventure, ride MN to New Haven, SLE to New London, then take the ferry to Orient Point, get a taxi to Greenville (did I get the station right?) and catch LIRR back to the City. Beautiful ride the whole way, and the food on Cross Sound is surprisingly good.
 
lordsigma said:
The SLE trainsets are push-pull with a cab car like the Shuttles correct? I would think they'd want them to operate in the same manner as the shuttles.

Does anyone know how many trainsets Amtrak has for the Shuttle? Given the unique setup with the seat direction and the need for the metroliner cars I'd imagine they have a couple dedicated trainsets they keep around for it. I know there are at least 3 dual car consists and one single car consist. I wonder if the current Shuttle fleet can handle the additional 3 round trips that are being proposed or if they'll have to add another metroliner cab or two.
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Yes, the SLE trainsets are push-pull with a cab car. I'm not sure how many trainsets Amtrak has for the Shuttle, but hopefully someone else could shed some light on that, good question!
 
Green Maned Lion said:
If you want a nice day trip, with a little adventure, ride MN to New Haven, SLE to New London, then take the ferry to Orient Point, get a taxi to Greenville (did I get the station right?) and catch LIRR back to the City. Beautiful ride the whole way, and the food on Cross Sound is surprisingly good.
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You were close...it's Greenport...but very limited service at that point...check the schedule, first....
 
I have done it in the other direction. LIRR to Greenport, hitchhike to Orient Point, ferry to New London and then some train SLE or Amtrak back to NYC. Fewer chances of getting stuck without viable transport alternatives.

Sent from my iPhone using Amtrak Forum
 
I would think they may need to add a couple Shuttle train sets eventually not only with the 3 additional round trips but if some of the shuttles someday go to Greenfield and Boston.

With the Amtrak service on the New Haven - Springfield line being state-supported I don't see CTrail ever competing with Amtrak and running CTrail commuter trains at the same time an Amtrak train is running, I see them doing revenue sharing and continuing to use Amtrak trains as part of the commuter service even if they add more CTrail trains beyond the initial 8 round trips. Doesn't make sense for Connecticut DOT To pay for two trains to run at the same time unlike on the NEC where there is a much larger commuter ridership and where the federal government pays for the Amtrak trains.

You buy a daily or monthly CTrail fare card, and you can hop on any train that approaches the platform whether it be Amtrak or CTrail.
 
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On a related matter, I Stopped into Springfield station today to see if anything was new and some workers were working in the future Amtrak area - it appeared they were taking the desk unit apart in the new ticketing area - possibly so Amtrak can run IT wiring and other cabling maybe? Hopefully Amtrak will move into its new quarters soon - the biggest complaint I've heard is that Amtrak passengers still have to wait in the drab track side station when the very nice new union station is open with its much nicer waiting room and its Dunkin Donuts and Subway and with all the brand new train status boards unused. Hopefully MassDOT and Springfield Redevelopment will get their act together soon on the renovations to the platform and get it done - the other common complaint is that nothing has been done yet on the platforms.
 
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Well, according to Wikipedia, which is always right, the original Budd Metroliner EMUs were designed as the US Government and PRR's response to the Japanese Bullet Train:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budd_Metroliner

On August 9, 1965, with the High Speed Ground Transportation Act of 1965 pending, representatives from the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR), the United States Department of Transportation (DOT), and a private consulting firm began setting specifications for an electric multiple unit high speed passenger train.[2] The PRR and the DOT disagreed on several technical details. The PRR wanted cars capable of 125 miles per hour (201 km/h), while the DOT desired 150 miles per hour (240 km/h) or even 160 miles per hour (260 km/h) to beat Japan's Tōkaidō Shinkansen
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.
If they really were interested, they would have considered what Shinkansen means in Japanese - the New Trunk Line. The Shinkansen is successful because it is a dedicated right of way with minimal high radius curves, not afraid of tunnels, connecting the two largest populations in the country 345 miles connecting 4 of some the most populous cities in the country while servicing another 8.

My intent isn't to derail this thread. I find it remarkably interesting the mindset of railroad development between the US and the rest of the world. I personally think the Metroliners are pretty cool.
 
The cost of fast equipment is nowhere near that of the cost of acquiring a new trunk line right of way for their operation, especially in absense of government policy to make that fiscally feasible.

Also, the Metroliner cars, as well as their related cousins the SPV2000, showed that Budd producing an excellent self propelled mainline car in the RDC was a one off coincidence.
 

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