Today’s Headlines
• Hartford Line to Launch June 16th
• Draft MassDOT 2019-2023 Capital Plan Update Released
• The Vermonter, in the News
• Amherst Station Signage Removed
• News | Recent Rail Crossing Accidents
• Railroad Jobs in the Valley
• Northampton | ‘Golden Spike’ Conference
Calendar
June 16th, 2018
Launch of the Hartford Line
July 27–28, 2018
Northampton | Golden Spike 2018
The largest rails-to-trails conference of the year in New England.
Hartford Line to Launch on June 16th
The Hartford Line is coming!
Dates to Note (Updated June 4, 2018)
Mon. June 11th | Expanded service on the corridor starts with the addition of three new Amtrak round-trips between Springfield and New Haven.
Fri. June 15th | Ribbon cutting at Hartford Union Station. Special trains, for invited guests, will operate from New Haven and Springfield to Hartford, and return.
Sat. June 16th | Hartford Line CTrail trains enter regular scheduled service today.
Sat./Sun. June 16-17 | All Hartford Line service (CTrail and Amtrak) will be FREE this weekend.
Mon. June 18th | Hartford Line tickets now accepted for travel on Amtrak trains between Springfield and New Haven, except on the Vermonter.
Mon. June 18th | Hartford Line fares now in effect for all Amtrak tickets purchased for travel between Springfield and New Haven, except on the Vermonter. As example, the one-way adult price to travel between Springfield and New Haven on Amtrak will now be $12.50.
We will provide many additional details in a future posting, before the launch of service on June 16th.
In the meantime, please visit the newly refreshed Hartford Line website for further information.
In particular we suggest having a close look at the Rider FAQs section.
Further information
Hartford Line | Official website
Draft MassDOT 2019-2023 Capital Plan Update Released
MassDOT has released its draft Capital Investment Plan (CIP) Update for Fiscal Years 2019–2023.
The draft CIP is multi-billion dollar investment portfolio that includes all MassDOT highway and bridge projects, regional airports, rail and transit, including MBTA and Regional Transit Authorities as well as the Registry of Motor Vehicles.
To view the draft plan click on this link:
Draft 2019-2023 CIP Update
Comments on the MassDOT’s draft CIP Update can be submitted by email using this address: masscip@dot.state.ma.us
Note that the deadline for comments is Friday, June 1, 2018.
Further information
Capital Investment Plan | MassDOT
Capital Program subcommittee | MassDOT Board of Directors
The Vermonter, in the News
By Beyond My Ken [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], from Wikimedia Commons
By C.B. Hall | Vermont Business Magazine | May 1, 2018
Vermont Business Magazine, in a detailed article, looks at the future of Amtrak’s Vermonter service.
The situation is complicated. In a nutshell, Amtrak CEO Richard Anderson is concerned that there are no plans to install Positive Train Control (PTC) on some of the rail lines used by Amtrak’s trains in the U.S. — including the lines that are used by the Vermonter between Springfield and St Albans, VT.
The Vermont portion of the line has been exempted from the requirement for PTC but the line between East Northfield, MA and Springfield has apparently fallen into a kind of PTC-limbo for various reasons.
Amtrak, for its part, is talking about the future of the Vermonter in noncommittal terms and is meanwhile conducting a safety analyses of its routes both here and across the country.
“In Vermont, Amtrak is just now beginning to undertake its safety review of routes such as the Vermonter and the Ethan Allen,” Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) noted in an email statement [to Vermont Business Magazine]. ‘It is premature to suggest that these reviews will lead to suspension of passenger service.’ ”
All parties are focused on dealing with the safety concerns but there is no assurances as to what exactly will happen as we move closer to the PTC deadline of December 31, 2018.
Rest assured, everyone we’ve spoken to is working diligently to keep the train running and is very focused on taking the necessary steps to enhance safety along the rail lines on the route.
Amherst Station Signage Removed
The last Amtrak passenger train pulled out of Amherst on December 28th, 2014. Odd as it may seem, someone at Amtrak never got the memo.
In January (2018) we were asked why Amtrak’s signs were still standing in Amherst. After a couple of attempts to get the signs removed we reached out to the office of Congressman Jim McGovern in Northampton for help.
The congressman’s office contacted Amtrak and the signs were finally removed on May 3rd.
News | Recent Rail Crossings Accidents
Two serious accidents have occurred at railroad crossing in our region in the past few weeks.
The Republican reported that in the early morning hours of April 14th a vehicle struck the rear of a CSX freight train at the crossing on Memorial Drive in Springfield. Tragically, the driver of the vehicle lost her life in this accident.
Memorial Drive X CSX crossing | Springfield, Ma.
The crossing, shown above, is located at the end of a CSX rail line known as the Athol Industrial Track. The line ends at the Monson Paper warehouse — shown on the right in the image.
Accident records on file with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) indicate that the last accident at this crossing occurred in 1991.
: :
Western Mass News reported that on May 15th at about 2:30 pm a vehicle came in contact with a New England Central (NECR) freight train at the crossing on Stafford Road (a.k.a. Massachusetts Route 32) in Monson.
The three people in the vehicle were taken to Baystate Medical Center for treatment of what police said appeared to be non-life threatening injuries.
Stafford Road (MA-32) X NECR crossing | Monson, Ma.
The crossing, shown above, is located on NECR’s Palmer subdivision. The authorized speed for freight trains at this location is 25 mph and the speed limit on the state highway here is 45 mph.
Accident records on file with FRA show no reported accidents at this crossing as far back as 1975.
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In related news, the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission has been studying the safety of at-grade railroad crossings in our region. Their report is scheduled to be released in November 2018.
See also
Railroad Crossing Safety
Trains In The Valley
Further reading
“Woman killed in train collision identified as Springfield resident”
By Jeanette DeForge | The Republican | April 15, 2018
“Three hospitalized after train hits car in Monson”
By Ryan Trowbridge | Western Mass News | May 15, 2018
“Saving lives where road meets rail”
By Bruce E. Kelly | Railway Age | May 21, 2018
Railroad Jobs in the Valley
Ever thought about working for a railroad? Well, do we have the job for you.
By popular demand we’ve now added a new section on the website called [Railroad Jobs in The Valley] with information about available railroad jobs across our region.
Northampton | Golden Spike 2018 Conference
Are we a rail trail friendly rail advocacy group you might ask? Of course.
Unused rail lines need to be preserved and protected for public use today and the future.
Coming to Northampton on July 27-28th is “Golden Spike 2018″ — the largest rails-to-trails conference of the year in New England.
Event website
gs2018.org
Post last updated: June 4, 2018