@F-Line to Dudley -- I basically agree with your assessments of the various Central/Western MA crayon ideas, as I was intentionally sketching out the "maximum full build assuming idealest of ideal political and environmental circumstances". And certainly no arguments from me on prioritizing the north-south commutes along the Knowledge Corridor.
I do think it's important to incorporate visions of the future -- layering in one peak Northampton-Springfield-Boston through-run is very much meant to create a market that does not exist right now, and it can be done very parsimoniously with the larger vision of a family of East-West Rail services anyway.
Fun idea for a resurrected Cape Codder with a split to Newport. I was avoiding proposing through-runs because, IIRC, there aren't a lot of surplus dual-modes around right now; I'm also unclear whether a dual-mode would be able to speed-match the full-electrics on the NEC and, if not, what the impact on scheduling would be. (This is also why a dual mode extension to NH via Worcester in the immediate future seemed unlikely to me.)
But, as far as I know, if the T wanted to, they could start running a coordinated transfer with Amtrak at Providence on weekends today. (Fridays might be hard, in terms of set availability.) Forced transfers aren't the best, but it would be an easy one cross-platform. (And it would involve minimal coordination with other agencies.)
I do think it's important to incorporate visions of the future -- layering in one peak Northampton-Springfield-Boston through-run is very much meant to create a market that does not exist right now, and it can be done very parsimoniously with the larger vision of a family of East-West Rail services anyway.
Fun idea for a resurrected Cape Codder with a split to Newport. I was avoiding proposing through-runs because, IIRC, there aren't a lot of surplus dual-modes around right now; I'm also unclear whether a dual-mode would be able to speed-match the full-electrics on the NEC and, if not, what the impact on scheduling would be. (This is also why a dual mode extension to NH via Worcester in the immediate future seemed unlikely to me.)
But, as far as I know, if the T wanted to, they could start running a coordinated transfer with Amtrak at Providence on weekends today. (Fridays might be hard, in terms of set availability.) Forced transfers aren't the best, but it would be an easy one cross-platform. (And it would involve minimal coordination with other agencies.)