Acela & Amtrak NEC (HSR BOS-NYP-WAS and branches only)

[JeffDowntown]

Judge temporarily halts order requiring Trump to unfreeze tunnel funding​

On, off, on, off. Gee, wonder why infrastructure costs so much in the USA?

 

[fatnoah]

"can" is doing an awful lot of work here. Right now, unless significant track improvements have transpired in the mere five months since they debuted, they're actually running SLOWER than their predecessors in the Acela fleet.

I'm over a year into my weekly (mostly Acela) BOS <-> NYC commute, and feel like Metro North dispatching is the biggest issue. Until late November, I had a year of running more or less on time with delays (ranging from minutes to "try again tomorrow") feeling like 10%-15% of the time. Occasionally, the stars align and we get a "highball" NYP <-> NHV, and that's a 10-15 minute difference in travel time. Going south, that means arriving early, and going north, that means chilling at NHV for up to 15 minutes for an on-time departure.

The more common occurrence is to trundle slowly for several minutes while waiting for a Metro North train to pass us, or to get out of the way ahead of us. When departing NYC or approaching/departing Bridgeport, a full stop isn't uncommon.

A smaller number of delays are from longer station stops due to door issues on the new sets, since passengers have to travel longer to get in/out of the train.

 

[fatnoah]

But I had a train flip from OG to NG on Jan 7 with no change in schedule (notice only a couple of days before) -- so that does not seem to indicate a dedicated OG slot.

I've had this happen both ways in the past 2 months. I've also had 2 false alarms where I received notice of an equipment change, so assigned seating does not apply, but then the expected trainset showed up.

Yesterday, I got to experience both at the same time. I booked an NG trip, got the note about equipment change and no assigned seats, and then an NG set actually showed up and my seat updated to a table seat 5 minutes before boarding.

Portal Bridge construction notwithstanding, the past few months of delays & cancelations and NG equipment issues (doors, a trip with a partially heated coach, broken/overflowing toilets) have this most hardcore Amtrak-stan questioning their life choices.

Now, to Amtrak's credit, they are VERY proactive with refunds and credits, and their change policy for flex tickets is fantastic. I've never had to call for a credit or refund, they just magically appear within a week or two, but the nearly $600 worth of coupons in my account show just how often these issues happen.

 

[New England Born & Raised]

State to apply for funds to upgrade rail traffic in Southern Rhode Island - What's Up Newp

Rhode Island is expected to seek federal funding for a rail project that will initially improve Amtrak service in Westerly but potentially lead to closing the only gap in commuter rail in the Northeast. That gap is from New London, Connecticut to Wickford. For years, Rhode Island legislators and...

whatsupnewp.com

 

[themissinglink]

Gateway Tunnel: Trump admin releases rest of $205M in funds, work likely to resume next week | amNewYork

The massive Gateway Tunnel rail project will likely resume next week after receiving the remaining $205 million in funding withheld by the Trump

www.amny.com

The massive Gateway Tunnel rail project will likely resume next week after receiving the remaining $205 million in funding withheld by the Trump administration since October, the Gateway Development Corporation (GDC) said Wednesday.
GDC said the feds unfroze $127 million it was owed in reimbursements for the $16 billion undertaking to replace a decaying rail tunnel connecting New York and New Jersey beneath the Hudson.
“Gateway Development Commission (GDC) has received the full reimbursement owed to us from the federal government and now has more than $205 million available to fund work on the Hudson Tunnel Project,” GDC said in a statement. “We are working with our contractors to deploy these funds to resume work as soon as possible.”
“Letters will be sent to contractors today, and construction activities are expected to resume next week,” GDC added, referring to a work stoppage triggered by the funding freeze that has dragged on for nearly two weeks.

 

[themissinglink]

Parts of bridge fall onto train tracks in Cranston, RI, impacting service

The partial collapse in Cranston, Rhode Island, led to cancellations on the MBTA Commuter Rail and Amtrak.

www.nbcboston.com

Police told NBC affiliate WJAR that structural parts of the on-ramp from Route 10 northbound to Interstate 95 northbound came detached, landing on the tracks near Wellington Avenue.
[…]
Wires could be seen on the tracks, WJAR reported, adding that the on-ramp to I-95 northbound was closed.
Cranston Mayor Ken Hopkins told WJAR in an interview that transportation officials are inspecting the area, and that electricity on the tracks has been shut off.