F-Line to Dudley
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Re: Fairmont Line Upgrade
Doesn't solve any of the above problems about temporarily strained coach supply, so they aren't in a position to add any new Franklin trains. And the Blue Hill Ave. construction speed restriction makes it a poor schedule-keeping idea for diverting Franklin runs now. Same deal...2014 is the realistic target for these temporary conditions to abate on their own and open up new slots. As long as they're good on their word when they do have these things wrapped up, then it's no problem.
Also...some constrictions to consider re: Franklin. . .
1) Staging train meets. Franklin has little schedule wiggle room for train meets on all the single-track running. There'd be conflicts if an existing run were diverted and had to stop at every single Fairmount station, so they'd most likely have to express Forge Park trains through and skip a bunch of Fairmount stations. Not real useful as a service expansion.
2) Franklin layover. It's the tiniest layover yard on the southside (excepting Stoughton, which doesn't have or need one). Requires delicate staging of inbounds after outbounds and deadheading to balance the schedule. So for same reason, diverted runs have to match the travel time of current runs...meaning less-useful expressing if they run via Fairmount.
3) Adding runs. It's pretty much the only way to do it without screwing up the existing schedule. But see #1 and #2 and staging meets. And see the issues with the coach supply.
Now, they do have meaningful future options by thru-routing Norwood Central and Walpole short-turns over the Fairmount. Norwood avoids all single track, Walpole avoids most single track, they wouldn't throw a monkey wrench into the Forge Park schedule, and both could serve all Fairmount stops. That I think is indeed in the mix. They could buff up and/or shift the short-turns onto Fairmount post-2014 making all stops, while keeping the number of NEC-running Forge Park trains static. But again...at least 2 more years before they have the equipment to swing it and all mop-up construction completed.
Don't forget as well...if Foxboro happens that exclusively feeds off Fairmount and involves double-tracking the Franklin at least as far as Windsor Gardens (minimum build) if not Walpole (max build). If that service happens it pretty much supplants all the inner short-turns and would flush Fairmount's pipeline full since there'll be a full-size layover yard built at Foxboro. Much simpler to depict on a schedule: if you're on a Foxboro train you're stopping at all Fairmount stops, if you're on a Forge Park train you're stopping at all NEC stops.
As for the NEC, Forge Park isn't tapped out of slots yet. The Readville Jct. single-track bottleneck is due to be fixed, Ruggles is due to get a third platform, and afterwards the 4th track is going to be restored from Forest Hills to Readville. That will serve all capacity needs to 2035 and support a Franklin-Milford extension, so they will not need to start paring Franklin-NEC runs until Amtrak implements its 2040 Inland HSR plan. Fairmount acts as the relief valve for doubling up service, but they're fine for 25 more years running the same--or very modestly increased--NEC schedule.
Needham is the one that's gumming up the works and a more acute dilemma for booting off the NEC. That's the line that can't have meaningful service increases as long as it's sharing 3 crowded tracks to FH, not Franklin.
Doesn't solve any of the above problems about temporarily strained coach supply, so they aren't in a position to add any new Franklin trains. And the Blue Hill Ave. construction speed restriction makes it a poor schedule-keeping idea for diverting Franklin runs now. Same deal...2014 is the realistic target for these temporary conditions to abate on their own and open up new slots. As long as they're good on their word when they do have these things wrapped up, then it's no problem.
Also...some constrictions to consider re: Franklin. . .
1) Staging train meets. Franklin has little schedule wiggle room for train meets on all the single-track running. There'd be conflicts if an existing run were diverted and had to stop at every single Fairmount station, so they'd most likely have to express Forge Park trains through and skip a bunch of Fairmount stations. Not real useful as a service expansion.
2) Franklin layover. It's the tiniest layover yard on the southside (excepting Stoughton, which doesn't have or need one). Requires delicate staging of inbounds after outbounds and deadheading to balance the schedule. So for same reason, diverted runs have to match the travel time of current runs...meaning less-useful expressing if they run via Fairmount.
3) Adding runs. It's pretty much the only way to do it without screwing up the existing schedule. But see #1 and #2 and staging meets. And see the issues with the coach supply.
Now, they do have meaningful future options by thru-routing Norwood Central and Walpole short-turns over the Fairmount. Norwood avoids all single track, Walpole avoids most single track, they wouldn't throw a monkey wrench into the Forge Park schedule, and both could serve all Fairmount stops. That I think is indeed in the mix. They could buff up and/or shift the short-turns onto Fairmount post-2014 making all stops, while keeping the number of NEC-running Forge Park trains static. But again...at least 2 more years before they have the equipment to swing it and all mop-up construction completed.
Don't forget as well...if Foxboro happens that exclusively feeds off Fairmount and involves double-tracking the Franklin at least as far as Windsor Gardens (minimum build) if not Walpole (max build). If that service happens it pretty much supplants all the inner short-turns and would flush Fairmount's pipeline full since there'll be a full-size layover yard built at Foxboro. Much simpler to depict on a schedule: if you're on a Foxboro train you're stopping at all Fairmount stops, if you're on a Forge Park train you're stopping at all NEC stops.
As for the NEC, Forge Park isn't tapped out of slots yet. The Readville Jct. single-track bottleneck is due to be fixed, Ruggles is due to get a third platform, and afterwards the 4th track is going to be restored from Forest Hills to Readville. That will serve all capacity needs to 2035 and support a Franklin-Milford extension, so they will not need to start paring Franklin-NEC runs until Amtrak implements its 2040 Inland HSR plan. Fairmount acts as the relief valve for doubling up service, but they're fine for 25 more years running the same--or very modestly increased--NEC schedule.
Needham is the one that's gumming up the works and a more acute dilemma for booting off the NEC. That's the line that can't have meaningful service increases as long as it's sharing 3 crowded tracks to FH, not Franklin.
