Re: Driven By Customer 'Service' Parte Dos
2 questions on the subject of train cars:
Would it make more sense to pick a single vendor for both the GL and RL/OL contracts? I think both Siemens and Bombardier make both types of vehicles (and have long track records), and if they're going to build a factory in MA for final assembly it just seems more efficient to have everything coming from 1 place. It doesn't seem to me that that factory would be all that short-lived, either, since IIRC big vehicle contracts are served gradually over many years.
Also, it makes sense to me that as long as you're making the cars interoperable across lines, you should change the paint scheme on these cars (less line color) to be easier to modify if they were to shift later. The current all-red/all-orange scheme seems expensive and time-consuming to repaint. Also, it looks cartoonish and amateur to me, but that's personal taste. If the T ever starts widely branching its HRT lines in the future, the destination becomes a better identifier than the line color anyway.
Well...they wouldn't shift lines. Red, Orange, and Blue still have different carbody lengths. We're talking identical guts, identical systems, identical parts, identical maintenance. The shells on top of them and interior/floor dimensions would still be unique to each line out of necessity. They don't interconnect so there's no need to standardize carbodies. And there's very little cost difference if the only thing different about the cars is the shell on top.
That plan to transfer 24 Blue 0600's to Orange was contingent on them opting to send both those Blue cars and the existing Orange cars through a midlife overhaul to net another 15 years of service, instead of going all-new. They would've cannibalized parts from the scrapped 0600's for the combined rebuilds and hoarded the remainder as a parts source. Economics of the rebuild plan didn't wash out because the Blue fleet was worse off than they anticipated. Now they have no need to ever mix fleets...Orange will get the extra new cars to solve the fleet shortage.
Light rail's a whole other animal with whole different manufacturing needs than heavy rail, so no way would they or could they do a combo order across modes. There's some good Bombardier and Alstom trolleys out there, but Kinki-Sharyo (of Type 7 fame) is about as good as it gets for LRV's. They need to win that one. Even if it is another @#$% custom job because the T won't fix the couple silly little clearance pinches keeping us from using off-shelf trolleys.
Agreed. However, even with state sponsored Amtrak service, the state would have to pony up for equipment, I believe. A number of midwestern states are buying new cars for their Amtrak services. Also agree with F-Line that the idea of riding to Springfield in a commuter rail line makes my back hurt. Likewise with a ride to the Cape, but at least there will be a bar car to provide relief.
Not necessarily. They've still got 15 mothballed P40 diesels in storage rated 110 MPH, and the current Springfield Shuttle service goes away when NHHS commuter rail starts. Coach equipment's going to shift around as some of those new orders for the midwest end up sending more Amfleets back east. Equipment's always going to be at a premium, but they're not standing still in the face of demand. There'll be reinforcements on the roster by 2017.
But, yeah...Amfleets, please, not commuter rail equipment. 2 hours is most people's breaking point for sitting in a CR coach.
I'm not sure If they have in mind a through run from Boston to New Haven or New York or an out-and-back run to Springfield only. With the BOS-SPG only you might get more trains in a day but with NY you get more potential passengers and Mass. might not have to pay for the whole thing. I wonder if a casino in Palmer or Springfield would influence this project.
This definitely isn't HSR no matter what their PowerPoints say. The Inlands would simply take the regular D.C.-Springfield Regionals and send them to Worcester, Framingham, and Boston like they used to. Probably with fewer CT stops when NHHS commuter rail lets them shed some less useful intermediates. Springfield Line's getting a speed bump from Class 4 (80 MPH) to Class 5 (90 MPH) with alleged stretches of Class 6 (110 MPH). B&A's a viable extension of that if it goes from Class 3 (60 MPH) to Class 4 (80 MPH), even if the curvature doesn't allow 80 all the way. If they're talking about skipping Class 4 altogether and going straight for 5...even better. That'll make a big difference on the very straight Springfield-Palmer segment even if Palmer-Worcester's always constrained. I would *hope* if that's the talk then this also stretches inside MBTA territory and includes fixing the inside-Framingham horror show. That would be figgin' awesome for the portion of the Worcester schedule that skips everything inside 128.
State-sponsored service could mean either augmenting the Regionals for the MA mileage to draw a few more continuing trains Amtrak would otherwise be satisfied terminating in Springfield. Or it could be a SPR Shuttle type thing terminating in New Haven. But not a short Boston-Springfield shuttle because Amtrak doesn't have a layover facility in Springfield. So they might be jumping the gun a little bit if they haven't talked to CT first. Of course...we know Patrick, Murray, and their direct reports are going to wrap this sell job in Purple Line colors because they're predictably shameless. But chances are when this gets revised down out of la-la land it becomes an Amtrak with some degree of state-sponsored augmentation.
I just hope we aren't talking Ludlow, Palmer, Brookfield infills until they find a way to utilize to the hilt the brand spankin' new stations they're building in Holyoke, Northampton, and Greenfield. The populace out there has got a clear preference for where they want to see better local service first.
