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How do you forget about an entire train?
By adamg on Wed, 04/21/2010 - 3:01pm
Rob Bellinger uses the crappy WiFi on an Acela train to New York to complain about, among other things:
Now, the train has sat at New Rochelle for a HALF HOUR because, in the words of the conductor, the train operations office "forgot about us."
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Comments
I gave up
I tried Amtrak, flying the shuttle out of Logan on a nice student discount, and multiple bus companies between here and NYC before giving up and bringing my car to Boston while I was still a college student in dorms. That had to have been around '96 or '97. I kept it at my room mate's sister's place and took the T to it. Mostly, it just sat there, except for trips to NYC.
For a 4 hour distance, it's surprising how much each of the transportation options suck. Acela was not an improvement. The Chinatown buses are almost worth the price, but too many things go wrong. I even had a Peter Pan bus break down on me and driver refused to let passengers out on the Upper West Side "For our safety." I was done.
I'd like to be green, but I'd also like to get there.
The buses have improved 10
The buses have improved 10 fold.
Boltbus, Greyhound, Megabus all use new buses that offer wifi and power outlets. For $20 you just can't beat it.
What most riders don't understand is that
the New Rochelle to New Haven segment of the NE Corridor is owned and controlled by Metro-North Commuter Railroad, not Amtrak. And it is hardly a secret that, since its inception in 1983, Metro-North dispatchers have basically treated Amtrak like second-class trains. Similar to the relationship that MBCR and CSX have on the Worcester Line, but far worse. And, IIRC, only ONE of the three tracks between New Rochelle and New Haven is rated for Acela speeds, further complicating the issue.
Having ridden Amtrak between Washington, New York and Boston numerous times over the past 20+ years, I can assure one and all that it is highly likely that an Amtrak train entering MNCR track at New Rochelle could be subject to at least a 30 minute delay, depending upon the time of day. Amtrak trains departing New Haven are often subject to the same delays, but they're generally "tacked on" to the station stop and, thus, are less noticeable to the passengers.
And, in all fairness to Metro-North, I suspect the Amtrak conductor's comment was made out of pure frustration and not because the train was truly "forgotten". I've heard similar comments uttered over the PA when encountering even minor delays on Metro-North track.
That explains it
Now we have the cause.
If this is a 20+ year old problem, why isn't there a solution?
If this shared track issue was known, how did Amtrak get away with boasting faster trips?
We need to get some transportation stimulus money on this. It's critical infrastructure.
Hell, no! It's much better
Hell, no! It's much better spent in Florida, building a faster route for tourists to get from one over-priced fast-food tourist-trap to another.
Good questions:
#1 - The obvious solution would be for Amtrak to take over New Haven to New Rochelle - which should have been deeded to them when the NE corridor program was first created in 1976. Even back in 1976, many people (myself included) felt that omitting New Rochelle to New haven from the NEC program was a bad idea. Unfortunately, we do not have the political will to do this now. For one thing, Metro-North is partially overseen by the States of Connecticut and New York, who I suspect would be unwilling to just give the whole thing over to the Feds without a lot of compensation.
#2 - Despite the MNCR issues, the faster trip times Amtrak boasts are still mostly a reality. They are a result on the electrification and other improvements that were completed between New Haven and Boston, which Amtrak owns and operates. I usually take the Regionals (which are much cheaper than the Acela), but even those trains reach high enough speeds east of New Haven to minimze almost any deficit they may incur while in Metro-North land.
#3 - Apparently, the powers that be at the Federal level and elsewhere feel that minor track and electrical upgrades in the Metro-North section do not warrant an influx of Federal stimulus dollars without first spending a barnload of money on environmental studies to prove that upgrading a current rail line for short money won't destroy the earth.
The MBTA owns the line from
The MBTA owns the line from the Rhode Island border to Boston, and has since it bought out the commuter rail assets from the Penn Central in 1973. Amtrak does dispatch and maintain the tracks though, per their agreement with the MBTA. Amtrak owns the overhead catenary in the segment as well, and owns the Southampton layover yard.
Thanks for the clairfication.
The important thing in this detail is that Amtrak handles all the dispatching, and seems to do a decent job of minimizing delay to both MBCR and Amtrak trains. Given that the Providence to Boston segment is mostly double track, that's no small feat at times.
Worse than that - NONE of the
Worse than that - NONE of the tracks between New Rochelle and NHV are rated for the Acela. They are all capped at 79 mph.
You are correct that none of the tracks are rated
for the Acela's top speed of 130+. And although all MNCR tracks between New Haven and New Rochelle permit an overall top speed of 79 mph, don't forget that there are still several sections with speed restrictions - like the infamous 25 mph curve in Bridgeport that has wrecked at least three trains over the past century.
My comment about the Acela restriction was based not on the trains top speed (yes, my earlier reference to speed was in error and hastily written), but on my understanding that the Acelas are restricted to using the single MNCR track that currently has concrete ties. As this is a single track, it means that only one Acela can be in the New Haven to New Rochelle section at a time.
Now in fairness, my information may be out of date (as I said, I normally take the Regionals, which do not have such a track restriction imposed on them). If they've corrected this track issue, I'd be interested in knowing that.
i've taken the gamut of nyc-bos options and....
i've had complete luck with amtrak about a dozen times, mostly but not all weekdays, both regional and acela, always on time. Megabus has been on-time 7 out of 8 times, Fung Wah more times than i care to count has been about 2/3 ontime, but when they are off they are wayyyyy off (break down).
Jet Blue has actually been the worst, but all of that has been in the last few months since they began runway resurfacing at JFK.
I would never drive to New York. Every minute spent not behind the wheel adds a minute to my life that i can make productive or reflective, or spend in slumber. Personally even 8 hours on a train is a better expenditure of my precious time than four in zombie position paying attention to the road.
Bolt Bus
I have used Bolt, Megabus, Peter Pan and Fung Wah, along with a now-defunct company I no longer remember. Overall, Bolt has been the best. Always punctual departures, usually on-time arrivals, but not always. The delays were always due to traffic. Other pluses: unlike Peter Pan and Fung Wah, you are guaranteed a seat on the bus you book. You do not have to arrive an hour or more to get on the bus you booked. Generally I pay around $20 one-way. They allow 4.5 hours of travel time, but a few times it has been a four hour trip.