transit54
Conductor
Here are my thoughts and commentary on the funding that was awarded to the Vermonter line...
There are two basic pieces to the funding:
Upgrading the NECR to 79 MPH from St Albans to Brattleboro (Approx 45 min savings)
Bypassing Palmer MA and rerouting the Vermonter through MA (Approx 45 min savings)
Total - Train is 1.5 hours faster
(I also think the layover could be shortened in SPG, where the Vermonter sits for 15 minutes, and that a few other pockets of time savings could be found).
What this means for me: my usual trip from Essex Jct, VT to Bridgeport, CT will go from 8 hours to a nearly car-competitive 6 hours.
Now, I think these upgrades have a tremendous amount of potential. I also think there's the potential to completely squander the money, without adding much convenience to passengers and attracting ridership.
How to do it right and greatly increase ridership:
The two basic problems with the Vermonter as structured currently are:
1) It takes way too long, compared to driving, to get outside of Vermont (most the of VT ridership of the train rides outside of VT).
2) One must devote most of the day to riding the train. Southbound, I ride 9 AM to 5 PM - northbound isn't as bad - 12:42 PM to 8:42 PM. And I'm only going to Bridgeport, CT - those who are going to NYC or points beyond are literally spending the entire day on the train, which one just doesn't need to do if they drive (at least as far as CT/NYC).
Let's assume a 6 hour Essex to Bridgeport trip. I pick those city pairs because I'm most familiar with them and because Bridgeport is the first stop after changing to electric and entering the NEC - south of Bridgeport, there's really no difference between the Vermonter and any other regional as far as time.
Right now, if we shorten the ESX-BRP time by two hours, I get into Bridgeport at 3 PM. Not a huge difference from 5, but a very respectable time that gives me much of the afternoon and all of the evening. It's good option.
I'd suggest it would be worthwhile to start the Vermonter an hour earlier, so I'd leave at 8 AM from Essex instead of 9 AM. The one or two who get on in St Albans would still leave at 7:30 AM, which is a reasonable hour. Now I get to Bridgeport by 2 PM, which gives me the bulk of the afternoon and all of the evening. If I was going to NYC, I'd be able to get in at around 3 PM, very respectable. The train might even be a viable option to take to get an international flight out of JFK/EWR in the evening.
Now, for the return trip, let's push back the departure from Bridgeport to 2:42. I'm now leaving in the afternoon, rather than mid-day. I have more time in CT/NYC/wherever I've taken the train to, and I still get into Vermont at the same time. We could even push that back an hour, which would let me leave at 3:42. In the winter, I'd barely have more than an hour of daylight left in CT, and it gives me much of the day before I have to head back. Now my return day becomes a day I can do something, not just travel. I'd get in at 9:42 PM, which functionally is probably no different than 8:42 PM. The few going to St Albans won't get in absurdly late either, though it probably wouldn't make sense to push it back any farther than an hour.
The other thing this would do is at least allow northbound connections from some LD trains. I know it would make the Silver Meteor a guaranteed connection at WAS, and maybe with other trains also. Sure, it wouldn't be ideal to only be able to connect northbound and not southbound, but a one way connection is better than none at all! And it's a connection I'd certainly use. Right now, an LD train for me means flying somewhere first, or going into or out of Rutland, which there isn't any way to get to. Next month I'll be arriving into Rutland off a connection from the Silver Meteor, and I'll probably have to pay at least $80 for a two hour, fifty mile cab ride home.
Also, the last bus is 10 PM from the Essex Jct station, M-F, and I think it's important to have the public transit link. If individuals have to take a cab to the station, that's only going to discourage ridership.
Another interesting idea would be for the train to leave southbound in the evening, also. Maybe a 1 PM or so departure from ESX. But that would probably get to DC way too late to make it worthwhile…
Now, above is sort of what I see as an ideal scenario. Here's what I'm afraid will happen:
I can't imagine the departure time southbound will be changed much. It doesn't make any sense to shorten the length of the trip, then not have it leave until 10 AM or 10:30. If they pushed back the departure time of the train, you're still spend the bulk of your day on the train. In the winter, it would be the vast majority of your daylight hours. While an afternoon departure would make sense, a 10 AM or 10:30 AM departure would benefit no one - what am I going to do from 7:30 to 10 AM or so? I can't really go into work and make it worthwhile, and I'm going to be leaving soon, so I'm not going to have much to do. So I just don't think it makes sense to mess with the morning departure time.
Where I really am worried is the afternoon. I'm worried that they'll shorten the train ride, but not push back the departure time at all. In other words I'd get into Essex at 6:42 PM rather than 8:42 PM. Honestly, what good would an earlier arrival time in VT do? What is someone going to do between 6:42 and 8:42 that they otherwise wouldn't be able to do? Whereas, there's a huge functional difference if I don't have to leave till the afternoon. A difference of boarding at 12:42 versus 2:42 is a big difference - many times I take the train down just for the weekend, and having that extra time would be incredible helpful. Now I can wake up at 8, do things till 1 or 1:30 and then head to the train station. It makes my day of travel a useful day. Having to take the train in the middle of the day, even with a shortened trip, just kills the day outright. A few hours in CT, a few hours on the train and a few hours in VT doesn't add up to much.
While I'll still be on the train regardless, most people are just not going to find it convenient for a weekend trip, or really for anything at all if the train travels earlier in the day. They'll just drive, so they don't have to kill a whole day traveling. I think it only makes sense to make the northbound train as late in the day as possible. I think the Ethan Allen is a great example of this.
The other reason I'd like to see the VT arrival stay the same or later is it allows one to go to Montpelier or Waterbury for an evening on a commuter bus and then take the train back. I've done that with friends to check out brewpubs down there, I'd done that on many occasions to do some evening work in Montpelier, and I almost once even planned a date around it. It's one of the few trips that can be made outside of the Burlington area easily without a car and without spending the whole day in a place. I'd hate to see that go away.
In anyway, those are my hopes, dreams and fears about the new and improved Vermonter service. Regardless of what happens, I'm very appreciate we received funding, even if it wasn't for the service I was really hoping for. This will still be incredible and more than I thought possible for a while.
There are two basic pieces to the funding:
Upgrading the NECR to 79 MPH from St Albans to Brattleboro (Approx 45 min savings)
Bypassing Palmer MA and rerouting the Vermonter through MA (Approx 45 min savings)
Total - Train is 1.5 hours faster
(I also think the layover could be shortened in SPG, where the Vermonter sits for 15 minutes, and that a few other pockets of time savings could be found).
What this means for me: my usual trip from Essex Jct, VT to Bridgeport, CT will go from 8 hours to a nearly car-competitive 6 hours.
Now, I think these upgrades have a tremendous amount of potential. I also think there's the potential to completely squander the money, without adding much convenience to passengers and attracting ridership.
How to do it right and greatly increase ridership:
The two basic problems with the Vermonter as structured currently are:
1) It takes way too long, compared to driving, to get outside of Vermont (most the of VT ridership of the train rides outside of VT).
2) One must devote most of the day to riding the train. Southbound, I ride 9 AM to 5 PM - northbound isn't as bad - 12:42 PM to 8:42 PM. And I'm only going to Bridgeport, CT - those who are going to NYC or points beyond are literally spending the entire day on the train, which one just doesn't need to do if they drive (at least as far as CT/NYC).
Let's assume a 6 hour Essex to Bridgeport trip. I pick those city pairs because I'm most familiar with them and because Bridgeport is the first stop after changing to electric and entering the NEC - south of Bridgeport, there's really no difference between the Vermonter and any other regional as far as time.
Right now, if we shorten the ESX-BRP time by two hours, I get into Bridgeport at 3 PM. Not a huge difference from 5, but a very respectable time that gives me much of the afternoon and all of the evening. It's good option.
I'd suggest it would be worthwhile to start the Vermonter an hour earlier, so I'd leave at 8 AM from Essex instead of 9 AM. The one or two who get on in St Albans would still leave at 7:30 AM, which is a reasonable hour. Now I get to Bridgeport by 2 PM, which gives me the bulk of the afternoon and all of the evening. If I was going to NYC, I'd be able to get in at around 3 PM, very respectable. The train might even be a viable option to take to get an international flight out of JFK/EWR in the evening.
Now, for the return trip, let's push back the departure from Bridgeport to 2:42. I'm now leaving in the afternoon, rather than mid-day. I have more time in CT/NYC/wherever I've taken the train to, and I still get into Vermont at the same time. We could even push that back an hour, which would let me leave at 3:42. In the winter, I'd barely have more than an hour of daylight left in CT, and it gives me much of the day before I have to head back. Now my return day becomes a day I can do something, not just travel. I'd get in at 9:42 PM, which functionally is probably no different than 8:42 PM. The few going to St Albans won't get in absurdly late either, though it probably wouldn't make sense to push it back any farther than an hour.
The other thing this would do is at least allow northbound connections from some LD trains. I know it would make the Silver Meteor a guaranteed connection at WAS, and maybe with other trains also. Sure, it wouldn't be ideal to only be able to connect northbound and not southbound, but a one way connection is better than none at all! And it's a connection I'd certainly use. Right now, an LD train for me means flying somewhere first, or going into or out of Rutland, which there isn't any way to get to. Next month I'll be arriving into Rutland off a connection from the Silver Meteor, and I'll probably have to pay at least $80 for a two hour, fifty mile cab ride home.
Also, the last bus is 10 PM from the Essex Jct station, M-F, and I think it's important to have the public transit link. If individuals have to take a cab to the station, that's only going to discourage ridership.
Another interesting idea would be for the train to leave southbound in the evening, also. Maybe a 1 PM or so departure from ESX. But that would probably get to DC way too late to make it worthwhile…
Now, above is sort of what I see as an ideal scenario. Here's what I'm afraid will happen:
I can't imagine the departure time southbound will be changed much. It doesn't make any sense to shorten the length of the trip, then not have it leave until 10 AM or 10:30. If they pushed back the departure time of the train, you're still spend the bulk of your day on the train. In the winter, it would be the vast majority of your daylight hours. While an afternoon departure would make sense, a 10 AM or 10:30 AM departure would benefit no one - what am I going to do from 7:30 to 10 AM or so? I can't really go into work and make it worthwhile, and I'm going to be leaving soon, so I'm not going to have much to do. So I just don't think it makes sense to mess with the morning departure time.
Where I really am worried is the afternoon. I'm worried that they'll shorten the train ride, but not push back the departure time at all. In other words I'd get into Essex at 6:42 PM rather than 8:42 PM. Honestly, what good would an earlier arrival time in VT do? What is someone going to do between 6:42 and 8:42 that they otherwise wouldn't be able to do? Whereas, there's a huge functional difference if I don't have to leave till the afternoon. A difference of boarding at 12:42 versus 2:42 is a big difference - many times I take the train down just for the weekend, and having that extra time would be incredible helpful. Now I can wake up at 8, do things till 1 or 1:30 and then head to the train station. It makes my day of travel a useful day. Having to take the train in the middle of the day, even with a shortened trip, just kills the day outright. A few hours in CT, a few hours on the train and a few hours in VT doesn't add up to much.
While I'll still be on the train regardless, most people are just not going to find it convenient for a weekend trip, or really for anything at all if the train travels earlier in the day. They'll just drive, so they don't have to kill a whole day traveling. I think it only makes sense to make the northbound train as late in the day as possible. I think the Ethan Allen is a great example of this.
The other reason I'd like to see the VT arrival stay the same or later is it allows one to go to Montpelier or Waterbury for an evening on a commuter bus and then take the train back. I've done that with friends to check out brewpubs down there, I'd done that on many occasions to do some evening work in Montpelier, and I almost once even planned a date around it. It's one of the few trips that can be made outside of the Burlington area easily without a car and without spending the whole day in a place. I'd hate to see that go away.
In anyway, those are my hopes, dreams and fears about the new and improved Vermonter service. Regardless of what happens, I'm very appreciate we received funding, even if it wasn't for the service I was really hoping for. This will still be incredible and more than I thought possible for a while.