Advice needed for detraining at New London, CT

[Mystic River Dragon]

I will be taking train 86 next week and detraining in New London. It’s been a few years since I have detrained there so have forgotten the details.

I will be in coach—I know only a few doors open, but are they consistent? If so, which are the doors most likely to open?

I will be using a cane and am not good at walking through lots of cars on that winding section even at the best of times so would like to sit in a coach close to where the doors will open. And I know the conductors won’t know til after New Haven.

At New London, I think you have to cross the tracks to get to the station? How rough is it? I don’t think there are staff to help people across there? I will be getting either a Lyft or a taxi to Mystic. Which side of the station is the best place to get a Lyft? And are the taxis still where they used to be a few years ago?

Is it possible to get a Lyft on the ferry side where we detrain instead of having to cross the tracks to the station?

Thanks in advance for all advice.

 

[Amtrak25]

There is no telling which track the train will arrive on. The high level platform is on the east end of the normal eastbound track, and on the west end of the normal westbound track.

The grade crossing splits the station platforms in half, low level to one side, high level to the other. The station building is on the normal westbound side.

Since the whole station is on a nasty curve with a lot of loud flange hissing, conductors have to grab a bridge plate off the platform for the high level portion due to a huge gap that no one can step over.

The rear car is Business class. Conductors don't have a plan until they know which track they are on, or if handed an 8 or 9 car train.

See if you can use Google Streetview to see it all.

 

[Mystic River Dragon]

Yikes. I thought NLC would be easier to navigate. Thanks—I will look at Google street view.

I will ask the conductor to stay there to help me off.

 

[OBS]

Also there is no street access to the Ferry side platform, you need to walk back to the station. There is a ticket agent on duty most hours, so you can request a wheelchair if that makes things easier.

 

[Amtrak25]

There's a crew change at New Haven. The New York crew probably doesn't know a thing about New London.

With Amtrak dancing around Shoreline East local commuter trains, my ride there last year had us running left handed all the way from New Haven to New London.

Intercity buses also use the railroad station.

 

[fdaley]

I don't know if there is a consistent pattern from train to train, but when I rode Northeast Regional 172 last week from NYP to Boston, the door at the rear of the cafe car was one of the ones that opened at the "local" stops of Old Saybrook and New London. It was a nine-car consist, with the cafe as the fourth one back, so in that configuration, the coach directly behind the cafe might be a good place to sit unless a crew member at your boarding station can offer more specific direction.

We stopped at New London on the northernmost track, right in front of the station, so there was no need to cross the tracks on that particular run. There was an SLE train stopped on the other main track.

The last time I detrained at New London, in early 2020, I crossed the tracks at the road crossing at the west end of the station. I don't recall it being particularly rough, though I wasn't assessing it from the standpoint of mobility access.

 

[Mystic River Dragon]

Thank you all for your replies and information.

After thinking it through, I have decided to switch things up and try New London when my leg is completely better.

I am going to go up a day earlier but in Business Class (with points) to Providence and enjoy a ride along that gorgeous coast, stay overnight (with points), and the next day have a relaxing morning and relaxing short coach trip from Providence to Mystic, again along that gorgeous coast.

Yes, I did see that some weekend trains still stop at Mystic at decent times—so next time, I’ll go up on a Sunday. But my hotel is too expensive that night, and moving from one hotel to another is difficult with luggage and no reliable Lyfts or taxis there. (Apparently everyone except me and a few other train people either drives there or pulls up on their yacht).

 

[Amtrak25]

I don't know if you can walk 15 minutes. You can get to the Seaport, but forget the Aquarium. That is a couple fo miles away. I wouldn't even do it. Print a street map.

 

[Mystic River Dragon]

I don't know if you can walk 15 minutes. You can get to the Seaport, but forget the Aquarium. That is a couple fo miles away. I wouldn't even do it. Print a street map.

Yes, it’s just a shin splint. I’ll be walking from the station to my inn, and that’s about half a mile. I did it last time, and my leg was much worse then. I’m using the cane mostly so I can walk farther at one time and for balance when encountering uneven sidewalks.

I used to do between 8,000 and 10,000 steps a day and am slowly working my way back. First time in my life with an injury (for which I’m grateful), so it’s all brand new.

It’s just boarding and detraining that is difficult—trying to get myself, my case, and the cane over the gap—so I’d rather stay with stations I’m familiar with.

Mystic is my getaway town, so no need to print a map—I go up a few times a year.

I usually walk all over up there, but this time I get a special treat—a friend is meeting me there and we’re going to the Seaport for an exhibit of Venetian glass—and she has a car!

 

[Mystic River Dragon]

I’m back again with another question about New London and a couple about Shoreline East. I have never taken Shoreline East and am thinking of taking it from New Haven to New London, then getting a Lyft to Mystic.

What is the detraining process like for Shoreline East in New London? Is it high level and all the doors open? Or do you have to play “Guess the door” and then walk down steps to the platform?

I may combine this with a trip to see my central CT cousins, in which case I would take CTrail down to New Haven and Shoreline East to New London. Is this a logical connection? Or are the wait times between the trains very long?

Also, does it truly run along the shoreline with nice water views or is it more inland?

Finally, does it have a dedicated track that it leaves from, or does it vary?

Thanks in advance for any and all information and suggestions.

 

[Amtrak25]

I was there summer 2021. I assume now it is using 4 car M-8 EMU trains. There are no vestibule steps. It must be spotted at a high level section of platform. I don't know if all 4 cars will fit in the high level platform. It is also on a sharp curve and crews will have to toss over threshold plates.

 

[OBS]

This train travels the same tracks as Amtrak from NHV. It is only a 3-4 car train IIRC.

 

[daybeers]

What is the detraining process like for Shoreline East in New London? Is it high level and all the doors open? Or do you have to play “Guess the door” and then walk down steps to the platform?

The two conductors will find you and inform you of where to disembark. It'll be one door on the high-level platform on one of the two mainline tracks. Each train is two married pairs of two cars each. The dead-end track 6 siding is ridiculously still not electrified even though Amtrak was supposed to complete it in April before SLE switched from diesel to the Metro-North M8s last May. You may have to ask for the bridge plate, as some conductors don't automatically do it for the often few passengers. The doors do have a few inch lip, so the gap is narrower than with the Amfleets, but it's still large. The M8s don't have low-level capabilities like the Amfleets.

I may combine this with a trip to see my central CT cousins, in which case I would take CTrail down to New Haven and Shoreline East to New London. Is this a logical connection? Or are the wait times between the trains very long?

This can work, but depending on where you're coming from on the Hartford Line, it's pretty out of the way, taking two sides of the triangle. Sometimes you can make a tighter connection at New Haven State Street, the downtown commuter-based station half a mile from Union. Both lines are rarely delayed. On weekdays, there's also CTtransit Express 921 from Hartford that goes to Old Saybrook, but timing the connection to the trains there is difficult. Very good pizza and cool train layouts at Pizza Works there, though All buses throughout the state are free through 3/31/23, and you can do the Hartford Line to Shore Line East on one ticket.

Also, does it truly run along the shoreline with nice water views or is it more inland?

Finally, does it have a dedicated track that it leaves from, or does it vary?

OBS is correct that SLE travels the same tracks. Between Branford, Guilford, and Madison, you can catch lots of wetlands as well as glimpses of Long Island Sound. Between Westbrook and Old Saybrook there are some, but the best views are between Old Saybrook and New London: crossing the Connecticut River, Rocky Neck State Park, Niantic, and the approach into NLC. The large windows and more spacious M8s along with the fact that they're never crowded makes the scenery much more enjoyable!

 

[Mystic River Dragon]

This train travels the same tracks as Amtrak from NHV. It is only a 3-4 car train IIRC.

The two conductors will find you and inform you of where to disembark. It'll be one door on the high-level platform on one of the two mainline tracks. Each train is two married pairs of two cars each. The dead-end track 6 siding is ridiculously still not electrified even though Amtrak was supposed to complete it in April before SLE switched from diesel to the Metro-North M8s last May. You may have to ask for the bridge plate, as some conductors don't automatically do it for the often few passengers. The doors do have a few inch lip, so the gap is narrower than with the Amfleets, but it's still large. The M8s don't have low-level capabilities like the Amfleets.


This can work, but depending on where you're coming from on the Hartford Line, it's pretty out of the way, taking two sides of the triangle. Sometimes you can make a tighter connection at New Haven State Street, the downtown commuter-based station half a mile from Union. Both lines are rarely delayed. On weekdays, there's also CTtransit Express 921 from Hartford that goes to Old Saybrook, but timing the connection to the trains there is difficult. Very good pizza and cool train layouts at Pizza Works there, though All buses throughout the state are free through 3/31/23, and you can do the Hartford Line to Shore Line East on one ticket.


OBS is correct that SLE travels the same tracks. Between Branford, Guilford, and Madison, you can catch lots of wetlands as well as glimpses of Long Island Sound. Between Westbrook and Old Saybrook there are some, but the best views are between Old Saybrook and New London: crossing the Connecticut River, Rocky Neck State Park, Niantic, and the approach into NLC. The large windows and more spacious M8s along with the fact that they're never crowded makes the scenery much more enjoyable!

Thanks to you both, OBS and daybeers.

I’d be coming down from Windsor on CTrail, which I enjoy, and would go to NHV, because I love that station.

But Shoreline East at NLC sounds like even more of an adventure than Amtrak, so I may just do Amtrak as usual and hope there’s a nice strong conductor who can help me across the gap or over the bridge plate.

I think I’ll probably end up doing the usual two trips on Amtrak— one to my cousins, the other to Mystic—I’ll get two getaways instead of one and can rack up more points in my attempt to get back to Select Plus.

 

[daybeers]

I actually find using SLE to be less of a hassle and less hectic than using Amtrak, but you do you!

Windsor does have new-ish mini-highs which are nice.

 

[Mystic River Dragon]

I actually find using SLE to be less of a hassle and less hectic than using Amtrak, but you do you!

Windsor does have new-ish mini-highs which are nice.

I haven’t been to central CT for several years and am looking forward to seeing what they’ve done with Windsor.

Your advice on CT is always extremely helpful and insightful, and I appreciate it. I may try Shoreline East at some point just for the experience, just not this spring. And I’m thinking of bypassing NLC and just going up to KIN or PVD and coming back down to MYS, where I’m used to the platform and getting down the steps.

I’m always interested in new train experiences, but I’m still using a cane right now — I’m much better than before — almost completely ok— but train gaps and escalators are my two challenges left.

 

[Mystic River Dragon]

Well I did just fine in New London the other day, thanks to advice from on here and a nice young conductor who explained exactly where the steps would be, helped me off the train, and showed me exactly where the road crossing was. Plus all the other passengers were crossing as well, so I could follow the crowd.

I got a Lyft to Mystic but did have to wait about 20 minutes for one.

I’m leaving tomorrow and now would be grateful for advice on NHV.

I’m taking the regional I normally do from Mystic, but then I’m switching at New Haven to an Acela and going on that to Philly.

Do the Acelas have a track they usually run on? Or could it be any southbound track?

Also, I've forgotten— do they announce trains and tracks? Or do you have to rely on the board? I can’t see the white print on the board high up and with sun glare on it.

I’ll have time between trains, so I can walk to each elevator and read the train listed next to it — I can see close up, just not up high.

Finally, I’ll be in car 1, so I assume at the front—going south, will the front or back of the train be nearest the elevator? Same question in PHL—if it’s near the elevator, I’ll ask for a redcap to take me up —maybe to the lounge—and then get a taxi from that end of the station.

If it’s by the stairs, I can walk up and just keep going.

Thanks to all of you for any and all advice.

 

[Acela150]

The back of the train is near the elevator. I think it’s car 5 that’s closest.

 

[daybeers]

@Mystic River Dragon so glad to hear your NLC experience went smoothly! At NHV, southbound Amtrak uses tracks 1-3. It'll be pretty cold tomorrow, so you can wait inside if you have a longer layover. Yes, every train is announced at least 3 times. Unfortunately the Solari board is no longer, but it's been replaced by LED screens that are very readable IMO.

There are Red Caps at New Haven, so you could mention to the conductor you'd like one when you board in MYS.

 

[Mystic River Dragon]

@Mystic River Dragon so glad to hear your NLC experience went smoothly! At NHV, southbound Amtrak uses tracks 1-3. It'll be pretty cold tomorrow, so you can wait inside if you have a longer layover. Yes, every train is announced at least 3 times. Unfortunately the Solari board is no longer, but it's been replaced by LED screens that are very readable IMO.

There are Red Caps at New Haven, so you could mention to the conductor you'd like one when you board in MYS.

Oh thank you so much! I had forgotten that New Haven has redcaps! Yes, I’ll ask for one to meet me on the platform and walk with me into the station and also to take me to the Acela.

I can move around okay—it’s just that the cataract makes me feel unstable and then I start getting panicky and my legs get all wobbly. So a strong arm to hold onto will be perfect!

 

[Bembidion]

Thanks to you both, OBS and daybeers.

I’d be coming down from Windsor on CTrail, which I enjoy, and would go to NHV, because I love that station.

But Shoreline East at NLC sounds like even more of an adventure than Amtrak, so I may just do Amtrak as usual and hope there’s a nice strong conductor who can help me across the gap or over the bridge plate.

I think I’ll probably end up doing the usual two trips on Amtrak— one to my cousins, the other to Mystic—I’ll get two getaways instead of one and can rack up more points in my attempt to get back to Select Plus.

NHV is a nice station but I think it is going to be upgraded in the future. I'm a bit surprised by this because, other than the floor which can use some fixing, the station is quite attractive. I go through there several times a year.

 

[Acela150]

The back of the train is near the elevator. I think it’s car 5 that’s closest.

I'm confirming that Car 5 is closest to the elevator.

 

[daybeers]

NHV is a nice station but I think it is going to be upgraded in the future. I'm a bit surprised by this because, other than the floor which can use some fixing, the station is quite attractive. I go through there several times a year.

I do hope it does get upgraded; longer and new platform canopies would be nice, as well as new shops, it's sacreligious to have Sbarro be New Haven Union Station's only choice of pizza.

Also, better ped & bike connections to downtown, and run the shuttle every 5 instead of 20. Could easily do that with only 3 buses.

I still am very grateful to have such a wonderful station with quite decent service, even for international standards, in a relatively small city.