Gov Patrick pushes for passenger service on the Housatonic RR

[afigg]

Gov. Patrick (MA) took a tour of the Housatonic RR in western MA this week to push CT to support restoration of passenger service to the Berkshires. Railway Age article: Connecticut urged to aid Housatonic rail route. The Governor proposed this earlier this year as part of his overall big proposal to increase transportation revenue. The state legislature did pass a small gas tax increase, a cigarette tax and other tax/fee increases to provide more transportation funding, but not as much as the Governor was proposing. So I'm surprised to see that the train service from CT to the Berkshires is still on the agenda. He went out and rode the entire line from the CT border to Pittfield? That is impressive, how many governors would take the time to do that?

A train service over this route would probably be done by Metro-North, not Amtrak, which is why I'm posting this in the commuter rail forum.

Excerpt:

Patrick, state Transportation Secretary Richard A. Davey, and three Housatonic Railroad Co. officials including CEO John R. Hanlon, Jr., rode the Berkshire County section of the railway last week from Sheffield, Mass., adjacent to the Connecticut border, to Pittsfield, Mass., where the Housatonic interchanges with CSX Corp. Housatonic Railroad is based in Canaan, Conn., just south of Sheffield.
Housatonic Railroad runs roughly parallel with its namesake river, running north/south from Pittsfield to Danbury, Conn.. A 1992 right-of-way purchase added an east-west spur from Derby, Conn., to Beacon, N.Y. (the former Maybrook Line). The railroad in 2010 proposed restoration of passenger service between Pittsfield and Danbury, offering either connecting or overlapping service with Metro-North Railroad to New York. (Railway Age, Nov. 2012, p. 12.)

"I think we can afford the Massachusetts end," Gov. Patrick told local media. "But I want to be clear. In order for us to warrant this investment on the Massachusetts side we have to get Connecticut to participate as well. Because I think the maximum potential is to go all the way to New York not just the Connecticut line." Passenger trains last traversed the Housatonic in 1971, when the right-of-way was landbanked.

Last January Patrick announced $113.8 million to support upgrading the rail line to passenger service as part of his proposed $13 million transportation bond bill. The entire cost of upgrading the rail line is estimated to be $200 million.

 

[the_traveler]

I hope an agreement can be made, but I personally don't see it happening. The main reason that there is a line from NHV to SPG, and that CT is heavily investing in it, is because Amtrak uses it. But with a commuter railroad, I don't see the same investment.

As an example, why is there no commuter railroad between New London and the CT border? :huh: OK, as of right now, there is no commuter train connection between North Kingstown (RI) and the CT border, but there are plans in place to continue the MBTA line now operating to North Kingstown, thru Kingston, to Westerly (RI but on the CT border).

CT would not have to rehabilitate a line, as that is the NEC!

 

[Anderson]

My only concern with an operation like this in MNRR's hands is that the line is getting to be a bit long for a commuter-style operation. You're looking at 125 miles to Stamford, presuming this is an N-S operation rather than being planned as a spur of the Hudson line...getting into NYG? That's 162 miles.

 

[SubwayNut]

My immediate reaction is this is mainly a publicity stunt by the Governor to show he wants to improve transit options for Western Massachusetts, not just eastern Mass.

Metro-North will do fine in terms of operations, 3 hours and 15 minutes would be a long time to spend on a Shoreliner though! It sounds like otherwise Houstantonic Railroad would want the contract itself for the passenger line, nothing wrong with that instead of Amtrak! BNSF operates some of the Commuter Rail Lines (Sounder, Northstar, Metra's BNSF Railway Line) on its track. Nashville's Music City Start operates on the

Here's a current Danbury Branch Electrification EIS Report, it was updated a few months ago, and the line was once electrified.

 

[afigg]

My only concern with an operation like this in MNRR's hands is that the line is getting to be a bit long for a commuter-style operation. You're looking at 125 miles to Stamford, presuming this is an N-S operation rather than being planned as a spur of the Hudson line...getting into NYG? That's 162 miles.

The Housatonic N-S line runs from Danbury CT to Pittfield MA. So I think the idea is that a passenger service would be an extension from the MNRR Danbury branch. A long extension. Housatonic company web page about the line.

With a route this long, maybe MA and CT could have Amtrak run several daily trains to Pittfield from NYP via the NHV line to the Danbury branch. Call the trains the Berkshires. Now what they do about engine changes, don't know, but I'm sure there are people on this forum who know a lot about the history of the route. If a restoration of service were to eventually take place, more likely this would be handled by MNRR, MBTA, CT & MA DOTs and Housatonic with no Amtrak involvement.

 

[Dutchrailnut]

Amtrak has no rights on Danbury branch and operations are restricted to MNCR employees only.

 

[Anderson]

(1) What is the origin of that restriction?

(2) Could we get into some strange situation where MNRR ends up doing the haulage for an Amtrak train (i.e. the operating crew and locomotives are MNRR but any OBS and passenger cars are Amtrak) or some other similarly complicated legality-induced arrangement?

 

[jis]

I still don't understand why Amtrak would be involved in this at all, except to whet the appetite of Amtrak aficionados perhaps.

The two states have each their own rail agencies to run their trains. They might contract with Amtrak to run a segment which is on Amtrak property. But this one, if it comes to pass is entirely a new thing, and more than likely it would either be handled by the state agency or put out for bids and someone like Bombardier or Keolis might pick it up, with MNRR operating it on MNRR territory.

Amtrak really needs to completely get out of the running of others commuter service business and concentrate on bringing the primary services it is responsible for upto an acceptable standard instead. Just IMHO of course.