Valley Flyer - Northeast Corridor questions

[Exvalley]

I am about to book a ticket from Connecticut to NYP for a weekend trip. We will leave on a Saturday morning and come back on Sunday afternoon.

Two questions:
1) Are Northeast Corridor fares dynamic? The fare right now is very attractive. Do I run the risk of the fare increasing if I wait?
2) I see that the Windsor Locks, Connecticut station only has 30 parking spaces. Will that be an issue on a Saturday morning? Should I book a ticket from Berlin instead? The small number of spaces makes me nervous since there is nowhere else to park near the Windosr Locks station.

 

[brianpmcdonnell17]

Yes, fares are dynamic so the price may go up.

I'm not sure as to the parking question.

 

[OBS]

I don't think you will have a problem on Sat. morning in WNL. Most of that traffic is geared to business travel during the week.

 

[Exvalley]

I went ahead and booked the ticket from Windsor Locks to New York. The tickets were only $44 per person round trip. That's only $8.50 more than Metro North charges from New Haven. When you factor in free parking and extra gas money to get to New Haven, it's actually a better deal than taking Metro North. And as a bonus we will be driving less, taking a much more comfortable train and arriving at a much more convenient station. The walk to our hotel is 6 minutes, compared to 21 minutes from Grand Central Station.

I looked at the parking situation on Google Earth. I think that we will be fine. There appear to be more than 30 spaces since it looks like you can park on a gravel section if needed. I think that for a morning train on a Saturday there should be sufficient parking.

Now my one concern... On the way down we are taking a Northeast Regional train the whole way. But on the way back we connect from a Northeast Regional to the Valley Flyer. The train numbers are 88 and 488. Is it safe to assume that they will hold the Valley Flyer if 88 is late? Based on the train numbers, it looks like the intent is for 88 to connect with 488. The good news is that there is a later train if we miss our connection, but it will make for a late night of driving.

 

[SubwayNut]

The Regional to Shuttle train (wait Valley Fyler, a new name since the trains were extended north in Massachusetts) is guaranteed that's why the train numbers are similar. It will wait if the Regional is late

 

[Exvalley]

The Regional to Shuttle train (wait Valley Fyler, a new name since the trains were extended north in Massachusetts) is guaranteed that's why the train numbers are similar. It will wait if the Regional is late

Perfect! I think that I have found a new favorite way to get into New York City!

 

[daybeers]

As was said, weekend parking isn't an issue at WNL, and even if it fills up, passengers sometimes start to park in the grass next to the platform that is CTDOT property that fits probably another dozen cars. Be aware that the station is literally just a high-level platform and ticket machine. They were due to start construction on a new station at Main Street & Bridge Street about a mile up the road late last year but I guess that's been delayed.

SubwayNut is correct, the connecting trains will always wait unless the incoming one is very very late. 98% of the time they are already waiting directly across the platform in NHV, but if the incoming train is early, they may still be moving the equipment from the small Amtrak yard next to the station building.

Fares are dirt cheap at the moment; it's usually not that cheap NHV-NYP. The fares NHV-SPG are always the same due to the Hartford Line. I'm glad you grabbed a low one before they inevitably start raising them for the summer demand once most the population is vaccinated. But I agree, the overall process taking Amtrak rather than Metro-North from north of NHV is nice, but the price usually isn't worth it considering Amtrak isn't much faster.

Have fun! Hope you enjoy the Hartford Line & check out the new train hall in NYC.

 

[jiml]

I can't speak to specific Amtrak parking, but I'd bet it's similar to VIA, where the secret to great free parking is to travel from a station with heavy weekday commuter service on a weekend.

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

Windsor Locks also has a park and ride lot just north of the highway. Easy walk to the soon to be old train platform.

 

[bratkinson]

Pre-Covid, I was a 'frequent rider' from WNL. Breathing problems with a mask on are a problem for me, so I haven't been on a train in 13 months. Living only a few miles north in East Longmeadow, it was a choice of $10/day in a lot in SPG, or free at WNL. I've left my car there for days at a time without any problem.

As previously mentioned, weekend traffic to/from WNL is nearly nonexistent. The worst time to find parking is late weekday mornings, especially Monday or Tuesday, as workers usually commute to work on the first 2 or 3 trains of the day. I usually rode #141 at 6:15, so parking was never a problem. If I was going to take a later train, I'd try to do it Wed-Fri, as the number of cars parked overnight gets smaller during the week.

As for holding a Valley Flyer (shuttle) for a late arriving connection at NHV, I can only recall 2 or 3 occurrences in about 200 times I've connected in the past 10 years that the shuttle had left. The reason was we were down 90 minutes or so by STM, and the next shuttle would leave about 30 minutes or so after we arrived. Waiting in the beautifully restored & maintained station is never a problem, and it beats the daylights out of standing on the uncovered platforms at NHV.

 

[user 14106]

I wouldn't worry too much - traffic is way down due to COVID 19. Windsor also has free parking - which will probably be the lone remaining free lot once Windsor Locks station is rebuilt (I suspect WNL will become paid parking on weekdays like Berlin/Meriden/Wallingford once the new station is built.) Note that Windsor Locks and Windsor are the worst stations on the line as far as the facility with only small platforms with only a small bus cover at Windsor Locks and a low level platform. If you are looking for an indoor or fully covered station Springfield, Hartford, or Berlin, Meriden, and Wallingford are better choices - but if you don't care about that sort of thing the parking shouldn't be an issue. I depart out of Springfield, but I get dropped off for multi-day trips so I don't really worry about parking and parking is free on weekends and holidays in downtown Springfield if I'm doing a day trip.

 

[Exvalley]

The Windsor Locks station definitely leaves something to be desired, but if the weather is bad I thought that we would just sit in our car until the train arrives.

 

[OBS]

The Windsor Locks station definitely leaves something to be desired, but if the weather is bad I thought that we would just sit in our car until the train arrives.

That is what most pax do....

 

[daybeers]

At the current rebuilt Hartford Line stations, parking is only $2/day and I believe some can be purchased from the CTrail eTix app. As was said, Windsor Locks & Windsor will move to this model after being rebuilt/relocated.

 

[Exvalley]

I wanted to post a follow-up to this thread.

There was PLENTY of parking at Windsor Locks on a Saturday morning. I was a little nervous leaving my car overnight since the station is in a remote area, but I parked under a light and it was fine when I returned on the following day.

 

[daybeers]

I wanted to post a follow-up to this thread.

There was PLENTY of parking at Windsor Locks on a Saturday morning. I was a little nervous leaving my car overnight since the station is in a remote area, but I parked under a light and it was fine when I returned on the following day.

Glad to hear! How was the trip?

 

[Exvalley]

Glad to hear! How was the trip?

Excellent! This was my first time taking Amtrak from Connecticut into New York City rather than Metro North. Let’s just say that I’m a convert. I’m not sure why Amtrak stops at so many stations in central Connecticut, but it was still a very nice way to get into the city.

New York City is actually quite nice right now. Everything is open but it is not as busy as it historically has been. So it felt like there were some room to breathe. Keep in mind, that I am not by nature a city person.

We saw the immersive Van Gogh exhibit, the 9/11 Memorial, and walked on the Highline thanks to some advice I got from forum members here. We had Uzbekistan cuisine, Italian, and afternoon tea.

I was fitted for a suit after losing quite a bit of weight. My neck went from a size 20 to a 16.5, which was a very good feeling.

 

[daybeers]

Excellent! This was my first time taking Amtrak from Connecticut into New York City rather than Metro North. Let’s just say that I’m a convert. I’m not sure why Amtrak stops at so many stations in central Connecticut, but it was still a very nice way to get into the city.

New York City is actually quite nice right now. Everything is open but it is not as busy as it historically has been. So it felt like there were some room to breathe. Keep in mind, that I am not by nature a city person.

We saw the immersive Van Gogh exhibit, the 9/11 Memorial, and walked on the Highline thanks to some advice I got from forum members here. We had Uzbekistan cuisine, Italian, and afternoon tea.

I was fitted for a suit after losing quite a bit of weight. My neck went from a size 20 to a 16.5, which was a very good feeling.

I'm glad you had a good time and a good train ride! Amtrak stops at all those stations for the Hartford Line commuter/regional rail.

Sounds like a full day with good activities IMO.

Congrats on the weight loss!

 

[jis]

Valley Flyer to become permanent...

https://www.trains.com/trn/news-rev...s-amtrak-make-valley-flyer-service-permanent/

 

[daybeers]

https://trainsinthevalley.org/2024/05/17/rail-news-roundup-46/#new-valley-flyer-schedule

Starting May 28, coinciding with Hartford Line partial bustitution, a new weekday Valley Flyer roundtrip will be added. A new train, 486, will depart NHV 2:50pm, arriving HFD 3:35 and SPG 4:14. It will depart SPG 4:22 and arrive Holyoke 4:48, Northampton 5:04, and Greenfield 4:22. This train will allow for an (albeit short) rail-based round-trip NHV-GFD using 56 and 479. It will also help plug the current 4.5+ hour gap in service north of Hartford mid-day. It will turn as 479, which will be extended to Greenfield dep 6:05, Northampton 6:30, Holyoke 6:45, and arr SPG 7:13 for the current departure time of 7:40.

On weekday mornings, southbound train 495 will originate in Springfield instead of Greenfield, and 471 will originate in Hartford instead of Greenfield. Instead, a new train, 425, will depart Greenfield at 6:20am, Northampton 6:45, Holyoke 7:00, and arr Springfield 7:28, where it will connect with NER 125 departing at 7:50.