Amtrak has suspended Acela Express service between New Haven and Boston, due to high water conditions along the tracks, East of Providence, Rhode Island. Northeast Regional service will continue to operate, but passengers should expect delays through the area.
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From AP
In Rhode Island, which bore the brunt of the storm, residents were experiencing the worst flooding in more than 100 years. A stretch of Interstate 95, the main route linking Boston to New York, were closed and could remain so through Thursday. Amtrak suspended some trains on its busy routes in the area because of water over the tracks.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ All my 69 years of living in either RI or CT, I have never seen weather and flooding like we have had this year (and I have lived through several severe hurricanes). Dee
Posts: 460 | From: North Central CT | Registered: May 2004
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posted
The weather this winter has been stormier in many places. Western North Carolina had the second-highest total snowfall on record (only the winter of 1968-69 had a higher total....I remember being snowed in at my grandfather's house that year) and the spring has been wetter as well.....this last round created severe storms in central North Carolina Sunday evening delaying the Crescent and Carolinian by several hours.
-------------------- David Pressley
Advocating for passenger trains since 1973!
Climbing toward 5,000 posts like the Southwest Chief ascending Raton Pass. Cautiously, not nearly as fast as in the old days, and hoping to avoid premature reroutes. Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
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As of this posting, there appears to be some conjecture at the Amtrak website. There is a headline timed 1230P stating BOTH Acela and Regional service is suspended, however the Bulletin linked remains that @ 1130 cited by Ms. Dee.
Good luck getting on to the site of a Local media outlet.
Posts: 9975 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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Would suspect regionals to Boston may go inland route. Passengers going to local CT stops could switch to Metro. To RI --- good luck!! I have been watching some of the TV coverage here in New England -- it ain't pretty. RI hit the worst. I-95 flooded and a couple of sewerage plants have failed. Basements flooded etc -
Dee
Dee
Posts: 460 | From: North Central CT | Registered: May 2004
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Here is a posting made at another Forum by an Amtrak Passenger Conductor. While the service being addressed is here in the Midwest, the posting illustrates the many a problem encountered when detouring a train over any road where Amtrak would be hard pressed to find a supply of Rules Qualified Conductors and Engineers to operate such:
One thing that many fail to consider when commenting on a situation such as this, is that capacity is constrained in TWO ways, the Physical ability to handle the trains, and the Human Resources - the qualified AND RESTED crews. Each detour will require one ( in the case of Amtrak generally 2) pilots, usually an engineer pilot.
In the case I was involved in, a SCHEDULED detour of train 8 over the BN MSP-CHI, there were no less then 4 Pilot crews involved. A pilot crew that got on at Midwasy and worked to La Crosse, a 2nd crew that got on at La Crosse and got off at Eola ( not Qualified to CUS) an Engineer only pilot qaulified Eola to 21st St ( I was offered a Conductor pilot, but declined since I could find my way from Eol to 21st st) and an Amtrak Yard crew to handle the wye and shocve on the south side of CUS since we are not qualified on the physical charateristic of the south side of CUS. With the exception of the BNSF Engineer Pilot Eola to 21st, these were CREWS, ie an engineer AND Conductor. In most cases, when it is scheduled, the BNSF will make an exemplarary effort to have a La crosse crew that is qualified ALL THE WAY to 21st street called as pilots.
In another case where a detour was scheduled, ( trains 7&8 over the CN from Duplainville,WI to Grays Lake, IL and Metra from Grays Lake to Rondout, they used only an engineer pilot from both roads and things worked out that they were able to use the same pilot for both trains.
But when something is NOT scheduled, then all bets are off... and you have to make due with what you have..
Posts: 9975 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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The service, both Acela and Regional, remains suspended through Today, and judging from a website review, there doesn't appear to be any change for tomorrow.
Acelas operate through to New Haven; Regionals only to NY. This likely results from that the Acelas are bi-directional while of course the Regionals are not.
Posts: 9975 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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quote:Originally posted by Gilbert B Norman: Acelas operate through to New Haven; Regionals only to NY. This likely results from that the Acelas are bi-directional while of course the Regionals are not.
Trains used to change power (diesel to/from electric) here before electrification was extended to the north, and still do for the Vermonter and others, so why can't the same engine change ends here anymore?
-------------------- Geoff M. Posts: 2426 | From: Apple Valley, CA | Registered: Sep 2000
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It appears in view of that the affected lines are not going to be returned to service all that expeditiously, Amtrak has now made necessary preparations to operate "three a day' over the Boston & Albany "Inland Route". Here is the Service Bulletin announcing such:
Likely, the delay in getting this detour up and running was for the reasons I noted earlier. First the Amtrak Conductors & Engineers presently Rules Qualified over the B&A had to be rested. Secondly, as Mr. Mayo notes, while the physical facilities to handle engine changes at New Haven have remained in place, numerous Mechanical Dept jobs there had been abolished when the engine changes entailed only the Vermonter and one Regional, as well as some need to handle motive power for the 400 Shuttle trains.
It is simply unreasonable to expect that Amtrak has a team of "first responders' in place to handle such an emergency, but when it became evident that this line closure was not going to be "back in a day', an operating plan was formulated and now put into place.
In short, Amtrak's response to this emergency has been reasonable and hopefully will prove to have been well planned.
Posts: 9975 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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From a review of the website within the past hour, it appears that the "three a day on the B&A" will operate both Today and on Easter. The Shore Line is expected to be returned to service to operate a regular Monday schedule.
Stay tuned for reality; also stay tuned for the MMQBing, such as why no service on Maundy Thursday, of Amtrak's response to this emergency.
Posts: 9975 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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Geoff, "Monday morning quarterbacking" is an Americanism meaning "wisdom after the fact."
It derives from professional football played on Sunday; it's easy to criticize quarterbacks (the team leaders) a day later for the snap decisions they had to make during the game.
Posts: 2236 | From: Evanston, Ill. and Ontonagon, Mich. | Registered: Feb 2007
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