Intercity rail in the United States is usually either Amtrak, Brightline, or a long commuter rail route. Then there's the Hartford Line. Classy Whale - at-least-weekly adventures, featuring trains and more!
Пікірлер: 55
@jerrycallender99272 жыл бұрын
In another life I took the train from Manhattan to Hartford every Wednesday morning. Breakfast was served on tables covered in white linens and there was a bar/piano car on the return trip.
@ScottPalmer-mp1we Жыл бұрын
My mom used to take the Banker's Special into New York and had a similar experience to yours.
@toadscoper45752 жыл бұрын
The Hartford line is good for what it is, but the line desperately needs to be electrified to truly compete with the freeways. A similar service is coming to Massachusetts called East-West rail that will finally create an intercity corridor between Boston, Worcester, Springfield, and Pittsfield. The corridor will be electrified, it’ll be serviced by Amtrak and the MBTA as well as a new dedicated western mass rail authority.
@ninyaninjabrifsanovichthes45 Жыл бұрын
I can't wait for it to finally happen in 2045.
@mikeobrien901 Жыл бұрын
It will not be electrified anytime soon.
@markgabriel5797 Жыл бұрын
I like the diesels personally. Electric is overrated.
@jquas1965 Жыл бұрын
When? That would be awesome.
@GeoMeridium Жыл бұрын
@@ninyaninjabrifsanovichthes45 If a goal is set more than 5 years out, you should be skeptical. If it's set 10 years out, it probably won't happen.
@bennyg26882 жыл бұрын
This morning i was thinking “hm, havent seen any reviews of anything ct rail related, i should look that up” and then this popped up on my feed
@ianfrederick7232 жыл бұрын
3:18 Metro North usually boards from Track 8, 12, or 14.
@jamallhayden25122 жыл бұрын
You forgot to mention the CT transit express route 950 is also incorporated into the Hartford line schedule. The express route predates the Hartford line commuter service. This was initially done to help fill in the gaps in service and has the added benefits like using MCI Commuter coaches (Buses similar to greyhound) instead of a typical standard transit bus and some Hartford line tickets are accepted as fare payment for the express route.
@ClassyWhale2 жыл бұрын
Yes, and also the Northeast Regional is part of the system somehow!
@williamerazo39212 жыл бұрын
That’s a great services
@Maunico08092 жыл бұрын
@@ClassyWhale Some NEC trains originate and terminate at Springfield, Massachusetts.
@rwboa222 жыл бұрын
MARC has actually done the same thing, especially before MARC started operating the Penn Line (Union Station in DC to Port Deposit, MD) on weekends. I'm not sure how it is today, but the only other MARC line that has Amtrak running on it is the Brunswick Line (Union Station to Martinsburg, WV), which is the old B&O route to Chicago (now served by Amtrak's "Capitol Limited" service). In fact, at one time, both MARC and Amtrak ran simultaneous commuter and intercity rail service between DC and Martinsburg (the Amtrak service being the "Blue Ridge"), but eventually MARC absorbed the Amtrak service and today, service from Martinsburg to DC via Amtrak is through the "Capitol Limited".
@andrewmazzarini27422 жыл бұрын
That new Genesis livery looks fantastic!
@Maunico08092 жыл бұрын
The CT Rail P40 you rode behind was actually Ex-NJT and before that it was Ex-Amtrak.
@EastCoastRailfan2 жыл бұрын
6701 was not owned by NJT before being sold to CDOT, only 6708-6711 were.
@JuanWayTrips2 жыл бұрын
I actually like this set up. Allows Amtrak to use their rolling stock elsewhere and the area gets more frequent rail service along the route. There's a similar set up in LA with the Surfliner and Metrolink, though the Metrolink service is more frequent and with more stops (and also different lines), while the Surfliner goes beyond to San Luis Obispo to the north and San Diego to the South. I think only day-of Metrolink tickets work on Amtrak too, not weekly/monthly passes. So not exactly one-to-one, but still kind of similar.
@ClassyWhale2 жыл бұрын
I wasn't aware of that! I know some MARC pass holders can ride the Northeast Regional, and I hope Key Cards become accepted on the Keystone in the future. Also great username!
@rwboa222 жыл бұрын
@@ClassyWhale in terms of the "Keystone" Service, that may be an issue as the SEPTA fare system is completely different than that of Amtrak's. Also, there are two levels at 30th Street Station, with SEPTA trains using the upper level as means to gain access to the Center City Rail Tunnel (Suburban-Penn Center and Jefferson/Market East Stations) and the former Reading lines. The only way one could use a SEPTA Key card for Amtrak is that once Amtrak, through the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, agrees to allowing SEPTA Key card accounts to use Amtrak ticketing machines for "Keystone" trains, it would then be used, much like one paying for Amtrak at the kiosk, however the choice of stations would be limited (currently 30th Street, Ardmore, Paoli, Exton, and Downingtown). Outside of those stations, then one would required to purchase a standard Amtrak ticket.
@ClassyWhale2 жыл бұрын
@@rwboa22 okay but what if the Key Card is expanded to RRTA, CAT, and Rabbit Transit, and then one can ride the Keystone for lower fares using it thanks to state subsidy
@jamallhayden25122 жыл бұрын
@@ClassyWhale Good idea 👍🏻
@jamallhayden25122 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the video!
@CRtrain Жыл бұрын
Glad someone is pointing this out. Took them a while to incorporate them both and it was a bit confusing at first. The Amtrak website renamed Shuttle service as The Hartford Line, yet it’s still part of the CT Rail service as a whole. As for the shoreline east, I wish they would just name it CT Rail. Now that’s been electrified for the past year.
@samkuzel Жыл бұрын
That CT livery is pretty
@timothynoel7862 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the overview. I wondered how this works with both services. Good video!
@Brianrockrailfan2 жыл бұрын
great video
@johnsmart9642 жыл бұрын
Thank you for bringing us this excellent video presentation, the stations are in lovely condition and very well kept. I was impressed by how busy that last station was, it is really impressive to see that the people have taken to using the trains again.
@exxzackly Жыл бұрын
Awesome video :D As someone from central CT, I've always really liked the Hartford line, but not known exactly how it works until now :D
@grommit7002 жыл бұрын
They need to double track the Hartford area. It's double north and south of it. But now it's needs a double track at the Hartford station. That way there are not bottle necks in service.
@jfp3railfaning5032 жыл бұрын
I personally believe the Amtrak Hartford line service is basically Amtrak sponsored by the state of Connecticut what Amtrak State sponsorships
@ScottPalmer-mp1we Жыл бұрын
A huge boon to the Hartford Line would be to double track through Hartford (easier said than done). I appreciate that they did double track some sections but I think Hartford is a choke point. By the way, you made an excellent video which I can relate to. I take CT Rail-Amtrak/Metro North several times a year from Meriden to Milford to visit my daughter and it's a nice ride. Sometimes my wife and mom come along. It beats dealing with traffic through New Haven.
@grommit7002 жыл бұрын
The dual sided station platform is already there so it's like what are they waiting for 🤷♂️ And Hartford station already has the room on the building side of the tracks to build a raised platform just like the other side is.
@user-lz3ut8qp5j Жыл бұрын
We're so poor here in America that different transit operators have to share the same tracks. If this were Japan, CTRail would have its own set of tracks, with multiple tiers of service, such as Local, Express, and Rapid Express. It might have served different parts of the cities it connects, and it might have been involved in the development (residential and commercial) of the land immediately adjacent to its stations.
@felixvizzini7 ай бұрын
Because of this, is the Valley Flyer’s only purpose to serve those 3 stations north of Springfield already served by the Vermonter?
@mj12343212 жыл бұрын
NJ Transit runs at 100 mph on the NEC even with its old Comet cars. What is it about these coaches that limits them to 80 mph?
@rwboa222 жыл бұрын
There is significant differences between the NEC south of New York Penn Station and the NEC north of NY Penn. The NEC between NYC and DC is former Pennsylvania Railroad, and like most PRR lines, was built to withstand the rigors of both passenger trains as well as through-freight. The NEC from NYC to Boston, with a few exceptions (due to upgrades done by Amtrak for Acela service) was the former New Haven RR, and unlike the NEC south of NYC, which is owned by Amtrak, the NEC in Connecticut is owned by the state, and as such, maintenance of the right-of-way is done through state, not Federal funding. Plus the NEC in Connecticut has both several active lift or swinging drawbridges as well as grade crossings, something the NEC between NYC and DC does not have since the early 1980s.
@trainmaster12692 жыл бұрын
And Train at 3:04 that was a Shoreline east train because the cars for shoreline east were different before the M8’s replaced the diesel
@jacorp74762 жыл бұрын
Damn, I guess I'm not a true fan :( Still have a few of your videos left to watch though!
@ClassyWhale2 жыл бұрын
It's from my very first modern travel video... don't worry, you're still a true fan!
@jacorp74762 жыл бұрын
@@ClassyWhale Haha thanks :) and I'll make sure to go watch that when I get the chance!
@trainmaster12692 жыл бұрын
At 3:24 U don’t have to do research u could just go to the main lobby and see what track the MTA train would depart at but commonly MTA train would depart at Track 14 and 12
@ctcourtking Жыл бұрын
Think I got lost in the Amtrak/CTRail explanation. So there’s no train directly from Hartford to New Haven? (Without transfers)
@ClassyWhale Жыл бұрын
There are several. I just transferred so I could ride both kinds.
@kevinhoward95932 жыл бұрын
Yeah i never understood why they have CTRail stopping at the same stations as Amtrak.
@steves26942 жыл бұрын
There's a vision to have additional CT stations built in Enfield, Warehouse Point, etc.
@rwboa222 жыл бұрын
@@steves2694 in Pennsylvania, Amtrak "Keystone" trains in the five-county Philadelphia area currently stop at four stations that are also shared by SEPTA Paoli/Thorndale trains (30th Street, Ardmore, Paoli, Exton, Downingtown, and in the past, Coatesville and Parkesburg). Difference is that SEPTA service is more frequent (every half hour during the weekdays) and that SEPTA also run the "Great Valley Flyer" (morning and afternoon rush limited train) nonstop between Paoli and 30th Street.
@trainmaster12692 жыл бұрын
Oh and u could’ve just taken the CT rail train all the way to New Haven CT and transfer to MTA! There was no reason to transfer at Meriden
@Token_Nerd2 жыл бұрын
Your lack of Ned worship is concerning.
@ClassyWhale2 жыл бұрын
Hey I literally showed his workplace in the opening shot
@tylerhergott38932 жыл бұрын
Ugly and very basic trains. Better than walking I guess.
@interstellarphred Жыл бұрын
Also better than bus; or pickup truck with gun rack