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.
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.
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.
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.
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".
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.
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!
@@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.
@@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
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.
Yeah the one time I took this line I had to get Metro-North at Union Station since there were no connections at State Street. It’s a nice line and the Gennies can push at least 90MPH so I’m happy.
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.
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.
@@rwboa22 The state only owns the section between New Haven and the New York border, north of New Haven up through Rhode Island to the Mass border is Amtrak owned and then from the Mass border up to Boston it’s owned by the state of Massachusetts. With that being said, the Hartford line is a completely different corridor as it runs from New Haven up to Springfield. It’s also former NH track but ownership was transferred to Amtrak from Conrail in the 70’s so the line is fully owned by Amtrak. The difference in speed limit is due to track quality, the NEC is designed for much higher speeds than the Hartford Line but higher speeds are a future goal for the line
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.
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.
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.
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
@@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.
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.
My mom used to take the Banker's Special into New York and had a similar experience to yours.
3:18 Metro North usually boards from Track 8, 12, or 14.
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.
Yes, and also the Northeast Regional is part of the system somehow!
That’s a great services
@@ClassyWhale Some NEC trains originate and terminate at Springfield, Massachusetts.
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.
I can't wait for it to finally happen in 2045.
It will not be electrified anytime soon.
I like the diesels personally. Electric is overrated.
When? That would be awesome.
@@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.
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
That new Genesis livery looks fantastic!
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.
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".
The CT Rail P40 you rode behind was actually Ex-NJT and before that it was Ex-Amtrak.
6701 was not owned by NJT before being sold to CDOT, only 6708-6711 were.
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
Thanks for the video!
Thanks for the overview. I wondered how this works with both services. Good video!
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.
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!
@@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.
@@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
@@ClassyWhale Good idea 👍🏻
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.
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
Yeah the one time I took this line I had to get Metro-North at Union Station since there were no connections at State Street. It’s a nice line and the Gennies can push at least 90MPH so I’m happy.
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.
Because of this, is the Valley Flyer’s only purpose to serve those 3 stations north of Springfield already served by the Vermonter?
great video
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?
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.
@@rwboa22 The state only owns the section between New Haven and the New York border, north of New Haven up through Rhode Island to the Mass border is Amtrak owned and then from the Mass border up to Boston it’s owned by the state of Massachusetts. With that being said, the Hartford line is a completely different corridor as it runs from New Haven up to Springfield. It’s also former NH track but ownership was transferred to Amtrak from Conrail in the 70’s so the line is fully owned by Amtrak. The difference in speed limit is due to track quality, the NEC is designed for much higher speeds than the Hartford Line but higher speeds are a future goal for the line
That CT livery is pretty
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.
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.
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.
I personally believe the Amtrak Hartford line service is basically Amtrak sponsored by the state of Connecticut what Amtrak State sponsorships
Think I got lost in the Amtrak/CTRail explanation. So there’s no train directly from Hartford to New Haven? (Without transfers)
There are several. I just transferred so I could ride both kinds.
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
Yeah i never understood why they have CTRail stopping at the same stations as Amtrak.
There's a vision to have additional CT stations built in Enfield, Warehouse Point, etc.
@@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.
Even more confusing. I saw a P&W Freight train going trough Hartford station
Damn, I guess I'm not a true fan :(
Still have a few of your videos left to watch though!
It's from my very first modern travel video... don't worry, you're still a true fan!
@@ClassyWhale Haha thanks :) and I'll make sure to go watch that when I get the chance!
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
Your lack of Ned worship is concerning.
Hey I literally showed his workplace in the opening shot
Ugly and very basic trains. Better than walking I guess.
Also better than bus; or pickup truck with gun rack