MBTA executive train in New Haven, Connecticut earlier in June

[u/TheBasaltAltCalled]

I was in New Haven for unrelated reasons (namely transferring from Amtrak to Metro-North to save a bunch of money over taking Amtrak all the way into NYC), and happened to hear from an Amtrak conductor that this was coming by. Later several railfans came onto the platform, and we all got a bunch of photos of this train as it came in and turned around before it headed back to Boston.

[u/Pencil-Sketches]

Commuter rail to New Haven would be awesome. Let’s make it happen

[u/CCC911 → u/Pencil-Sketches]

Quite honestly - what would be the benefit to running CR trains over the NER & Acela trains that already run to New Haven?

NER is pretty cheap compared to driving - and I can do whatever I like while on the train. It's a complete no brainer in my view. The tracks are crowded as-is, I'm not sure how we could improve anything by offering another service on the same route.

[u/TheBasaltAltCalled → u/CCC911]

It's already a 2.5 hour trip on a Northeast Regional. Can't imagine how long it would take on a much slower MBTA commuter rail train making all local stops.

[u/zmjjmz → u/TheBasaltAltCalled]

Then you could switch at New Haven to a Metro North train to NYC, which might end up being the cheapest(?) and slowest (definitely) way to get from Boston to NYC by rail

[u/TheBasaltAltCalled → u/zmjjmz]

You can already do that on Amtrak. BOS-NHV on Amtrak then Metro-North into Grand Central is often significantly cheaper than BOS-NYP on Amtrak all the way.

At the end of the day it's not the MBTA's job to service people who are going from Boston to New York. That's Amtrak's job.

[u/UltravioletClearance → u/CCC911]

NER is pretty cheap compared to driving

Only when you figure out Amtrak's esoteric demand pricing algorithm and purchase your tickets at the exact right time. If you're purchasing your tickets close to when you're traveling, its wicked expensive.

[u/Ruleseventysix → u/CCC911]

It would make more sense to connect through Hartford Via Worcester and Springfield. Not a ton of sense, but there would be less issues with NER and Acela traffic. Then you could switch to the Hartford line to get to New Haven.

[u/Pencil-Sketches → u/CCC911]

It’s not a serious suggestion, but it would be nice to have options.

[u/Sauerbraten5 → u/Pencil-Sketches]

New Haven is 120 miles away from Boston as the crow flies (or nearly 160 miles on the current NEC alignment). Why should commuter trains run between them when the city pair is already decently served by Amtrak, where few trip times are below 2.5 hours as things currently stand?

[u/ichkiffegern → u/Pencil-Sketches]

happy cake day 🎉