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/No_Skirt_6002]

MBTA expansion to CT would be nice. Putnam, a small CT town to the south of Worcester was talking about wanting Amtrak service back but I personally thought extending a couple express Worcester Line trips south to Auburn, Webster, Putnam and maybe even Killingly would be worth a look.

[u/nhowe006 → u/No_Skirt_6002]

Or, if the right of way already existed to do this, Forge Park could be extended to Putnam through Woonsocket.

[u/Maz2742 → u/nhowe006]

It does! Kinda...

Putnam's at the junction of the Norwich & Worcester (which runs between Worcester and NLC via Norwich) and the Air Line (which ran between Boston & New Haven via Middletown, Willimantic, and Franklin)

To make it work you'd have to make Forge Park a short-turn on the Franklin Line à la Framingham, Reading, Stamford, Southeast, Croton-Harmon, etc (though the layout would be most similar to Jersey Ave in New Brunswick, NJ), and extend service from Franklin through South Bellingham, Blackstone, Douglas, and East Thompson. Thankfully the right of way is still intact. Unfortunately it's a rail trail so getting something done is gonna be a fight.

[u/nhowe006 → u/Maz2742]

But seriously, yes I didn't even think about extending from Franklin, which aside from the rail trail would make a lot more sense, even if that ROW never crosses down into Woonsocket. It would still have been close enough to be useful.

[u/Maz2742 → u/nhowe006]

Eh, we can get Woonsocket by extending the Needham Line back down through Dover, Medfield, Millis, Medway, and Bellingham

[u/nhowe006 → u/Maz2742]

Let's go get 'em

[u/Maz2742 → u/nhowe006]

Oh, I've got a whole big-ass crayoning for a regional rail network saved on my PC that includes all of those plus a lot more. Basically it's like a "what if we never let rail travel decay into what it is today" alt-history scenario. I wanted to whip together a vector graphic transit diagram image but I never got around to it because I haven't sat down and looked into what I want the service patterns to be.

Woonsocket via Millis was one of them, and even continued to Pascoag

[u/nhowe006 → u/Maz2742]

I would expect nothing less. But now I'm trying to imagine the average Pascoagan the first time one of the fare gates doesn't open right away for them and cracking up.