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Amtrak’s Berkshire Flyer passenger train service begins 7/8/22


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#1 Sloan

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Posted 08 December 2017 - 06:20 PM

From RPA 12-8-2017

 

 

A group is studying the reintroduction of through passenger rail service from Pittsfield, MA to New York City, that would run through the Capital Region of New York. The route being studied would run along Amtrak’s Empire Corridor to Rensselaer, NY, and then reverse direction and travel over a line through southern Rensselaer County, which is already used by the Lake Shore Limited's Boston section, to then connect to the CSX line to Pittsfield, MA.

The panel is studying this specific route as it is expected to cost significantly less than others that have been in consideration. The proposed route likely wouldn't require any significant additional investment in new track, signals or land purchases on the Amtrak-owned segments, though any potential CSX requirements, including for the overnight storage and servicing of the train at Pittsfield, are unclear. It is envisioned that the service could be supplied by extending an existing train that now terminates at Rensselaer. Eddie Sporn, a West Stockbridge resident who heads real estate and planning firm Robin Road Consulting, said that while another option that would avoid running through Rensselaer is still on the table, the Rensselaer option appears to be the favored.

 

 



#2 KevinKorell

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Posted 09 December 2017 - 01:49 PM

What catches my attention here is the concern about overnight storage and servicing in Pittsfield.  The cross-Massachusetts rail line can always use another frequency (other than the Lake Shore Limited), so why not extend this past Pittsfield?   It could go all the way to Boston, or it could at very least go one more stop to Springfield, which already hosts train consists overnight, and a crew base.  Springfield offers a bevy of connections in all directions, and it will be more so once commuter rail service begins there this May.



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#3 KevinKorell

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Posted 16 February 2018 - 08:18 PM

Berkshire Eagle, Pittsfield, MA, 2/15/18:

 

Berkshire Flyer group awaits Amtrak prices for NYC-to-Pittsfield passenger rail

 

 

It has been hailed as a $1 billion-a-year solution for a limping rural economy in the Berkshires' postindustrial age.

And it has been criticized as a naive dream.

 

 

Update



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#4 KevinKorell

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Posted 02 April 2018 - 02:27 AM

NEPR, 3/27/18:

 


 

Study Says Pittsfield, Mass., To NYC Train Service Can Work

 

A working group says seasonal passenger rail service between Pittsfield, Massachusetts, and New York City is a possibility, and that the so-called Berkshire Flyer could start running in the next couple of years.

 

 

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#5 KevinKorell

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Posted 15 June 2019 - 09:23 PM

Curbed Boston, 6/12/19:


 

New York City-to-Berkshires Amtrak pilot could start in 2020, thanks to funding

 

 

A state senator driving the effort to create a passenger rail link between New York City and the Berkshires says funding is nearly in place to launch a pilot program for weekend service in spring 2020. The move would resurrect what was a popular tourist route and perhaps boost the economy of Western Massachusetts that much more.

 

 

Sounds positive!   And it would be going via the Empire Corridor and Lake Shore Limited route to get to Pittsfield, as opposed to using Metro North's Danbury Branch & beyond to approach Pittsfield from the south.  Story here.



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#6 KevinKorell

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Posted 19 August 2019 - 05:28 PM

Letter in Berkshire Eagle, 8/19/19:

 


 

  Letter: Amtrak connection now made simpler 

 

 

There is train service from Pittsfield to New York every day via Albany, but no one seems to know about it for a simple reason: You couldn't find and book the trip at Amtrak.com. You couldn't purchase a single round trip ticket.

 

 

Letter



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#7 KevinKorell

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Posted 14 January 2022 - 12:43 PM

Berkshire Eagle. 1/13/22:

 


 

    Railroad OKs New York City-to-Pittsfield passenger service this summer  

 

 

The railroad that owns tracks on the proposed Berkshire Flyer route has said it will allow Amtrak to operate New York City-to-Pittsfield passenger service this summer, although the parties still need to reach a formal agreement. 

 

Article



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#8 KevinKorell

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Posted 26 April 2022 - 01:04 PM

Finally......

 

CBS Boston, 4/16/22:

 


 

    Amtrak Starts New York City To Berkshires Summer Train Service  

 

 

The Berkshires of western Massachusetts, one of the state’s most popular touríst destinations, will be easier to reach for the next two summers with the launch of seasonal Amtrak service from New York City.

 

Full story



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#9 KevinKorell

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Posted 06 May 2022 - 02:18 PM

Mass Transit, 5/6/22:

 


 

     Amtrak’s Berkshire Flyer passenger train service begins July 8  

 

 

A seasonal pilot passenger rail service was announced by Amtrak in conjunction with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT). 

 

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#10 KevinKorell

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Posted 08 May 2022 - 09:53 AM

The Points Guy, 5/8/22:

 


 

  Amtrak starts new summer New York to Berkshires service July 8    

 

 

Amtrak wants to find out just how interested New Yorkers are in spending summer weekends away from the city. Along with transportation officials in New York and Massachusetts, the rail operator is announcing a summer seasonal service from the city to the Berkshires. The service starts July 8 and will be part of a pilot program over the next two summers.

 

Details

 

The one-round-trip-per-weekend schedule is similar to that of the former Cape Codder, which used Metroliner equipment and extended beyond New York City to Hyannis on Fridays only, and returned to New York City on Sundays.

 

The Berkshire Flyer may need to use the push-pull type coaches (and cab cars) used on the Keystone Service, since there has to be a direction change at the Albany-Rensselear station.  And will the trip be considered long enough to offer food service?  Normally trains on the Empire Corridor solely between New York City and Albany do not.  The segment between Albany and Pittsfield adds approximately another hour to the trip.



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