Starting a new fresh thread about planning future Rail Fests.
As you are aware, COVID-19 caused a forced postponement of plans to do a Boston RailFest back in March of 2020. Since then, it has been my goal to get back there. I want nothing more than to continue doing city-based RailFests and to visit other places where opportunities await to ride rail lines our group has not yet ridden over our 22 year history. I strive to visit places where we have those chances to ride new line segments; but prefer to wait when those segments are nearing opening but not yet available.
Boston's MBTA, as you should be aware if you follow the news items posted on this board regularly, has been having a lot of safety issues. That has resulted in a month-long closure of the Orange Line and a partial closure of the northernmost section of the Green Line, including North Station and the new extension that just opened to Somerville a couple months ago. It also means postponement of the opening of the longer extension of the Green Line to Medford until November. Both the Orange and Green closures are supposed to last until the third week of September, which would mean that they should be back by the last weekend of the month (September 24-25). But there are no guarantees. That happens to be the weekend I do have available. However without the Medford segment still at least 2 months from revenue service, the thinking now is to wait until we can do it as well. Since we've ended up with a September/March 6-month spread, with a trip in July in between, this would mean March 2023 for Boston now. Unless people really want to go and take the risk that nothing downtown is out of service. We're railfans and we don't want bustitutions. In addition, the commuter rail has limited service at North Station due to signal work.... and this could affect the planned round trip to Wachusett. As planned a Fest in the Boston area would include one day devoted to a round trip on the Downeaster to & from Brunswick, one weekend day for commuter rail (Fitchburg-Wachusett and Fairmount Lines), and then either Friday or Monday to do the commuter rail trip to Gillette Stadium in Foxboro. Postponing until March also avoids football season.
So if not Boston in September, then where? There is not much new elsewhere. SEPTA just started service on its extension from Elwyn to Wawa. Metro Silver Line Phase 2 in Virginia won't be happening anytime soon. Charlotte could be an option if folks want to ride the light rail and streetcar, but it would involve a long round trip on the Carolinian and probably 2 nights in hotels (or 1 night in Charlotte and 1 night in Raleigh, with a ride on the Piedmont in between).
As for longer trips, many of us have become antsy due to Amtrak's staffing shortage and resulting reduction of equipment on long distance trains. Were that not the case, perhaps a longer trip would be in order to visit other cities that beckon us with transit lines to ride. Someday I would still like to visit cities like El Paso and Oklahoma City to ride their streetcars, or do a Midwest Fest and ride the streetcars in Detroit and Milwaukee.
For now, I'd like to know if we have enough interest in doing anything in September (I actually have the week of Wed 9/21 to Wed. 9/28 available), or whether it's best to wait until there is more to do and our roadblocks in Boston are lifted. Your thoughts and ideas are always welcome.
