This topic is locked
For the next Fest in Summer 2012, we're going to Albuquerque and Chicago on the Chief RailFest 2012 event. Surely many of you have made your plans already for the appropriate trains and hotels in the two cities. There are four commuter rail lines in Chicago (or segments of them) that we haven't ridden yet as a group. We'll do 2 of them this time, and the other 2 on a subsequent visit in a few years. And provided we don't have any issues with CTA, we should ace that system this time around. The only transit still left to ride is the people mover at O'Hare Airport, also to be done at a later time (it would involve the tedious Blue Line ride out to the airport as well!).
Since I had to choose between this one and a Charlotte-Norfolk oriented Fest, that will be our Summer 2013 venue. Thanks to the recent Name That Fest thread, it's now officially been updated as the Atlantic Coast RailFest 2013. Cities to visit include Jacksonville, Charlotte, and Norfolk, and also a day in the Washington, DC area that will include a ride in VRE to Fredericksburg. If by chance the Metro Silver Line Phase I is open by then, we have the morning to check that out, but odds are that it won't be.
Onward for Summer events, my current thinking for 2014 is to do the once-postponed Rockies RailFest, as we got the good news just this week that FrontRunner South is opening earlier than expected. Coupled with the expected 2013 opening of the Airport TRAX line (really an extension of the current TRAX Green Line), we would have plenty to ride. The only thing missing would be the Draper Line, which is a southward extension of the Blue Line beyond Sandy, but that may be years off. I am also unsure how close to fruition the Sugar House Streetcar is.
Now Denver is the other city involved here. The West LRT Line should be open by Spring 2013, and the only other thing close is the East commuter line to the airport. Much of the FasTracks mandated lines aren't planned to be open much before 2017 or 2018, so we could always return to pick those up later.
By the summer of 2015, hopefully we will have the Twin Cities on the menu as the Central LRT (aka Green Line) should open in 2014. Though the Empire Builder may be moving to downtown St. Paul by later this year, doing the Twin Cities any sooner than the completion of the light rail between Minneapolis and St. Paul would result in a very long bus ride between the two cities, certainly much longer than the one now necessary between the Midway Amtrak station and Minneapolis. Wouldn't you rather ride LRT? This would be part of a Midwest RailFest, which would also include a revisit to St. Louis to pick up what is now the Blue Line (we only had the Red Line available on our last visit in 2005), and that aforementioned return to Chicago.
Now let's move to the Winter.
For January 2013, I'm strongly considering a New England RailFest (NERF). I just created this one today in reaction to the news of Wickford Junction opening, and the news that Wachusett WON'T be a player yet. In Boston, we have one more commuter rail line to ride, namely Lowell, to consider the legacy system "aced". That's on the itinerary. In addition, I think one interesting re-hash would be the Plymouth-Kingston Line, specifically one of those trains that now serves both endpoints by reversing twice. Since Wickford Junction is weekdays only for now, and since Plymouth-Kingston is one route whose weekend service is going away this summer, we would need to cover both on a Friday. The other element here is the Downeaster extension to Brunswick, ME. The opening date (and the ultimate schedule) will be announced by the operating authority over the summer. If it is feasible to do a one-day round trip we can work that in. My gut feeling is that with the controversy over the maintenance facility in Brunswick, doing this won't be possible. Latest word is that initially only 2 round trips will be going to Brunswick anyhow, so it seems unlikely. If we can't do Brunswick, perhaps we'll do a request thing for Boston and we can do transit or commuter rail of your choice. At any rate, plan on an all-day Friday and Saturday Fest, with possibly Sunday as well if Brunswick is in the picture.
In January 2014, we can move our show to the Baltimore/Washington area, possibly doing another Request Fest. If we hadn't yet been able to ride the Metro Silver Line on the July 2013 event, hopefully it would be ready by this time. We could also go on a weekday and ride the new routings that will be created this summer on the Yellow and Orange Lines.
Or we could return to the New York/New Jersey area, where we can ride the one 14-block segment of HBLRT in Bayonne we haven't done yet. If the shopping mall in the Meadowlands ever opens, there's also the Meadowlands Rail Line going daily rather than event-only. And maybe the 7 subway extension within Manhattan by then???
Anyhow that's my latest thinking..... and of course your input is appreciated as well!
