Enjoy the Ski Season: Take the train

                                                      Courtesy: MBTA

Ski season is slowly creeping up on us. Sugarloaf in Maine and Stowe in Vermont are a few mountains that are already open but most resorts in the New England states are expecting to open by the end of the month.

Being in a city, it's sometimes hard to find easy access to ski resorts. Well, city skiers fret not because here is my list of the easiest ways to get to some of the best mountains in New England by way of good 'ole public transportation.

The MBTA:

In 2007 the MBTA and MBCR partnered up with Wachusett Mountain  to create the "Take the Rails to the Trails" Ski Train program and this year it is once again returning. Starting on November, 30, the MBTA will begin running their ski train every Saturday and Sunday. The train will leave North Station at 8:35 a.m. and arrive at the Fitchburg Commuter Rail station at 10:08 a.m. The train departs from Fitchburg back to Boston at 5:35 p.m. Wachusett Mountain provides a free shuttle from the Fitchburg station to the mountain. Each train is also equipped with a specially designed "Ski Coach" which makes it easier for passengers to stow their belongings. The coach has the capacity to hold 42 passengers, 34 sets of skis, and 12 snowboards. For those of you who are bike fanatics this is the same coach that the MBTA converted into a bike coach. Round trip tickets to Wachusett will cost you $20.

Amtrak: The Vermonter

Vermont is known for having one of the longest ski seasons in the country. Amtrak's Vermonter Service runs on 611 miles of rail and travels from Washington D.C. through Springfield and Amherst, MA. to St. Albans VT. The Vermonter stops in Waterbury, close to Stowe Mt., Sugarbush, and Bolton Valley. The St. Albans stop is also very close to Jay Peak Resort. Some ski areas and inns provide shuttle service from the stations, but skiers should call ahead for prices and reservations. Stowe Taxi Service charges $15 for one person or $20 for two or three people to transport skiers from the Waterbury/Stowe stop to the Stowe ski area. Shuttle service to Mount Snow from the Brattleboro stop is $26.50. The drive takes about 35 minutes. Overall, the Vermonter is not only one of Amtrak's most scenic routes it's also one of the easiest ways to get to Vermont's greatest ski resorts from Massachusetts.  The train also has a specialty baggage car that has ski and snowboard racks.

Amtrak: The Downeaster

The Downeaster is owned by the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority and operated by Amtrak. The train was put into service back in 2001 and currently runs five round-trip trains daily from Boston's North Station to Portland, Maine and three daily round trips between Portland and Brunswick, Maine. Over the past 12 years the Downeaster has become Amtrak's fastest growing service, moving over 500,000 passengers this year. 

Unfortunately, this train doesn't drop you off very close to any ski resorts in Maine. If you're a die-hard however, you can take a bus from the Portland Transportation Center (Concord Coach) to Augusta Maine and head to a resort from there. Resorts close to The Augusta Transportation Center include the Camden Snow Bowl, Eaton Mountain, and The Lost Valley Ski Area.

I hope some of will try and take the "rails to the trails" this winter. Not only is it convenient for those of us who live in the city but it is also better than taking out another loan to buy gas for your car. 

Have a great ski season!

Hurricane Sandy: What To Expect

Flickr user: Bconstant

Tens of thousands of East Coast residents are scrambling to prepare for what is said to be one of the largest Hurricanes to hit the United States in recent history. Hurricane Sandy is said to be at its strongest here in the City of Boston tomorrow afternoon. In response Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick has declared a State of Emergency.

Other cities that are in Sandy's path are also declaring states of emergency and ordering mandatory evacuations and closings. In New York 375,000 people were asked to evacuate in lower Manhattan and other parts of New York City and 30,000 people were evacuated from Atlantic City in New Jersey

Public transportation has also been suspended in a few states. In New York City the MTA will be suspending all subway, bus, Metro North Railroad, and Long Island Railroad service at 7pm tonight until 12 hours after Sandy clears (which will probably be Wednesday morning). In New Jersey, New Jersey Transit will be suspending all rail and light rail service all day tomorrow.  Amtrak will also be suspending most of its East Coast rail lines they include: ALL Acela Express, Northeast Regional, Keystone & Shuttle services, Empire service, Adirondack,Vermonter, Ethan Allen and Pennsylvanian train services are suspened along with the overnight Auto Train, Capitol Limited, Crescent, Lake Shore Limited, Palmetto and Silver Meteor trains. The WMATA in Washington D.C. as well as Pennsylvania's SEPTA, and Maryland's MARC are also suspending service.

Here in Boston, the MBTA has announced that they will be suspending all service at 2pm this afternoon. There are many different obstructions that can cause the MBTA to delay service during severe weather. Here are some problems that the T has faced in recent years.

The portable dam blocking off
the Fenway Portal
Courtesy: MassDOT

• Flooding: Tunnels all around the MBTA system are prone to flooding when a large amount of rain falls in a short period of time. Pumps do help with this but it can not always be avoided. Large amounts of water building up on track can also cause the earth and ballast under the track to wash out causing unsafe conditions. One of the most famous incidents of flooding in the MBTA system was in 1991 when the Muddy River overflowed its banks and flooded the Fenway Portal and Kenmore station. The MBTA now has a portable dam in place at the Fenway Portal that will protect the portal and Kenmore station from flood waters. 

Washout on the Riverside Line
Courtesy: MBTA 

• Downed Catenary Wire: The entire MBTA Green Line is electrified by overhead electrical wire. On the aboveground trolley routes it is very possible that tree limbs could fall on this wire and knock it off of its supports. Catenary repairs can sometimes be a very lengthy fix so downed wires can cause major delays. In the past, the "D" Riverside branch of the Green Line has had the most problems with downed wires. The Providence and Stoughton Commuter Rail Line could also experience delays due to downed wires. 

Tree down on the Red Line during Hurricane Irene
Courtesy: MBTA

• Downed Trees/Limbs: Most of the lines in the MBTA system run through areas where trees hang over the tracks. In high winds, if the trees have not been cut back, large tree limbs can fall onto the tracks, trains, catenary, and third rail. Although it depends on how large they are , fallen branches and trees can cause major delays. In the past the MBTA has run special trains on all lines that have special equipment to clear large debris from the tracks. 

For up to date information on the MBTA over next few days be sure to check MBTA.com or follow @mbtaGM on twitter. You can also call (617)-222-3200 for more information. I will also be tweeting about the hurricane and any updates I receive follow me @Boston_to_a_t. 

Wi-Fi roll out on Amtrak Northeast Regional!

Ahh WI-FI! Commuters who ride the MBTA Commuter Rail know WI-FI all to well. I feel that we are very spoiled to have full (sometimes high-speed) wireless internet access on basically every train in the system! Yes, sometimes it does get frustrating when your trying to publish a post and the internet cuts out and everything is erased (yes it has happened) but c'mon its free!

Ever since its initial trail process in 2008, which made the MBTA and MBCR the first railroad operators in the U.S. to offer free WI-FI service on Commuter Rail trains, the service has been implemented on 258 of of the MBTA's 410 coaches and is being utilized by over 10,000 commuters daily!

In 2010 Amtrak launched its first free Wi-Fi service on their Acela Express service between Boston and Washington. Right away the service took off leaving commuters who use Northeast Regional and other Amtrak routes around the country demanding Wi-Fi service on their trains! After the Acela launch Amtrak created similar programs for their Cascades train in the Pacific Northwest and my favorite train The Downeaster! Well finally the day has come where more trains in the Amtrak system are receiving free Wi-Fi !

Today, October 31, 2011, Amtrak is rolling out full free Wi-Fi service on 7 of their routes including: Northeast Regional, The Vermonter, Empire Service, and The Carolinian! Limited Wi-Fi service (only selected coaches per train) is also being rolled out on four other Amtrak routes including: The Adirondack and The Palmetto. For a full list of Amtrak's new Wi-Fi connected routes visit Amtrak.com!

Wi-Fi- service has long been a priority for Amtrak. Their largest barrier for expanding service was that there was limited bandwidth on many of their routes. Amtrak's Wi-Fi service or "Amtrak Connect", just like the MBTA Wi-Fi, receives its coverage from cellular companies (The MBTA's is at&t). This sometimes causes inconsistencies in internet access as the trains travel along their routes due to the fact that some areas still don't have 3G towers. Amtrak is currently working with numerous cellular companies to try and expand their coverage. The "Amtrak Connect"technology is currently running on existing infrastructure but the way that it is designed it can take advantage of upgrades like 4G connectivity.

YAY History: The Downeaster

©2011 Boston to a T

Well its taken me a little while but I finally have a new history segment! This month I'm going to be sharing with you the history of my favorite train, Amtrak's Downeaster. I'm hoping a lot of you have heard of this service but if you haven't I hope you go and check it out after reading this post!

The Downeaster is owned by the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority and is operated by Amtrak. It was put into revenue service on December, 15 2001 and currently runs five round-trip trains daily from Boston's North Station to Portland, Maine. Over its almost 10 years in service the Downeaster has become Amtrak's fastest growing service moving over 500,000 passengers during fiscal year 2011.

The Downeaster follows a very historic route, on 116 miles of trackage, through Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine. The route was once used by a joint passenger service between the Maine Central Railroad and the Boston and Maine Railroad that was dubbed the Pine Tree. The only difference is that the Pine Tree terminated in Bangor. At the present time the Downeaster uses a bus to shuttle passengers from the Portland Transportation Center to Bangor.

A Boston bound Downeaster at Anderson/Woburn station

Since the train is operated by Amtrak the ride, which takes only about two and a half hours, has a lot of great amenities. There is a full service food car, business class seating (which is actually nicer than the business class on Northeast Regional trains), and it is the only train, other than Acela, to offer free WI-FI internet! The Downeaster also has a "Train Host" program where volunteers help passengers onboard with finding and signing up for attractions near the Downeaster's stops.

Since the beginning of 2010 the Downeaster has been going through its first major expansion since the route was re-opened in 2001. The $38 Million project, which is set to be finished by the fall of 2012, will expand the Downeasters route northward to Brunswick. The Downeaster Expansion Construction Project includes the rehabilitation of approximately 27 miles of track between Portland and Brunswick owned by Pan Am Railways, and approximately 1.2 miles of track in Brunswick owned by the MaineDOT. The current jointed rail will be replaced with continuously welded rail (more on this from Tyler at IridetheT)  36 grade crossings will be fully rebuilt and signaling systems will be reconfigured and upgraded along the whole route. The majority of the work will be completed by Pan Am Railways’ labor forces and equipment, with certain elements to be constructed by MaineDOT. Upon completion of construction, Amtrak will extend two of the Downeaster’s daily round trips to Brunswick and it will create two brand new stations in Freeport and Brunswick. 

This is two Downeaster train sets coupled
together! You can see that it extends way past
the end of the platform!

Overall, the Downeaster is just plain awesome! I take it during the winter to go skiing but its also wonderful during the summer! I really hope you go out and take the train to maine and see what its like! If you want more information on the Downeaster or if you want to book a trip you can visit www.amtrakdowneaster.com. Well thats this months history lesson! If you have any suggestions for me please leave a comment!


  

Field Trip!: Amtrak's 40th Anniversary Train

©2011 Boston to a T

 On Saturday Aaron and I decided to go on one of our crazy field trips. This trip took us down to Providence Rhode Island to visit Amtrak's 40th Anniversary exhibit train.

Since 1971 Amtrak has carried millions of passengers across the nation. They have carried families on vacation and men and woman on business trips all while showing them what America has to offer. For their 40th anniversary Amtrak put together a special exhibition train that would travel the entire country and show the public how this company has prospered. So far the train, which departed from Amtrak headquarters at Union Station in Washington D.C., has traveled along the entire Northeast Corridor. After it leaves Providence the next stop will be South Station in Boston and then head up to Vermont.


 The train itself is quite magnificent. It totals 510' in length and it consists of a GE Genesis P-40 locomotive., a GM F40PH Non Powered Control Unit (this allows the train to operate in either direction without having to be turned around), three refurbished 1950's baggage cars, a former Pacific Bend sleeper car, and a reconfigured Amfleet Cafe car. Each car was handpicked out of storage by Amtrak to be part of this exhibition. They were also extensively refurbished before heading out on this trip. The cars that received the largest reformation were the baggage cars, which were transformed into display cars. Crews added new display cases, lights, electrical outlets, and HVAC systems.

Aaron Sitting with one of
the manequins

The exhibits on the train were nothing short of incredible. The cars had thousands of nostalgic photos and pamphlets in display cases. They had mannequins modeling crew uniforms from the 70's till today and tables displaying different Amtrak china. The train also had some interactive exhibits. One had five different locomotive horns that allowed you to push a button and see how the tones changed over the years. There was also one that let you see, up close, how a pantograph works and the difference between the catenary wire between Boston and New Haven and New Haven and New York. My overall favorite exhibit on the entire train though was all of the Amtrak Advertisements from over the years.

Pieces of Amtrak advertising ranged from small buttons and bumper stickers to huge billboard posters.

Overall, this was not only the most unique museum I have ever had the privilege to visit but also one of the most informative. Amtrak truly is one of the companies that has truly defined itself in America. Even though they have had their fare share of problems and scrutiny they have still managed to move thousands of passengers everyday on their 21,000 miles of track!

Field Trip!: New York City!!

That's right, I took a field trip! Two weekends ago my family and I headed out on our annual family vacation. This year our destination was The Big Apple! We have been to New York a few times over the past few years and each time we discover something new and exciting. This year, just like I expected, was full of those wonderful discoveries.

The Solari  board at Route-128 Station

Just like in years past we took the Amtrak Northeast Regional right into Penn Station in Manhattan. Personally, and not just because I love rail transit, I believe this is one of the most convenient, and stress free ways to get into the city. Well other than Mega Bus and Fungwah  (YEAH RIGHT!). We purchased Business Class tickets ( I get a 15% discount with my College ID!) and departed at 6:30 am on Amtrak Regional # 95 out of Route-128 station in Westwood. You're probably wondering why we chose not to go out of South Station. Well other than the fact that it is a little cheaper its also a bit more convenient, driving wise, from Lowell. A quick side note about the Route-128 station, it is one of only ten stations in the United States that still has an operating Split-flap Display departure board manufactured by Solari Udine (More info about these miraculous boards from Tyler at iRIDEtheT)!

It was a little rainy on the way in

Now back to the trip! The train ride into the city is about four hours and twenty five minutes but it truly does not seem that long. Before I knew it we were rolling right into the underground tunnels of New York's Penn Station.

My dad trying to figure out
how to buy a Metro Card

Inside a "Blue Bird"

After we got to the hotel and unpacked (we stayed at the Marriott Marques Hotel right in the center of Times Square) we all headed out for our first stop on the trip, The New York Transit Museum in Brooklyn! We caught the 2 train at 42nd Street station and took it to Borough Hall in Brooklyn. The museum, which displays artifacts and pictures of the New York City Subway, commuter rail, bus, bridge, and tunnel systems, is located in the now defunct Court St. Subway Station in Brooklyn Heights. My favorite part of the entire museum was how many restored subway cars they had on display. The museum has 18 cars displayed on the their two functioning subway tracks. They also have a total of 32 cars in their collection. The museum also features two cut out busses, plenty of subway wall art, and hundreds of fair collection machines. Overall, the museum was an incredible experience!

Automated stop display on the 2 train

The rest of our trip we rode the subway to a bunch of different parts of the city. We went to Little Italy, Chinatown, and SOHO! Riding the subway in NYC is a great experience and is also nice break from the T. Although I did not ride the entire system (man that would take days!) the lines I rode were clean and I was mostly met with their new fleets of trains. Like the T, the MTA has automated voice announcements, but there are neat differences between their announcements. The announcements for approaching stops are done by a woman and the commanding announcements such as : "no smoking please" or "Please stand clear of the closing doors" are done by a man. The MTA did actual research on this and came to the conclusion that most people respond better to a man commanding them and a woman giving them the next stop.  One other neat thing on the new MTA fleet in service is the automated stop displays that show the next stop all the way down the line. I feel that when the T finally starts to replace the Red and Orange line fleet or even the commuter rail coaches they should implement these displays. It would make it so much more easier for commuters, especially tourists, to figure out exactly where their going.

On a quick note, that Sunday my mother and I went to see a musical! This year we chose to see the revival of "Anything Goes!" which starred Sutton Foster and Joel Grey. I have been in and seen dozens of musicals and this BY FAR blew them all away!!

Rush hour in Penn Station

Well, anyway, on Monday we got in a cab around 5 and made our way back to Penn Station to catch our 7:30 train back to Boston (just a bit early). I was a little bit glad that we got there early though because it gave me a chance to explore the station. I got to see a bunch of New Jersey Transit, Long Island Railroad, and Amtrak trains come and go during the evening rush. I also got to see the Amtrak Vermonter which was very neat!


Well I hope you enjoyed my ramblings about my family vacation. If you want to see more pics from the trip I have a bunch posted on the blogs Flickr!

Breaking News! Amtrak Downeaster collides with tractor-trailer

This morning at about 11:00 am Amtrak's Downeaster, which runs multiple times daily between Boston and Portland, was traveling at a smooth 70mph when it collided with a tractor-trailer at an at-grade crossing on Route 4 in North Berwick Maine. The crash left the driver of the tractor-trailer dead, a half dozen train passengers injured, and a locomotive scorched.

Downeaster Loco #821 at North Station 

Loco after crash can't even tell this is part of Amtrak fleet

The train had 112 passengers and three crew members onboard when it collided with the truck. Fortunately, no life threatening injuries were reported. This is thanks to the Amtrak engineer's quick thinking. Right after the train hit the truck the engineer jumped out of the burning locomotive and separated it from the four passenger coaches. He then proceeded to get back in to the locomotive so he could move it a safe distance away from the coaches. The fire, which left the locomotive gutted and charred was said to be bellowing at least three stories high. One witness stated that "It looked like somebody dropped a bomb. The flames were shooting higher than a three-story house... it brings tears to your eyes".

A few witnesses did reported that the flashing lights and crossing gates at the grade crossing on Route 4 were working at the time of the crash but the tractor trailer did not stop on time. According to Maine officials there were about 200 feet of skid marks leading up to the crossing and one of the gates was clipped by the trailer. The driver of the tractor-trailer was Peter Barnum, 35, of Farmington, NH, and he was driving for Triumvirate Environmental. His trailer was full of trash that was being brought to the incinerator in Biddeford Maine.

The passenger coach 

This accident comes at a time when both companies have already seen their share recent of incidences. Triumvirate which operates out of Somerville MA had a recent incident when one of their drivers had a heart attack while driving his tractor-trailor and killed four people. Amtrak had to deal with a similar incident last month when a driver of a semi-trailer drove into the side of a passenger train in Nevada killing six people. Amtrak is currently suing that trucking company.

Amtrak officials have assured passengers that train travel is still extremely safe. The Downeaster is expected to continue it regularly scheduled departures starting tonight when its 11:20 p.m. train departs north station. No delays are expected for tomorrows morning rush.

Source: Boston.com

Quiet Cars go system wide!

Commuter Rail train passing through Route-128
on its way to Boston

Finally, commuting on the T will become a little less frustrating. I won't have to think "Hey you with the cellphone... Yeah, you, the guy who's talking at an above normal and obnoxious level on your cell phone... SHUT UP!". Now when I ride the Lowell line I can sit and listen to my iPod in peace. That's right! The MBTA is finally rolling out quiet cars, which got rave reviews during their trial run on the Fitchburg and Franklin lines, on all 13 commuter rail lines.

While on the cars, commuters must refrain from using cell phones, keep their conversations to a whisper, and may not blare music on their iPods.

Overall I think that this program is an awesome idea. I mean it's about time that the MBTA puts one of these programs into place. Amtrak has had quiet cars on every one of their lines, including Acela, for over ten years. Similar programs also exist on Chicago's Metra and the New Jersey Transit commuter rail system. My biggest concern with the program though, is where the quiet car is located. The MBTA quiet car on each commuter rail train will be the coach closest to the locomotive. Hmmm... that's interesting. For some reason I thought the MBTA's old diesel locomotives made tons of obnoxious noise. I know the coach does filter out quite a bit of noise, but still some of the old F40PH locos are just so load its unbearable. I feel that the quiet cars should be in the middle of the train (this is what Amtrak does).

Quiet Car sign on Amtrak Northeast Regional 

On Tuesday, in order to get the word out to customers, the MBTA made announcements at both North and South Stations and had mimes walking around the stations giving out cards describing the dos and don'ts for behavior on the quiet cars. Wish I could have caught a pic of that! Conductors will also make regular announcements on their trains to let passengers know that the first coach is the quiet car and that cell phone use and loud conversations are prohibited. If issues do arise with passengers not wanting to adhere with the quiet car guidelines they will be taken care of by MBTA transit police and not the conductors. I think that is a great idea. There is no reason why a conductor should have to put themselves into a situation like that.

Overall I really hope this program becomes even more popular as the months and years go on and I hope that the T keeps thinking up more creative things to make the commuter rail a little more enjoyable...and on time!

Mumford and Sons take America by Train!

Mumford and Sons! You know they're that English rock-folk band thats been on the iTunes top ten albums for like the past 5 months! Their album Sigh No More is literally, in my opinion, one of the best albums I have ever listened to! This year the band was nominated for two Grammy Awards. They also won the ARIA Music Award for Most Popular International Artist and the Brit Award for Best British Album. As you can see they are kind of a big deal right now.

This past April Mumford and Sons, along with Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, and Old Crow Medicine Show announced that they would be embarking on a tour unlike any other (to me though it seems much like a modern day Festival Express ). The tour was not so much inspired by some insane push for high-speed rail but it was actually a push for the opposite. It seems like the bands created this tour to try and capture the somehow forgotten romance on the rails. The bands rode on an Amtrak Special made up of vintage rail cars from the 1950's and 60's and traveled through America's Southwest, eating, sleeping, recording, and without a doubt, partying while on the train.The bands visited the six US cities of Oakland CA, San Pedro CA, Chandler AZ, Marfa TX, Austin TX, and New Orleans LA.

Anything that gets Americans to fall back in love with trains is aces in my book. This country has long lost its fascination with trains, and a tour like this could help recapture that romance for the rail. The band rented the vintage cars for this special train from trains museums throughout California and the locomotives from Amtrak. This tour also goes along with Amtrak's 40th anniversary which Aaron and I will be discussing in a post VERY soon! The train consisted mostly of classic California Zephyr, Western Pacific, and Southern Pacific cars which were all manufactured by the Pullman Company. These luxury cars were the pride of the railroad back in the 50's and 60's. They featured dining cars with five star dining, sleeper cars with all of the luxuries of a home, and observation cars that showed amazing views. This was the way to travel back in the day and I really hope that someday very soon train travel will become what it once was in its hay day. 

VH1 TV Shows | Music Videos | Celebrity Photos | News & Gossip

All the bands covering Woody Guthrie’s “This Train Is Bound For Glory”

Sources: Rollingstone.com VH1.com railroadrevivaltour.com

Haverhill railroad bridge won't get repairs it needs

The city of Haverhill, the MBTA, Amtrak, and PanAm Railways are all going to have to wait a little longer for the bridge that runs over the Merrimack River and connects downtown Haverhill to Bradford to be replaced. The bridge, which is currently 92 years old, is in DIRE need of repairs!

The Downeaster crossing the bridge 

Currently, the bridge sees a plentiful amount of train travel each day. The bridge serves the MBTA's Haverhill Commuter Rail Line which runs 26 times a day (13 inbound, 13 outbound). Amtrak's "Train to Maine" or the Downeaster, which makes five round trip journeys each day travels over the bridge as well. The bridge also sees regular freight rail service from PanAm Railways.


In early March the City of Haverhill applied for a portion of the $2.5 Billon federal high-speed rail funding that Florida governor Rick Scott turned down in February. The city applied for a $110 million portion of the funding in order for them to fully demolish and replace the bridge. Early this month though, the city, to their disappointment, found out their application for the $110 million was rejected. Instead of receiving the full amount to rebuild the bridge, the city acquired only $20.8 Million in funding. This money will be used to build a second set of trackage that will run the 10.4 miles between Andover and Wilmington. It will be designed to help speed up travel and eliminate the bottle neck on the Haverhill commuter rail line and also the Downeaster line.

The bridge is so rickety and in need of repairs that some city officials greatly believe that the bridge is unsafe and very likely to collapse. Councilor William Macek said "Vibrations or something else is eventually going to take it down.......There's probably nothing in our area that's more in need of repairs. It's obviously very unsafe." Another reason why there is fear in the minds of many of the counselors is because the bridge is very similar in design to the bridge that collapsed in Minneapolis in 2007 which killed 13 people and left dozens injured. 


At the present time the MBTA,which owns the tracks, has put in place numerous restrictions for travel over the bridge. Commuter Rail trains and Amtrak Downeaster trains are limited to 15 mph while crossing the bridge but two trains can cross the bridge at the same time. PanAm Railways freight trains are limited to 5 mph while crossing the bridge and only one train can cross at a time. 


According to MBTA General Manager Richard Davey the bridge is safe for train travel at this time. Davey was quoted as saying; "I can tell you unequivocally that we would not be running train service over that bridge if there were any questions about its safety". The bridge was last inspected in March and the engineering firm that is helping to plan for the bridges eventual replacement has been reviewing the bridge on a monthly basis. In 2008 the MBTA did some repair work on the bridge. They replaced the entire deck which included 1,600 bridge timbers, installing railings and walkways, and also laying about 8,000 feet of track. These were not meant as long term repairs, though. 

William Macek

Haverhill officials are wondering if the elected congressional delegation did enough to acquire the money. They want to invite a few officials (Niki Tsongas) down to Haverhill to tour the span and see how serious the situation really is. Councilor William Macek stated that he and his fellow counselors have a duty to speak out about the situation before there is a disaster. 


Until full funding can be found for the project Rich Davey said that the MBTA will be making as many interim repairs as they can to the bridge in order for it to stay safe for rail travel. Those of you who ride the Haverhill line or the Downeaster, keep for fingers crossed that the money comes soon!


Source: Eagletribune.com