The Valley Flyer is a train service run by Amtrak between New Haven, Connecticut and Greenfield, Massachusetts along Amtrak's New Haven–Springfield Line and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation's Connecticut River Line.
 Amtrak train 471, the Valley Flyer, waiting for departure at Springfield Union Station, January 24, 2020 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Overview | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Service type | Inter-city rail | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Status | Operating | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Locale | Connecticut and Massachusetts | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| First service | August 30, 2019 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current operator(s) | Amtrak in partnership with CTDOT and MassDOT | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Route | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Termini | New Haven, Connecticut Greenfield, Massachusetts | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stops | 12 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Distance travelled | 102 miles (164 km) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Average journey time | 2 hours, 42-48 minutes[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Service frequency | 2 daily round trips | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Train number(s) | 400, 461, 471, 479, 486, 488, 494, 499 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| On-board services | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Class(es) | Coach | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Technical | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rolling stock | GE Genesis locomotives, Amfleet coach cars and Ex-Metroliner cab cars | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operating speed | Up to 110 mph (180 km/h) (New Haven–Springfield)[2] Up to 79 mph (127 km/h) (Springfield–Greenfield) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track owner(s) | Amtrak & MassDOT | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Valley Flyer trains meet Acela and Northeast Regional services at New Haven Union Station where passengers can typically make a cross-platform transfer between trains. Departures on the Valley Flyer are timed to make day trips between the Connecticut River Valley and New York City possible.[3]
South of Springfield, the Valley Flyer complements the Hartford Line commuter rail service operated by the Connecticut Department of Transportation and the Amtrak Hartford Line service. North of Springfield, it complements Amtrak's Vermonter, offering travelers in the Valley three daily round trips on the Connecticut River Line.
History
editOn June 12, 2018, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker announced that two daily round trip Amtrak Hartford Line trains (then called New Haven–Springfield Shuttle) would be extended to Greenfield in 2019 as a pilot program.[4] By February 2019, the two-year pilot was expected to begin in June 2019; however, by that May it was delayed to later in the year.[5][6]
On August 30, 2019, the Valley Flyer program began with a 5:45 am departure south from Greenfield.[7] As a basis for continuing the Valley Flyer permanently, MassDOT set a goal of attracting at least 24,000 new riders per year during the pilot program. To this end, the 2020 Massachusetts state budget provided $250,000 to market the program. Thewatsons—a New York-based ad agency that has worked with Grand Central Terminal and CTrides—was contracted in fall 2019 to create the marketing campaign.[8] From March 30, 2020, to July 26, 2021, one daily round trip was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[9]
In October 2022, MassDOT and Amtrak announced that the Valley Flyer service had matched projected ridership and would be made permanent.[10]
Proposed extension
editIn the 2021 Vermont Rail Plan, VTrans modeled the potential extension of one daily Valley Flyer round-trip north from Greenfield to White River Junction, Vermont, and south from New Haven to Washington. This service would further supplement the Vermonter by doubling its frequency at four stations in Vermont and one in New Hampshire. VTrans forecast that this extension would attract an additional 30,500 to 50,200 riders per year by 2040.[11] VTrans also considered extending a second daily Valley Flyer round-trip north to Brattleboro, but dropped this idea since the station lacks a turning mechanism.[11]
Service
editTwo New Haven-Greenfield round-trips are offered on weekdays, with southbound trains in the morning and northbound in the evening. On weekends, one similarly scheduled New Haven-Greenfield round-trip is offered, in addition to a reverse round trip between Springfield and Greenfield.[12][13] Valley Flyer trains meet Acela Express and Northeast Regional services at New Haven Union Station where passengers can typically make a cross-platform transfer between trains. Departures on the Valley Flyer are timed to make day trips between the Connecticut River Valley and New York City possible.[14]
Stations
edit| State | Milepost (km)[15] | Location | Station[16] | Connections[17][16][18][19] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MA | 102 mi (164 km) | Greenfield | John W. Olver Transit Center |  Amtrak: Vermonter FRTA: 20, 21, 24, 31, 32, 41 Greyhound Lines
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| 83 mi (134 km) | Northampton | Northampton Union Station | Amtrak: Vermonter PVTA: B48, G73E, R41, R44
| |
| 72 mi (116 km) | Holyoke | Holyoke | Amtrak: Vermonter PVTA: R24, R29, T24, X90
| |
| 62 mi (100 km) | Springfield | Springfield Union Station | Amtrak: Lake Shore Limited, Northeast Regional, Vermonter, Amtrak Hartford Line CTrail: Hartford Line PVTA: B4, B6, B7, B7S, B12, B17, G1, G2, G2E, G3, P20, P20E, P21, P21E, R10, R14, X92, LOOP Greyhound Lines,  Peter Pan Bus Lines
| |
| CT | 47.4 mi (76.3 km) | Windsor Locks | Windsor Locks | Amtrak: Northeast Regional, Vermonter, Hartford Line CTrail: Hartford Line
|
| 42.9 mi (69.0 km) | Windsor | Windsor | Amtrak: Northeast Regional, Hartford Line CTrail: Hartford Line
| |
| 36.7 mi (59.1 km) | Hartford | Hartford Union Station | Amtrak: Northeast Regional, Vermonter, Hartford Line CTrail: Hartford Line CTfastrak
| |
| 26.1 mi (42.0 km) | Berlin | Berlin | Amtrak: Northeast Regional, Hartford Line CTrail: Hartford Line
| |
| 18.7 mi (30.1 km) | Meriden | Meriden Transit Center | Amtrak: Northeast Regional, Vermonter, Hartford Line CTrail: Hartford Line
| |
| 13.0 mi (20.9 km) | Wallingford | Wallingford | Amtrak: Northeast Regional, Hartford Line CTrail: Hartford Line
| |
| 0.6 mi (0.97 km) | New Haven | New Haven State Street | Amtrak: Northeast Regional, Hartford Line CTrail: Hartford Line, Shore Line East Metro-North Railroad: ■ New Haven Line
| |
| 0 mi (0 km) | New Haven Union Station | Amtrak: Acela, Hartford Line, Northeast Regional, Vermonter CTrail: Hartford Line, Shore Line East Metro-North Railroad: ■ New Haven Line Local bus: CTtransit New Haven Intercity bus: Greyhound, Peter Pan
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References
edit- ^ "Amtrak Timetable Results". www.amtrak.com. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
- ^ "AMTRAK RUNS TEST TRAINS OF UP TO 110 MPH IN PREPARATION FOR THE LAUNCH OF THE HARTFORD LINE ON JUNE 16" (Press release). Connecticut Department of Transportation. June 6, 2018. Retrieved June 9, 2018.
- ^ Kinney, Jim (August 24, 2019). "Amtrak announces Valley Flyer train schedule for Knowledge Corridor". masslive. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
- ^ Tuthill, Paul (June 12, 2018). "Commuter Trains To Run North Of Springfield Starting In 2019". WAMC. Archived from the original on June 13, 2018. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
- ^ Kinney, Jim (February 1, 2019). "Springfield-Holyoke-Northampton-Greenfield passenger trains a go for summer". Mass Live.
- ^ Fritz, Anita (May 2, 2019). "Greenfield to see extended passenger rail service by end of summer". Greenfield Recorder.
- ^ Dunau, Bera (August 30, 2019). "A new dawn for rail? Valley Flyer pilot makes its debut". Daily Hampshire Gazette. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
- ^ Fritz, Anita (December 1, 2019). "NYC firm to begin marketing Valley Flyer train service". Daily Hampshire Gazette. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
- ^ "AMTRAK AND MASSDOT ANNOUNCE RE-START OF SECOND VALLEY FLYER ROUNDTRIP TRAIN SERVICE IN WESTERN AND NORTHERN MASSACHUSETTS" (Press release). Amtrak. June 22, 2021.
- ^ "Massachusetts and Amtrak Officials Announce Valley Flyer Passenger Service Will Become Permanent" (Press release). Massachusetts Department of Transportation. October 28, 2022.
- ^ a b "Vermont Rail Plan: Passenger Rail Forecasting Scenarios" (PDF). Vermont Agency of Transportation. May 2021. p. 14-15. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
- ^ "AMTRAK AND MASSDOT ANNOUNCE START OF NEW VALLEY FLYER TRAIN SERVICE IN WESTERN AND NORTHERN MASSACHUSETTS" (Press release). Amtrak. August 27, 2019.
- ^ Valley Flyers debut Trains December 2019 page 19
- ^ "Valley Flyer". Trains In The Valley. March 11, 2016. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
- ^ "Executive Summary" (PDF). Connecticut Department of Transportation. p. 4. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
- ^ a b "Stations". Hartford Line. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
- ^ "Northeast Corridor Boston/Springfield-Washington Timetable" (PDF). Amtrak. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
- ^ "Metro-North New Haven Line Timetable" (PDF). Metro-North Railroad. January 22, 2019. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
- ^ "Shore Line East Rail Service Information" (PDF). Shore Line East. January 22, 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 21, 2019. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
External links
edit
- Valley Flyer | Trains In The Valley