 Shuttle train at New Haven Union Station in 2018 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Overview | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Service type | Inter-city rail | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Status | Operating | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Locale | Connecticut andMassachusetts | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current operators | Amtrak in partnership withCTDOT andMassDOT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Annual ridership | 474,990 (FY 25)  -17.7%[a][2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Route | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Termini | Springfield, Massachusetts New Haven, Connecticut | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stops | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Distance travelled | 62 miles (100 km) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Average journey time | 1 hour, 20-25 minutes[3] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Service frequency | 14 weekday trips 8 Saturday trips 11 Sunday trips | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Train number | 405, 409, 416, 417, 450, 460, 463-465, 467, 470, 473-475, 478, 490, 495, 497 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Technical | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rolling stock | GE Genesis locomotives,Amfleet coach cars, andEx-Metroliner cab cars | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)standard gauge | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operating speed | 110 mph (180 km/h)[4] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track owner | Amtrak | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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TheAmtrakHartford Line is atrain service run byAmtrak primarily betweenSpringfield, Massachusetts, andNew Haven, Connecticut, along Amtrak'sNew Haven–Springfield Line.
Prior to the addition of theValley Flyer and theNortheast Regional thru trains, the service was known as theNew Haven–Springfield Shuttle, or simply, theShuttle. The line was renamed in September 2019. Today the service is a component of and shares its name with theHartford Line commuter rail service operated by theConnecticut Department of Transportation.
Duringfiscal year (FY) 2023, the service carried 442,028 riders, an increase of 36.3% from FY 2022.[5] The increase in ridership was primarily due to recovery from theimpact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tourism.
The service is financially supported by theConnecticut Department of Transportation andMassachusetts Department of Transportation.
As inherited fromPenn Central in 1971, most service on the Springfield Line consisted of unnamedBudd Rail Diesel Car shuttles that connected withNortheast Corridor trains at New Haven, with limited through service to New York City.[6] In 1980, Connecticut invested $12 million to improve service on the line.[7]North Haven station was opened on October 25, 1980, and other stations were renovated.[8] A new fleet of 12Budd SPV-2000 diesel railcars allowed an increase to 12 daily round trips under theConnecticut Valley Service name (plus two through trips) at that time.[9] However, service was cut in half in 1981 after ridership failed to increase.[7]
On January 12, 1986, Amtrak pulled the unreliable SPVs from the line and replaced them withAmfleet coaches pulled by diesel locomotives.[citation needed] North Haven andEnfield stations were closed on October 25, 1986 due to low ridership.[8] As New Haven was the northern limit of electrification on the Northeast Corridor, New York–Boston trains changed between electric and diesel locomotives at the station. The passenger coaches of Springfield shuttle trains were attached to southbound trains during the engine change, and detached from northbound trains; this eliminated the need for passengers to change trains. TheConnecticut Valley Service name was soon dropped, and shuttle trains were named in timetables as sections of their connecting trains.[10] The elimination of the second track on the line beginning in 1990 sharply reduced capacity, limiting frequencies to four daily shuttle round trips plus several through trips.[11][12]
On October 28, 1995, most Northeast Corridor service including the shuttle trains were consolidated under theNortheastDirect brand. Electrification was extended to Boston in 2000, and engine changes were eliminated over the next two years. The cumbersome split/merge procedure was abandoned in favor of dedicated shuttle trains withcross-platform connections to through trains. The shuttle trains began to useFormer Metroliner cab cars, which had become available when replaced by new equipment on West Coast routes. This allowed them to operate inpush–pull format, eliminating the need towye or loop thetrainsets at New Haven and Springfield. TheNortheastDirect name was dropped in September 2001; Northeast Corridor trains became theAcela Regional (laterRegional thenNortheast Regional), while the shuttle trains became unnamed. They remained unnamed until 2019 when they received theHartford Line andValley Flyer names.
Until Amtrak discontinued all mail-hauling operations in 2005, the postal distribution center in Springfield, MA was a significant customer. Up until about the year 2000, Springfield was served by a dedicatedmail train which would run overnight up theInland Route to Springfield. After this train was canceled, mail cars were instead added to the early morning Train 190, to make pickups at large cities along the Northeast Corridor. At New Haven these mail cars would be removed from the rear of Train 190 and added toShuttle Train 490, sometimes sandwiching the locomotive in the middle of the train.
Until August 2015, daily service in each direction on the Springfield Line consisted of fourShuttles, theVermonter, and one or twoNortheast Regional trains.[13] Between August 3, 2015 and December 31, 2017, several round trips on weekdays were replaced by buses to accommodatedouble track construction for theConnDOTHartford Linecommuter rail service.[14] On June 9, 2018, three additional weekdayShuttle round trips were added as part of the startup of Hartford Line service. This change also added connections with some AmtrakAcela Express service in New Haven.[15]
Hartford Line began on June 16, 2018.[16] Initial Hartford Line service consisted of eight weekday round trips (four New Haven–Hartford and four New Haven–Springfield) and nine weekend round trips (six New Haven–Hartford and three New Haven–Springfield).[17] On September 10, 2018, as part of a schedule change made toHartford Line trains, all AmtrakShuttles andNortheast Regionals started stopping at New Haven'sState Street station.[18] (TheVermonter makes only limited stops between New Haven and Springfield.)
Amtrak adopted theHartford Line name for use on the trains it operates on the corridor and retired theShuttle designation in September 2019.[19] Service was reduced in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic; service levels were restored to pre-COVID frequency on April 25, 2022.[20] Most service will be replaced by buses from July 18 to September 9, 2022, during canopy roof replacement at Hartford Union Station and slope stabilization work in Windsor.[21]
On June 12, 2018, Massachusetts GovernorCharlie Baker announced that two daily round trips would be extended toGreenfield in 2019 as a pilot program.[22] 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.[23][24] On August 30, 2019, theValley Flyer program began. Two round trips are offered on weekdays and one on weekends with southbound trains in the morning and northbound in the evening which complement Amtrak's existing daily service on theVermonter. Additionally a reverse round trip operates between Springfield and Greenfield on weekends only.[25]
The local Hartford Line trains are numbered in the 400 series, usually denoting by the last two digits whichNortheast Regional train the Hartford Line train is connecting with. Trains terminating in Springfield carry the Hartford Line name, while trains terminating in Greenfield carry the Valley Flyer designation.[19] Typical consists run inpush-pull configuration with aGeneral ElectricP42DC locomotive pulling anAmfleet coach and a 9600-seriesex-Metroliner cab car. Normally the ex-Budd Metroliner leads northbound trains, while the GE Genesis usually leads most southbound trains. Crew bases are atSpringfield andNew Haven, with diesel locomotive servicing taking place at New Haven.
The New Haven–Springfield corridor is served by allNortheast Regional trains in the 140 series (except trains 145 and 149), as well as trains 125, 136, and 157. These trains run from Springfield toWashington, D.C. orVirginia without the need to change trains. The corridor is also served by Amtrak'sVermonter.[19]
Fares for travel within the corridor are subsidized by the states of Connecticut and Massachusetts, and are coordinated with the CTrail Hartford Line. Amtrak tickets are discounted to commuter rail-level pricing for trips on AmtrakHartford Line,Valley Flyer, andNortheast Regional services between Springfield, New Haven, and intermediate stations. CTrail tickets and passes are also accepted on these services.[26]
Vermonter trains on the corridor do not accept CTrail tickets, and are subject to standard Amtrak fares and reservations policies. Additionally, CTrail tickets are not accepted onNortheast Regional trains on certain days during the holiday season. Amtrak sells tickets for services on the corridor via its standard sales channels, including staffed ticket windows, QuikTrak ticket machines, online, and by phone.[26]
| State | Milepost (km)[27] | Location | Station[28] | Connections[19][28][29][30] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | 0 mi (0 km) | Springfield | Springfield Union Station |  Amtrak:Lake Shore Limited,Northeast Regional,Vermonter,Valley Flyer CTrail:Hartford Line PVTA Bus: B4, B6, B7, B12, B17, G1, G2, G3, G73E, P20, P21, P21E, R10, R14, X92 Intercity bus: Greyhound Lines,Peter Pan Bus Lines |
| Connecticut | 14.6 mi (23.5 km) | Windsor Locks | Windsor Locks | Amtrak:Northeast Regional,Vermonter,Valley Flyer CTrail: Hartford Line CTtransit Bus: 24, 96, 905 |
| 19.1 mi (30.7 km) | Windsor | Windsor | Amtrak:Northeast Regional, Valley Flyer CTrail: Hartford Line CTtransit Bus: 24, 32, 34, 36 | |
| 25.3 mi (40.7 km) | Hartford | Hartford Union Station | Amtrak:Northeast Regional,Vermonter,Valley Flyer CTrail: Hartford Line CTfastrak: 101 Hartford/New Britain, 102 Hartford/New Britain/Bristol, 128 Hartford/Westfarms-New Britain CTtransit Bus: 30, 45X, 62, 64, 66, 72, 74, 82, 83, 84, 901, 902, 903, 904, 905, 913, SC, DASH, PPB Intercity bus:Greyhound Lines,Peter Pan Bus Lines | |
| 35.9 mi (57.8 km) | Berlin | Berlin | Amtrak:Northeast Regional,Valley Flyer CTrail: Hartford LineCTtransit Bus: 512 Berlin Turnpike | |
| 43.3 mi (69.7 km) | Meriden | Meriden Transit Center | Amtrak:Northeast Regional,Vermonter,Valley Flyer CTrail: Hartford LineCTtransit Bus: 215, 561, 563, 564, 565, 950 | |
| 49.0 mi (78.9 km) | Wallingford | Wallingford | Amtrak:Northeast Regional,Valley Flyer CTrail: Hartford Line CTtransit Bus: 215 New Haven/Wallingford/Meriden, 292 North Colony Road | |
| 61.4 mi (98.8 km) | New Haven | New Haven State Street | Amtrak:Northeast Regional,Valley Flyer CTrail: Hartford Line,Shore Line East Metro-North Railroad:New Haven LineCTtransit Bus: 204, 206, 212, 223, 274, 278, 950 | |
| 62.0 mi (99.8 km) | New Haven Union Station | Amtrak:Acela,Northeast Regional,Vermonter,Valley Flyer CTrail: Hartford Line, Shore Line East Metro-North Railroad: New Haven Line CTtransit Bus: 212, 265, 271, 272, 274, 278, 950, USS |
Effective September 10, 2018, a new Hartford Line train schedule will take effect through September 30th to accommodate continuing track work. Along with this new schedule, all Hartford Line trains will now stop at New Haven State Street Station.
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