PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The new seasonal rail service between Pittsfield, Mass., and New York City is scheduled to operate during summer weekends this year and again in 2023. Amtrak and local transportation officials will evaluate the demand, determining if the pilot project should be continued.
“We are pleased to work together with our partner agencies to run passenger train service between Pittsfield and New York City on weekends during the busiest tourist times this summer,” Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker Jr. says in a statement. “Western Massachusetts and the Berkshire Region offer a whole host of cultural and recreational opportunities during the summer, and we hope this pilot service will encourage even more visitors to this part of our state.”
The Berkshire Flyer will depart New York City’s Pennsylvania Station at 3:16 p.m. on Fridays and arrive at Joseph Scelsi Intermodal Transportation Center in Pittsfield at 7:12 p.m.
Station stops for the Flyer will be the same as Amtrak’s Empire Service — in New York: Yonkers, Croton-Harmon, Poughkeepsie, Rhinecliff, Hudson, and Albany-Rensselaer. The Sunday return trip will depart from Pittsfield at 3 p.m. and arrive in New York at 7:05 p.m. The same stations will be served on the return trip.
Amtrak will off Berkshire Flyer passengers the same amenities as it does on its other trains.
Amtrak, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, and the New York State Department of Transportation worked with CSX Transportation to prepare the pilot service after an agreement was reached to use CSX tracks.
Tickets will be available later in May on Amtrak.com.
How far is Springfield away? Wouldn’t it make sence to continue to Springfield for aditional connections instead of running an empty train back to Albany?
Just looking at a map, Pittsfield to Springfield looks to be about twice as far as Pittsfield to Albany. And I suspect that the consists used for this service are drawn from the Empire Service pool, so they’ll probably be needed out of Albany the rest of the week anyway.
New Haven ran a service from NY (GCT) to Pittsfield via South Norwalk, Danbury and Canaan. In 1954, Summer only Train 146, Friday only, was named the Housatonic. It left GCT 4.25 PM, arrived Pittsfield 8.30 PM. It advertised a Parlor Car and a Diner-Lounge. The consist returned as 147 on Sundays: Pittsfield 7.30 PM; GCT 11.30 PM. There were other, lesser, through trains.
Surely wonderful news for passengers who wish to journey between the Berkshires and New York City by train this summer.
This recent route will offer a more comfortable and convenient transportation option, that’s also more environmentally friendly, for people traveling between New York City and Pittsfield – Massachusetts.
Amtrak’s each “Berkshire Flyer” train will feature perks like free Wi-Fi and the ability to bring two personal items and two carry-on bags on board.
Dr. Güntürk Üstün
The problem is, Mr. Ustan, that the “last mile” situation has yet to be spelled out. The Berkshire Eagle recently had an article citing the problems incurred by a family that arrived Pittsfield on #449 (BOS-CHI) getting from the depot which is downtown to their destination some 3-5 miles distant. It wasn’t pretty. The folks at the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission and 1Berkshire, basically the Chamber of Commerce have laid out for us to see how folks arriving at a little after 7pm on Fridays will get to Lenox or Stockbridge, or Great Barrington or Williamstown, or anywhere not in walking distance of the Amtrak depot. And return to the depot on Sundays for the absolutely unmarketable departure time of 3pm.,
Wouldn’t it be easier to run a dedicated Thruway bus to Pittsfield? It’s only 40 miles from Albany; and the bus could continue to other destinations like Lenox and Stockbridge to the south.
Reminiscent of the Hilltopper. Anybody remember that! I don’t except learning about it in the book “Amtrak at 10 years old” (I was born 6 weeks after Amtrak’s start up.)
So the question is, who today has pull like WV Congressman Staggers?
Anyway people should judge this as a repeated special, exploring the Berkshire market. The cars being used were probably just sitting in Sunnyside yard during the weekend anyway. Although they might earn more passenger revenue on weekend Empire Service trains during the summer
No, not Sunnyside. It was Providence, the capital of the state then known as Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.
The United Aircraft turbos were based in Providence. Bad enough location for trains running NYP to BOS, and even worse better for a train into the wilds of West Virginia.
The late Sen. Claibourne deBorda Pell of Rhode Island had the pull to get the turbo maintenance base. Harley Staggers had the pull for the West Virginia train.
The two examples of throwing their weight around were both questionable. That aside, both men did a heckuva lot of good for the rails. Staggers as in Staggers act, singlehandedly saving the freight railroads. Pell in office in the 1960’s saw the decline of passenger railroading in the east and laid the groundwork for what would be Amtrak. Long forgotten (many of you weren’t born yet), federal support for NEC passenger trains predated Amtrak. The Metroliners NYP-WAS and the turbos NYP-BOS were already running when Amtrak started.
Brother Landley has right. The Turbos were built by Pullman in Chicago but the United Aircraft (UA) technicians were in Providence. Thus the turbos ran from NY (GCT then Penn Sta) to Boston in evening, then Boston to Providence for overnight at UA. In the AM they ran PVD-BOS then BOS-NY. They had electric motors and third rail for the NY tunnels and underground stations.
Hey, its an interesting idea. Whether it works or not we shall see. One has to remember that many city residents do not own cars and that this may offer them the chance to get away for a weekend.
So noted. So run the train twice daily, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year. That’s the way to serve the population you mention. Just because someone doesn’t have a car (or doesn’t like long car rides due to age, etc.) doesn’t mean they can fit their round trip into a once-weekly schedule.
Charles, both you and I know what you propose is ridiculous. This is not a new idea. You being from the New England area as I was must remember the Cape Codder. It ran during the summer under Amtrak for some years. I don’t know if still runs as I have left the area. The purposed train to the Berkshires may or may not be successful. Personally I don’t think it will, but nothing ventured nothing gained.
“Amtrak will off Berkshire Flyer passengers the same amenities as it does on its other trains.”
Which other trains? Could be anything from no food service to a full service dining car, plus one of their many interpretations of business class. Perhaps they are just referring to amenities like seats and toilets.
CHRIS —- For the number of riders expected, seats and toilets will not be necessary.
At a time when we are struggling for multiple daily frequencies with connections, along comes this joke, running once a week on a schedule no one will ride with nothing connecting at the Pittsfield end.
I was thumbing through a recent issue of TRAINS MAGAZINE where the writer interviewed a retired Amtrak manager about triweekly trains. The retired manager said it was seven days of expenses with three days of revenue.
So does the equipment sit in Pittsfield two nights and a day? And is the crew at an away terminal for 42 hours? (8 PM Fri till 2 PM Sun)
Mt. Wayman, the Friday train deadheads back to their home terminal, Albany-Rensselaer depot. The Sunday train deadheads ALB-PIT.
Listen to the sound of one hand clapping.
If you wish to study a grandfalloon/
Peal the skin off a toy balloon!
—- Kurt Vonnegut