Beacon Hill (train)

Beacon Hill

A Bombardier LRC in use with the Beacon Hill in 1980
Overview
Service type	Commuter rail
Status	Discontinued
Predecessor	Clamdigger
First service	1978
Last service	1981
Former operator(s)	Amtrak
Route
Start	Boston
Stops	12
End	New Haven
Distance travelled	157 miles (253 km)
Average journey time	3 hours
Service frequency	Daily (weekdays only)
Train number(s)	153, 154
Route map Legend Dist. Station 0 mi  0 km  Boston South Station 1.0 mi  1.6 km  Boston Back Bay 12 mi  19 km  Route 128 MA/RI border 44 mi  71 km  Providence 57 mi  92 km  East Greenwich 63 mi  101 km  Wickford Junction 71 mi  114 km  Kingston 76 mi  122 km  Shannock 88 mi  142 km  Westerly RI/CT border 96 mi  154 km  Mystic 106 mi  171 km  New London 113 mi  182 km  East Lyme 124 mi  200 km  Old Saybrook 136 mi  219 km  Madison 148 mi  238 km  Branford 157 mi  253 km  New Haven

The Beacon Hill was a daily 157-mile (253 km) commuter rail service operated by Amtrak between Boston, Massachusetts, and New Haven, Connecticut, from 1978 to 1981. The Beacon Hill was one of the last long-haul commuter services operated by Amtrak. Service consisted of a single rush-hour round trip, with service eastbound to Boston in the morning and westbound to New Haven in the evening.

History

Previous service

After the New Haven Railroad folded into Penn Central in 1969, most commuter service between New Haven and Providence was terminated. (Commuter service west of New Haven continued under Penn Central and Conrail then Metro-North Railroad, while Boston-Providence service was taken over by the MBTA in 1975). The Clamdigger operated as a daily local from New London to New Haven until 1972, then later from Providence to New Haven beginning in 1976.^[1][2]

Beacon Hill

Geographic map of Beacon Hill service

On April 30, 1978, the Clamdigger was replaced with the Beacon Hill, which ran in the reverse direction to serve the Boston commuter market rather than the New Haven and New York markets.^[3] This left the Beacon Hill as the only commuter service between New Haven and Providence, except for a daily Westerly-Providence train subsidized by Rhode Island.^[4] The Beacon Hill supplemented Amtrak's existing intercity trains on the Corridor, which made fewer stops.^[5]

The Beacon Hill made station stops at New Haven Union Station, Branford, Madison, Old Saybrook, East Lyme (Niantic), New London Union Station, Mystic, Westerly, Shannock, Kingston, Wickford Junction, East Greenwich, Providence, Route 128, Back Bay, and South Station. Running time was slightly over 3 hours, with service on weekdays plus Sundays.^[5][6]

On November 3, 1979, the Southwest Corridor was closed for reconstruction. All MBTA Commuter Rail and Amtrak service was routed via the Midland Branch instead. The Midland does not pass through Back Bay station; a shuttle train from South Station to Back Bay was available.^[4]

In December 1979, the Westerly-Providence trip was canceled, leaving the Beacon Hill as the only commuter service in southern Rhode Island.^[4] On February 20, 1981, MBTA Providence/Stoughton Line service was back to Attleboro. Pawtucket/Central Falls was abandoned and Providence became an Amtrak-only stop.^[4]

When service began in 1978, the Beacon Hill departed South Station in Boston at 5:05pm.^[5] However, beginning February 2, 1980, the departure time was moved to 4:20pm and the train became weekdays-only^[7] This prevented workers on a 9-to-5 schedule - a major segment of the commuter market - from using the train.

Beginning in late 1980, the Beacon Hill frequently ran with one of Amtrak's two LRC test trainsets.^[8]

Cancellation and modern service

This MBTA station at Wickford Junction was opened in 2012 across the tracks from the former Beacon Hill station

The Beacon Hill was discontinued effective October 24, 1981, victim both of Amtrak cost-cutting and the unwillingness of state governments to provide necessary funding, as well as declining ridership.^[9] Regional (now branded as Northeast Regional) service continues and has been supplemented by Acela Express service, but those intercity services stop only at larger towns and cities and are not priced for commuter service.

In 1990, the Connecticut Department of Transportation began Shore Line East service between Old Saybrook and New Haven, with 4 daily trains. The service was extended to New London in 1996 and now includes 15 daily trains in each direction.

MBTA service to Providence resumed on February 1, 1988, restoring commuter rail service to Rhode Island. The Pawtucket/Central Falls station remained closed and was replaced in 1990 by South Attleboro station just across the Massachusetts border. After years of planning by RIDOT, the Providence/Stoughton Line was extended south to T.F. Green Airport on December 6, 2010, and to the former Beacon Hill station at Wickford Junction on April 23, 2012.^[4]

ConnDOT and RIDOT have long-term plans to extend Shore Line East and MBTA service to meet at Westerly station, which would provide a two-seat ride roughly matching the Beacon Hill.^[10][11] RIDOT also plans to add an infill station at East Greenwich near the former station site.^[11]

References

1. Baer, Christopher T. (June 2005). "PRR CHRONOLOGY: 1972" (PDF). Pennsylvania Technical and Historical Society. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
2. Baer, Christopher T. (August 2011). "PRR CHRONOLOGY: 1976" (PDF). Pennsylvania Technical and Historical Society. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
3. "Seaport urges early train". The Day. July 25, 1978. Retrieved 2011-06-05.
4. Belcher, Jonathan (31 August 2012). "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). NETransit. Retrieved 31 October 2012.
5. National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) (1 October 1979). "National Train Timetables". The Museum of Railway Timetables. p. 15. Retrieved 1 November 2012.
6. National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) (1 October 1979). "National Train Timetables". The Museum of Railway Timetables. p. 15. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
7. National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) (3 February 1980). "National Train Timetables". The Museum of Railway Timetables. p. 15. Retrieved 1 November 2012.
8. "Pictures of AMTK 38". RR Picture Archives. 22 June 2011. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
9. Hebert, H. Josef (August 26, 1981). "New Amtrak Network Keeps Most of System Intact". Associated Press. Retrieved 2008-05-04.
10. "Expanding Rail Service" (PDF). Connecticut Department of Transportation. 1 January 2007. Retrieved 1 November 2012.
11. Edwards and Kelcey, Inc (July 2001). "South County Commuter Rail Service Plan" (PDF). Rhode Island Department of Transportation. Retrieved 1 November 2012.

External links

• Beacon Hill timetable from 1979