Amtrak runs Shuttles between Springfield, Massachusetts

Springfield, Massachusetts

Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...

 and New Haven, Connecticut

New Haven, Connecticut

New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...

 along Amtrak's New Haven–Springfield Line. These shuttles connect with Northeast Regional service at the New Haven station, usually a cross-platform or same platform transfer.

The Shuttles are numbered in the 400 series, usually denoting by the last two digits which Regional train the train is connecting with. Typical consists run in push-pull

Push-pull train

Push–pull is a mode of operation for locomotive-hauled trains allowing them to be driven from either end.A push–pull train has a locomotive at one end of the train, connected via some form of remote control, such as multiple-unit train control, to a vehicle equipped with a control cab at the other...

 configuration with a GE Genesis

GE Genesis

GE Genesis is a series of passenger locomotives produced by GE Transportation Systems, a subsidiary of General Electric...

 locomotive pulling an Amfleet

Amfleet

Amfleet is a series of intercity railroad passenger cars built for the operator Amtrak by the manufacturer Budd Company in two series during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Today, Amfleet cars are used extensively throughout the Amtrak system outside the western United States...

 coach and a 9600 series Metroliner cab car

Budd Metroliner

The Budd Metroliner car was an electric multiple unit train designed for first-class, high-speed service on the Pennsylvania Railroad's route between New York City and Washington, DC....

. Crew bases are at Springfield and New Haven, with diesel locomotive servicing taking place at New Haven.

During fiscal year 2010, the Shuttle service carried 363,458 passengers, an increase of 11.7% from FY 2009's total of 325,518. The service had a total revenue of $10,277,140 in FY 2010, an 11.6% increase from $9,208,912 in FY 2009.

History

Until electrification was extended to Boston along the Shore Line portion of the NEC in 2000, Springfield Shuttle trains operated as "sections" of regular NortheastDirect trains. New Haven marked the end of electrification which required an engine change for all Amtrak trains passing through. On trains going to Boston, one or two cars would be uncoupled from the rear containing the passengers wishing to travel through to points between New Haven and Springfield. After the Boston portion of the train continued along its way, a diesel engine would attach to the left behind cars and pull them to Springfield. Trains from Springfield would platform, then pull forward to a relay track leaving the passenger cars to wait for the train to arrive from Boston. An electric locomotive would then couple to the Springfield cars and push them onto the front of the arriving southbound train.

When the power change was eliminated at New Haven this cumbersome splitting and re-combination procedure was abandoned in favor of a dedicated shuttle train that would meet each through train at the same platform. Former Metroliner cab cars were obtained from other parts of the system and the Shuttles began to operate in push-pull format, eliminating the need to wye or loop the trainsets at New Haven and Springfield. Then new Amtrak president David L. Gunn

David L. Gunn

David L. Gunn is a transportation system administrator who has headed several significant railroads and transit systems in North America....

 then re-launched the Springfield Shuttle service with increased number of round trips and much lower "commuter" level fares turning the shuttle into a service into its own right, instead of just a connection for through travelers along the Northeast Corridor.

Mail service

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 dedicated mail train which would run overnight up the Inland 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 to Shuttle Train 490, sometimes sandwiching the locomotive in the middle of the train.

Station stops

State	Town/City	Station	Connections
Massachusetts Massachusetts The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...	Springfield Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...	Springfield Springfield, Massachusetts (Amtrak station) Springfield Union Station is an Amtrak train station in Springfield, Massachusetts. Constructed in 1926, as of 2010, Springfield Union Station was the fifth busiest Amtrak station in Massachusetts, boarding or detraining an average of approximately 360 passengers daily...	Amtrak Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union... : Lake Shore Limited Lake Shore Limited The Lake Shore Limited is a daily passenger train route operated by Amtrak in the Northeastern and Midwestern United States. The train runs between Chicago and Albany, NY, where it divides into two sections that provide thru-service to New York and Boston... , Vermonter Vermonter Amtrak's Vermonter is a 611-mile passenger train service between St. Albans , New York City and Washington, D.C. One trip runs in each direction per day.... , Northeast Regional
Connecticut Connecticut Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...	Windsor Locks Windsor Locks, Connecticut Windsor Locks is a town located in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2000 census, its population was 12,043. It is the site of Bradley International Airport, which serves the Greater Hartford-Springfield region. It is also the site of the New England Air Museum...	Windsor Locks Windsor Locks (Amtrak station) Windsor Locks is a train station in Windsor Locks, Connecticut located on the New Haven-Springfield Line. It is the northernmost Amtrak station in the State of Connecticut...	Amtrak Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union... : Vermonter Vermonter Amtrak's Vermonter is a 611-mile passenger train service between St. Albans , New York City and Washington, D.C. One trip runs in each direction per day.... , Northeast Regional
	Windsor Windsor, Connecticut Windsor is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, and was the first English settlement in the state. It lies on the northern border of Connecticut's capital, Hartford. The population was estimated at 28,778 in 2005....	Windsor Windsor, Connecticut (Amtrak station) Windsor is a historic train station in Downtown Windsor, Connecticut located on the New Haven-Springfield Line, as well as a spur of the Northeast Regional....	Amtrak Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union... : Northeast Regional
	Hartford Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...	Hartford Union Station Union Station (Hartford) Hartford Union Station is the main railway station in Hartford, Connecticut, United States. . The historic station building is near the State Capitol Building. It is a Richardsonian Romanesque building designed by George Keller and built in 1889. A 1914 fire required that it be completely rebuilt,...	Amtrak Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union... : Vermonter Vermonter Amtrak's Vermonter is a 611-mile passenger train service between St. Albans , New York City and Washington, D.C. One trip runs in each direction per day.... , Northeast Regional
	Berlin Berlin, Connecticut Berlin is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 19,866 at the 2010 census. It was incorporated in 1785. The geographic center of Connecticut is located in the town. Berlin is residential and industrial, and served by the Amtrak station of the same name...	Berlin Berlin (Amtrak station) Berlin is a train station in Kensington, Connecticut located on the New Haven-Springfield Line. It serves both Kensington and nearby Berlin, which is why it is also known as Kensington-Berlin Amtrak Station. The station was originally built in 1900 by the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad,...
	Meriden Meriden, Connecticut Meriden is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 59,653.-History:...	Meriden Meriden (Amtrak station) Meriden is a train station in Meriden, Connecticut located on the New Haven-Springfield Line. The station is located at 60 State Street, and has a contemporary late-20th Century appearance....
	Wallingford Wallingford, Connecticut Wallingford is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 43,026 at the 2000 census.- History :Wallingford was established on October 10, 1667, when the Connecticut General Assembly authorized the "making of a village on the east river" to 38 planters and freemen...	Wallingford Wallingford (Amtrak station) Wallingford is a train station in the city of Wallingford, Connecticut served by Amtrak's , , and the Vermonter. The station is located adjacent to the town green, between Hall Avenue and Quinnipiac Avenue, near where both intersect with Colony Street Wallingford is a train station in the city of...	Amtrak Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union... : Northeast Regional, Vermonter Vermonter Amtrak's Vermonter is a 611-mile passenger train service between St. Albans , New York City and Washington, D.C. One trip runs in each direction per day....
	New Haven New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...	New Haven-Union Station Union Station (New Haven) Union Station, also known as New Haven Railroad Station, is the main railroad passenger station in New Haven, Connecticut. Designed by noted American architect Cass Gilbert, the beaux-arts Union Station was completed and opened in 1920 after the previous Union Station was...	Amtrak Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union... : Acela Express Acela Express The Acela Express is Amtrak's high-speed rail service along the Northeast Corridor in the Northeast United States between Washington, D.C., and Boston via Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York... , Northeast Regional, Vermonter Vermonter Amtrak's Vermonter is a 611-mile passenger train service between St. Albans , New York City and Washington, D.C. One trip runs in each direction per day.... ConnDOT Connecticut Department of Transportation The Connecticut Department of Transportation is responsible for the development and operation of highways, railroads, mass transit systems, ports, waterways and aviation facilities in the U.S. state of Connecticut. The current Commissioner of ConnDOT is Jeffrey Parker... : Shore Line East Shore Line East Shore Line East is a commuter rail service operating in southern Connecticut, USA. A fully owned subsidiary of the Connecticut Department of Transportation , SLE provides service seven days a week along the Northeast Corridor from New London west to New Haven, with continuing service to Bridgeport... CT Transit New Haven Connecticut Transit New Haven Connecticut Transit New Haven is the second largest division of Connecticut Transit, providing service on 24 routes in 19 towns within the Greater New Haven and Lower Naugatuck River Valley areas, with connections to other CT Transit routes in Waterbury and Meriden, as well as connections to... : J, Commuter Connection Downtown and Sargent Drive, Temple Street Garage Shuttle Metro-North Railroad Metro-North Railroad The Metro-North Commuter Railroad , trading as MTA Metro-North Railroad, or, more commonly, Metro-North, is a suburban commuter rail service that is run and managed by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority , an authority of New York State. It is the busiest commuter railroad in the United... : New Haven Line

The Springfield–New Haven corridor is also served by some Northeast Regional trains in the 136 and 140 series. These trains run from Springfield all the way to Washington, DC without the need to change trains. The corridor is also served by Amtrak's Vermonter

Vermonter

Amtrak's Vermonter is a 611-mile passenger train service between St. Albans , New York City and Washington, D.C. One trip runs in each direction per day....

.