Amtrak is offering alternate train and bus service between New York and Boston through Friday, as the railroad finally replaces the 90-year-old drawbridge between Groton and New London, Conn.
But Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority commuter-rail service between Providence and Boston will continue to operate as normal, the national passenger railroad noted.
Amtrak delays and service changes during the bridge replacement include:
• Acela Express service north of New York City is cancelled through Friday, Amtrak said, although service will continue from New York to Washington, D.C.
• No Amtrak service will be offered from Route 128 outside Boston to points south; instead, Amtrak directs passengers to use the station in Boston or Providence.
• Three Northeast Regional round-trips per day – with coach, business and café service – will operate between New York and Boston, via an inland route that includes Springfield, Mass., and Hartford.
• Between Providence and New Haven, Conn., Amtrak will offer four round-trip express buses per day, connecting with trains in those cities.
• Between Kingston village and New Haven, Amtrak will offer four round-trip express buses per day, connecting with trains at those stations.
• Between New London and New Haven, Amtrak will operate three daily round-trip trains, stopping at Old Saybrook, Conn., that will connect at New Haven with other trains to points west and south.
• One Westerly-to-Boston train each morning, and one Boston-to-Westerly train each evening, are planned during the bridge outage. No service will be offered from Westerly to points west and south until normal service resumes.
• Neither bus nor train service will be offered at Mystic, Conn.; instead, Amtrak suggests customers use the New London and Westerly stations.
Amtrak service is slated to return to its regular schedule on Saturday, except for trains 195 and 99, which will be operating on modified schedules. Bridge openings for boaters will be limited through at least July 10, as work is completed.
Work on the Thames River Bridge has been delayed by unexpected complications as contractors attempted to dismantle the old span’s concrete counterweight, Amtrak said in a statement. But after more than two years of preparation and construction, the railroad is now ready to install a new vertical-lift span in place of the old “bascule” portion of the bridge.
The U.S. Coast Guard is closing the Thames River channel to boaters today through Friday, “to facilitate the float-in / float-out of the spans.” Three channel openings have been scheduled: today, from 4 to 6 p.m., and tomorrow from 6 to 7 a.m. and briefly at 4 p.m.
The $83 million, multi-year Thames River Bridge project is intended to improve the drawbridge’s reliability and minimize train delays.
For more information about Amtrak’s Thames River Bridge project, or for train and bus schedules during the bridge closure, visit www.amtrak.com or call 1-800-USA-RAIL.
For information about the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority or its commuter-rail service, visit www.mbta.com.
