Beacon Hill (train)

Beacon Hill

The Beacon Hill operating with an LRC in 1980
Overview
Service type	Commuter rail
Status	Discontinued
Predecessor	Clamdigger
First service	April 30, 1978
Last service	October 1, 1981
Successor	Providence/Stoughton Line, Shore Line East
Former operator(s)	Amtrak
Route
Termini	Boston New Haven
Stops	12
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 1.0 mi 1.6 km Boston Back Bay 1978–1979 12 mi 19 km Route 128 MA RI 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 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 This diagram: view talk edit

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.

By the time the New Haven Railroad folded into Penn Central in 1969, commuter service between New Haven and Providence had been reduced to a handful of daily trips. (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 under Amtrak until January 28, 1972. It returned as a Providence-New Haven local on September 9, 1976; it was discontinued on October 30, 1977, but resumed on January 8, 1978 with additional stops.

A single Penn Central commuter local between New London and Providence (not taken over by Amtrak in May 1971) was cut to Westerly-Providence on November 22, 1971.^[1] The service was discontinued on June 3, 1977.^[2]

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][4] This left the Beacon Hill as the only commuter service between New Haven and Providence. The Beacon Hill supplemented Amtrak's existing intercity trains on the Corridor, which made fewer stops.^[5]

The Beacon Hill initially made station stops at New Haven Union Station, Branford, Madison, Old Saybrook, Niantic, New London Union Station, Mystic, Westerly, Shannock, Kingston, Wickford Junction, East Greenwich, Providence, Route 128, Boston Back Bay, and Boston South Station. Running time was slightly over 3 hours, with service on weekdays plus Sundays.^[5] The southbound weekday trip departed South Station in Boston at 5:00pm.^[5] Ridership was initially heavy between Boston and Providence, but low on the remainder of the run.^[6]

On April 29, 1979, the southbound Beacon Hill was cancelled north of Providence due to track work; passengers had to take the Evening Liberty Express from Boston and transfer to the Beacon Hill at Providence.^{[7]: 8 [8]} Normal southbound service returned on July 29, 1979.^{[7]: 15 [9]}

The Beacon Hill was cancelled on October 26, 1979.^[7]: 24 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.^[10]

The Beacon Hill was restored on February 3, 1980; however, the southbound departure time was moved to 4:20pm and the train became weekdays-only.^{[11][12]: 3} This prevented workers on a 9-to-5 schedule — a major segment of the commuter market — from using the train. Beginning on September 29, 1980, the Beacon Hill frequently ran with one of Amtrak's two LRC test trainsets.^[12]: 29 Before then, it often ran with a pair of Budd Rail Diesel Cars.^[6]

The Beacon Hill was discontinued effective October 1, 1981, victim of Amtrak cost-cutting, the unwillingness of state governments to provide necessary funding, and declining ridership.^{[13][12]: 65} Regular (now branded as Northeast Regional) service continues and has been supplemented by Acela Express service, but these 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.

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.^[10]

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.^[14][15] RIDOT also plans to add an infill station at East Greenwich near the former station site.^[15]

Media related to Beacon Hill (train) at Wikimedia Commons

• Beacon Hill timetable from 1979