Berkshire Flyer
Berkshire Flyer is a planned Amtrak passenger train service between New York City and Pittsfield, Massachusetts, in the Berkshire Mountains. A pilot program will see the train run on summer weekends in 2022 and 2023, departing Penn Station on Friday afternoons and returning Sunday afternoons. Service is scheduled to begin on July 8, 2022.
| Overview | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service type | Inter-city rail | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Status | Planned, seasonal | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| First service | July 8, 2022 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current operator(s) | Amtrak | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Route | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Start | New York City, New York | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| End | Pittsfield, Massachusetts | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Distance travelled | 190 miles (306 km) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Average journey time | 4 hours | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Service frequency | One trip northbound on Friday, one trip southbound on Sunday | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Technical | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track owner(s) | MNRR, Amtrak, CSXT | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
History
In May 2018, the Massachusetts Senate approved funds for a two-year pilot of the "Berkshire Flyer", a seasonal extension of a weekend Empire Service round trip to Pittsfield. The service was modeled on the CapeFLYER, a seasonal train from Boston to Cape Cod.[1][2][3]
The trial was scheduled to begin in June 2020, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and outstanding questions around the program's legal sponsorship.[4] The pilot was rescheduled for summers 2022 and 2023. In April 2022, Amtrak announced that the first trip would depart on July 8, 2022.[5]
Service
As announced, the Berkshire Flyer will depart New York Penn Station on Fridays at 3:16 PM and arrive at Joseph Scelsi Intermodal Transportation Center in Pittsfield at 7:12 PM. The reverse trip will be made Sundays, departing Pittsfield at 3:00 PM and arriving at Penn Station at 7:05 PM. Intermediate stops will be made in both directions at Yonkers, Croton–Harmon, Poughkeepsie, Rhinecliff, Hudson, and Albany–Rensselaer, the same stops as a typical Empire Service train.[6]
Route details
The Berkshire Flyer will operate over CSX Transportation, Metro-North Railroad, and Amtrak trackage:
- CSX Berkshire Subdivision: Pittsfield to Schodack, New York
- Amtrak Post Road Branch: Schodack to Rensselaer
- CSX Hudson Subdivision: Rensselaer to Poughkeepsie (leased to Amtrak)
- Metro-North Railroad Hudson Line: Poughkeepsie to Spuyten Duyvil
- Amtrak Empire Connection: Spuyten Duyvil to New York Penn Station
Though the Berkshire Flyer will be the first Amtrak train to offer a direct ride between New York City and Pittsfield without layovers, all sections of the route are served by existing Amtrak trains. The line between New York City and Rensselaer is part of Amtrak's Empire Corridor, while service between Rensselaer and Pittsfield is provided by the Lake Shore Limited.
Station stops
| Mile (km) | Location | Station | Connections |
|---|---|---|---|
| 190 (310) | Pittsfield | Joseph Scelsi Intermodal Transportation Center |  Amtrak: Lake Shore Limited BRTA: 1, 2, 4, 5, 7 Express, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 21 Express Peter Pan Bus |
| 141 (227) | Rensselaer | Albany–Rensselaer | Amtrak: Adirondack, Empire Service, Ethan Allen Express, Lake Shore Limited, Maple Leaf CDTA: 114, 214 |
| 114 (183) | Hudson | Hudson | Amtrak: Adirondack, Empire Service, Ethan Allen Express, Maple Leaf |
| 100 (160) | Rhinecliff | Rhinecliff–Kingston | Amtrak: Adirondack, Empire Service, Ethan Allen Express, Maple Leaf |
| 80 (130) | Poughkeepsie | Poughkeepsie | Amtrak: Adirondack, Empire Service, Ethan Allen Express, Maple Leaf Metro-North Railroad: ■ Hudson Line DCPT: A, B, C, D, E, Poughkeepsie RailLink; UCAT: Ulster-Poughkeepsie LINK |
| 40 (64) | Croton-on-Hudson | Croton–Harmon | Amtrak: Adirondack, Empire Service, Ethan Allen Express, Lake Shore Limited, Maple Leaf Metro-North Railroad: ■ Hudson Line Bee-Line: 10, 11, 14 |
| 18 (29) | Yonkers | Yonkers | Amtrak: Adirondack, Empire Service, Ethan Allen Express, Maple Leaf Metro-North Railroad: ■ Hudson Line Bee-Line: 6, 9, 25, 32, 91 |
| 0 (0) | New York City | New York Penn Station | Amtrak (long-distance): Adirondack, Cardinal, Crescent, Lake Shore Limited, Palmetto, Pennsylvanian, Silver Meteor, Silver Star Amtrak (intercity): Acela, Carolinian, Empire Service, Ethan Allen Express, Keystone Service, Maple Leaf, Northeast Regional, Vermonter LIRR: ■ City Terminal Zone, ■ Port Washington Branch NJ Transit: ■ North Jersey Coast Line, ■ Northeast Corridor Line, ■ Gladstone Branch, ■ Montclair-Boonton Line, ■ Morristown Line NYC Subway:        PATH: HOB-33 JSQ-33 JSQ-33 (via HOB) NYC Transit buses: M7, M20, M34 SBS, M34A SBS, Q32, SIM23, SIM24 |
References
- "News Briefs: Mass. Senate approves funding for opioid prevention services; Mass. Senate provides funding for Berkshire FLYER; Mass. Senate to review small bridge repair regulations". Berkshire Edge. May 30, 2018.
- Vaccaro, Adam (March 27, 2018). "A Berkshires-NYC train service could relaunch by 2019". Boston Globe.
- Bellow, Heather (March 1, 2019). "Berkshire Flyer group 'ready to take the leap' from vision to reality". Berkshire Eagle.
- Parnass, Larry (29 May 2020). "Debut of Berkshire Flyer service to NYC delayed by legal questions". The Berkshire Eagle. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
- "Berkshire Flyer Passenger Train Service Begins July 8" (Press release). Massachusetts Department of Transportation. April 25, 2022.
- "Berkshire Flyer Passenger Train Service Begins July 8". Amtrak Media. 26 April 2022.