The Route This route runs along the coast of Rhode Island and Connecticut, spanning approximately 86 miles from the small city of Providence, RI, to New Haven, CT. The Locomotives MBTA F40PH-3C Diesel Locomotive As seen on the Boston to Providence route, these F40PH-3C locomotives will be added to provide an alternative locomotive to drive. This locomotive will be used on the Providence to Wickford Junction section. CTC & BTC Coaches (Bi-level & Single-level) The CTC-5 Control Car will be on all Inbound trains heading from Wickford Junction to Providence, and hop on the Boston Sprinter to take it back to Boston! Amtrak ACS-64 Electric Locomotive This will be the main locomotive running on this route, stopping at a total of 6 stations. Amtrak Acela Express Take the Acela Express and speed down the coast of Rhode Island and Connecticut with no stops to enjoy the scenery! Stations Providence All MBTA and Amtrak trains will terminate and start in Providence, while the MBTA ends at Wickford Junction and Amtrak continues to New Haven. T.F. Green Airport This will be the second stop for MBTA trains. Wickford Junction This will be the last stop on the Providence to Wickford Junction section for all MBTA trains. Kingstown This would be the first stop for Amtrak Northeast Regional trains. Westerly This would be the second stop for Amtrak Northeast Regional trains. Mystic This would be the third stop for Amtrak Northeast Regional trains and the first stop in Connecticut. New London This would be the fourth stop for Amtrak Northeast Regional trains. Old Saybrook This would be the fifth stop for Amtrak Northeast Regional trains. New Haven This would be the sixth and last stop for all Amtrak trains. Timetable The MBTA Providence to Wickford Junction Line would have 16 trains per day, the Amtrak Providence to New Haven Line would have 24 trains per day for Northeast Regional, and Acela would have 20 trains per day. There would also be some services that would run to and from New Haven Yard to swap out trains for both Acela and Northeast Regional. Price The NEC Providence to New Haven Line would have a price of $39.99. The MBTA Providence to Wickford Junction route add-on would have a price of $19.99. Why this route? We would see a different part of the East Coast, showcasing the breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean and a completely new route that reveals parts of Rhode Island and Connecticut, a new state that hasn't been featured in TSW before. If we were to get another U.S. passenger route like this, I believe everyone would play it.
I like this proposal in that you have a short high speed section between Providence and Westerly followed by a slower section that is probably the most scenic on the NEC. You can also run a decent amount of services with no new rolling stock. However, the extra potential would be if you could have CTRail services between New Haven and New London as well as AI Metro North services at New Haven. They both use the Kawasaki M8 so that could be a loco DLC to add more variety if either an licensed or unbranded version could be developed.
