Taken on 10/7/24.

Video onboard the first ever M8 Shore Line East train from Stamford to New London along its entire length. This date marked the post-pandemic return of Shore Line East thru service to/from Stamford. Service was suspended in 2020 but never restored, in part due to the relatively low ridership recovery of the SLE compared to other lines in the state of Connecticut. There were some talks about potentially restoring service in 2023, and was finally possible by October 2024 due to available federal and state funds. Since the SLE operated strictly diesel trains until 2022, the M8s never operated in SLE passenger service west of New Haven.

The service arrangement is a bit interesting, since this they train is operated by both MTA & Amtrak crews. Metro North crews operate the train between Stamford and New Haven and collect tickets. This train also appears on the MTA Train Time App, and virtually all types of Metro North tickets are allowed on the SLE train West of New Haven. This section is open-door. On this train there appeared to be counters between Stamford and New Haven taking counts with clickers.

Once at New Haven Union Station, there is a stopover to allow for a change in crew. Amtrak crews take over east of Union Station and handle operations and ticket collection. Due to the different train crews and tickets, anyone traveling through New Haven Union Station will be checked twice for ticket: before and after the station. At this point, an Amtrak ticket (bought specifically for SLE use at designated ticket windows), MTA UniTicket, or cash is required. Beyond Union Station, only the two middle doors of the train opened (end of 2nd car and front of 3rd car) towards New London.


Here's a rundown of the video:

0:00 - Stamford Station Prior to SLE Train Arrival
0:25 - 4-Car M8 Set on Shore Line East Train 1638 Arriving on Track 2
1:46 - Train 1638 Sitting Prior to Departure With Lead Car 9364
1:57 - Inside Car 9364 While Train is Boarding at Stamford
4:24 - Stamford to Bridgeport via New Haven Line Express
31:09 - Bridgeport to Stratford
37:44 - Stratford to Milford
44:24 - Milford to West Haven
51:38 - West Haven to New Haven Union Station
57:59 - Stopover at New Haven Union Station (Condensed)
1:00:47 - Departing New Haven Union Station to New Haven State Street
1:02:39 - New Haven State Street to Branford
1:13:10 - Branford to Guilford
1:21:32 - Guilford to Madison
1:25:26 - Madison to Clinton
1:30:07 - Clinton to Westbrook
1:34:36 - Westbrook to Old Saybrook
1:43:24 - Old Saybrook to New London
2:05:27 - Walking Off The Train at New London
2:06:53 - Train 1638 Sitting at New London Station After Completing Trip

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