New Haven Bound in the Afterglow of a Saugatuck Sunset

New Haven Bound in the Afterglow of a Saugatuck Sunset

It's just after 6 PM on a late October day, as a Metro North New Haven Line train of M8 railcars, having
called at the Westport, Connecticut Station, is now rolling onto the Saugatuck River Bridge as it picks up
speed, under the complex infrastructure of overhead catenary along the Northeast Corridor mainline.

The green lights along the train indicate to engineer and conductors
that all doors are closed, thus ensuring passenger safety while underway.

The Kawasaki M8s are unique in the Metro North's EMU fleet in that they are dual mode, operating on
third-rail DC between Grand Central Terminal and Pelham in Westchester County, switching on the fly
to high-voltage AC as they raise their pantographs to meet the overhead catenary, without missing a beat,

Across the tracks can be seen the westbound station platform serving trains bound for Grand Central.
The center tracks are used mainly by Amtrak trains, (*) which do not stop here, as well as some Metro North
commuter trains that run express, skipping Westport.

©2024 Steve Ember
(*)