The long-delayed replacement of the Amtrak railroad bridge over the Thames River finally begins today, limiting train service between New York and Boston until Friday and giving large marine vessels an opportunity to pass through the bridge.

Boats can pass:

Today, June 24, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Wednesday, June 25, 6 a.m. to 7 a.m.

Wednesday, June 25, 4 p.m. to around 4:30 p.m. (lasting only until a barge moving south from the Dow Chemical plant clears the bridge, currently projected to be 4:30 p.m.).

The navigational channel will otherwise remain closed to vessel traffic during the closure period. The safety zone for boat traffic around the bridge is 300 yards.

The bridge is scheduled to be in service July 1, with limited openings until July 10.

Amtrak trains between New London and New Haven during the bridge outage (Shore Line East will not be affected):

Depart New London

6:30 a.m., arrive New Haven 7:19 a.m.

11:16 a.m., stop in Old Saybrook 11:36 a.m., arrive New Haven 12:08 p.m.

7:15 p.m., stop in Old Saybrook 7:34 p.m., arrive New Haven 8:09 p.m.

Depart New Haven

10:10 a.m., arrive New London 10:55 a.m.

5:30 p.m., stop in Old Saybrook 6 p.m., arrive New London 6:20 p.m.

9:08 p.m., stop in Old Saybrook 9:37 p.m., arrive New London 9:58 p.m.

Trains between Westerly, R.I., and Boston:

Depart Westerly 6:16 a.m., arrive Boston 7:52 a.m.

Depart Boston at 5:35 p.m., arrive Westerly at 6:55 p.m.

Four express buses will also carry passengers between New Haven and Providence. An Amtrak spokesman did not have the times available Monday.

Article UID=da9a05ad-0807-4be0-b875-61e7f4b3212c