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Title: Two and a half hours to Washington Post by: grahame on July 26, 2019, 15:58:56 From Business Traveller (https://www.businesstraveller.com/business-travel/2019/07/26/amtrak-to-launch-nonstop-acela-service-between-new-york-and-washington-dc/)
Quote Amtrak to launch nonstop Acela service between New York and Washington DC Rail travellers will soon be able to get from midtown Manhattan to the heart of Washington DC in just over two and a half hours. Amtrak announced this week the launch of Acela Nonstop, using its high-speed, business-travel oriented trains to provide direct service between Penn Station in New York City and Washington Union Station, just a few block from the US Capitol. The new service will begin on September 23, with weekday-only trains operating once daily from each of the nation’s two busiest rail terminals. The southbound train will depart New York’s Penn Station at 0635 and is scheduled to arrive in Washington a 0910. The northbound train will depart Union Station at 1630, and arrive at Penn at 1905. Reminds me of "three hours to Plymouth" ... the one crack train of the day. Historically, we had this with the "Cheltenham Spa Express" but such trains have now faded into the clock face for the most part, with a need to make best use of paths rather than clear out the line for the headliner. Are we headed back for the one super-fast train in December? Title: Re: Two and a half hours to Washington Post by: JontyMort on August 03, 2019, 20:48:03 From Business Traveller (https://www.businesstraveller.com/business-travel/2019/07/26/amtrak-to-launch-nonstop-acela-service-between-new-york-and-washington-dc/) Quote Amtrak to launch nonstop Acela service between New York and Washington DC Rail travellers will soon be able to get from midtown Manhattan to the heart of Washington DC in just over two and a half hours. Amtrak announced this week the launch of Acela Nonstop, using its high-speed, business-travel oriented trains to provide direct service between Penn Station in New York City and Washington Union Station, just a few block from the US Capitol. The new service will begin on September 23, with weekday-only trains operating once daily from each of the nation’s two busiest rail terminals. The southbound train will depart New York’s Penn Station at 0635 and is scheduled to arrive in Washington a 0910. The northbound train will depart Union Station at 1630, and arrive at Penn at 1905. Reminds me of "three hours to Plymouth" ... the one crack train of the day. Historically, we had this with the "Cheltenham Spa Express" but such trains have now faded into the clock face for the most part, with a need to make best use of paths rather than clear out the line for the headliner. Are we headed back for the one super-fast train in December? To be fair to Amtrak, this service is at least new, as opposed to an accelerated existing train. At present - amazingly, to our eyes - the first usable train from NY to DC is at 0903, and the last Acela back from Washington is at 1550 (admittedly there are later Regional Expresses). The distance is equivalent to London to Darlington or Lancaster. Title: Re: Two and a half hours to Washington Post by: grahame on August 04, 2019, 02:35:05 To be fair to Amtrak, this service is at least new, as opposed to an accelerated existing train. At present - amazingly, to our eyes - the first usable train from NY to DC is at 0903, and the last Acela back from Washington is at 1550 (admittedly there are later Regional Expresses). The distance is equivalent to London to Darlington or Lancaster. Passenger trains between cities any sort of distance apart in the USA are few and far between - with this "North West Corridor" from Washington DC up to New York with service on to Boston being one of the few where there's anything like a service offering any choice of trains. Albany to New York offers about a dozen trains a day as does San Diego to Los Angeles, but much more typical are cities far further apart and minimal service; the daily train (or eve trains on alternate days) is not uncommon, and certain lines such as Los Angeles to San Francisco have squeezed out the passenger trains completely from part(s) of the route - Thruway coaches take you from LA's Union Station to Bakersfield, then a train to near San Francisco and another road transfer in. There is one train a day via the slower coast line which reduces you to one bus transfer but the direct line is at capacity with long fright trains and a path at speeds that would be required by passengers is not to be had. Not amazing to my eyes ... but then I have been there and (at first) I was amazed. Cars and flying have rendered the trains very much a minority way of getting between cities across most of the USA. Title: Re: Two and a half hours to Washington Post by: JontyMort on August 04, 2019, 14:21:00 To be fair to Amtrak, this service is at least new, as opposed to an accelerated existing train. At present - amazingly, to our eyes - the first usable train from NY to DC is at 0903, and the last Acela back from Washington is at 1550 (admittedly there are later Regional Expresses). The distance is equivalent to London to Darlington or Lancaster. Passenger trains between cities any sort of distance apart in the USA are few and far between - with this "North West Corridor" from Washington DC up to New York with service on to Boston being one of the few where there's anything like a service offering any choice of trains. Albany to New York offers about a dozen trains a day as does San Diego to Los Angeles, but much more typical are cities far further apart and minimal service; the daily train (or eve trains on alternate days) is not uncommon, and certain lines such as Los Angeles to San Francisco have squeezed out the passenger trains completely from part(s) of the route - Thruway coaches take you from LA's Union Station to Bakersfield, then a train to near San Francisco and another road transfer in. There is one train a day via the slower coast line which reduces you to one bus transfer but the direct line is at capacity with long fright trains and a path at speeds that would be required by passengers is not to be had. Not amazing to my eyes ... but then I have been there and (at first) I was amazed. Cars and flying have rendered the trains very much a minority way of getting between cities across most of the USA. Indeed so. 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