WASHINGTON — Amtrak will begin restoration of Acela Express service on the Northeast Corridor as of June 1, with three Acela round trips between Washington and New York, as well as an increase of Northeast Regional service from eight to 10 frequencies daily.
Northbound Acela departures from Washington D.C. as of June 1 will be at 6:50 a.m., 1:50 p.m., and 3:50 p.m; the first two trains provide through service to Boston. Southbound, Acela service will depart Penn Station at 7 a.m., 1 p.m., and 5 p.m. From Boston, southbound trains will depart at 9 a.m. and 12:55 p.m. for through service to Washington, along with a 4:15 p.m. departure to New York. To Boston, trains will depart New York at 10:03 a.m., 12:03 p.m., and 5 p.m. Tickets are now on sale at the Amtrak website.
Amtrak suspended Acela service as of March 23, shortly after then-CEO Richard Anderson told an employee “Town Hall” session that Acela ridership had been down 99% one day during the previous week because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a more recent Town Hall meeting, Flynn had indicated the passenger railroad would begin increasing service ahead of demand [see “Amtrak executives look ahead to post-virus plans,” Trains News Wire, April 24, 2020].
Trains will operate under measures to address coronavirus concerns, including a new requirement that passengers wear facial coverings [see “Amtrak to require passengers to wear facial coverings,” Trains News Wire, May 7, 2020], ticket sales limited to 50% of train capacity, and station signage indicating safe social distancing. More information on Amtrak’s coronavirus measures is available here.
I was in South Station Saturday night when #449 was supposed to arrive at 2001hrs. There was an amcoach surrounded by two locos one at each end. Was that #449? Just what service IS being run on the NEC plus the B&A?
ANDREW SELDEN – What’s you point, that we should all stay at home and hide under our beds until the virus decides to go back to China? Some of us want our country back and that includes traveling. I have traveled. – I have traveled by car, airline and taxi last month and wouldn’t hesitate to take a train tomorrow if I had a place to go and if there were any trains running.
Light Bulb Moment!: Take two Acela trainsets and combine them into one the way Thalys ( and others) in Europe do. Unless these trans are not so equipped as to m.u. together, such a move would open up more reservations and be a buffer against the inevitable surge in demand vis-a-vis social distancing ????
A triumph of Amtrak dogma over commercial reality.The restored Acela Express trains should be re-named the “Typhoid Mary Express.”