With more than 170 passengers aboard in both business and first classes, the train, led by Amtrak Acela power unit No. 2037, pulled out on schedule on its 225-mile non-stop journey to the Nation’s Capital, with a new enhancement; rolling carts in business class, pushed by an assistant first class attendant who distributed complementary breakfast beverages and snacks to passengers at their seats.
Amtrak Vice President of Northeast Corridor Service Line Caroline Decker briefed media representatives on specifics before the train’s departure from New York. She noted the northbound train will depart Washington at 4:30 p.m. for an arrival at New York’s Pennsylvania Station at 7:05 p.m. is expected to generate more passengers; on this return trip, the carts will sell appropriate beverages and snacks. Decker also mentioned that most morning Acelas in each direction, at this time, are full between New York and Washington.
While the Acela Nonstop is currently only available once per day only on weekdays between New York and Washington, Amtrak will be looking at more of these trains in regard to location and frequency.
Riders on the inaugural trip were pleased to arrive in Washington three minutes early.
Marvin Caldwell – This schedule is 2 hours 35 minutes, which is 155 minutes, not 235 minutes. This is an hour faster than the Congressional whose fastest time was 3 hours 35 minutes.
TROY – We were at Boston Logan Airport the other day and saw airplanes loading for Philly and for Washington. Air travel is far from dead in the Northeast Corridor. It reminds me of my own college years in the 1960’s when, with the longtime bankrupt New Haven Railroad in terminal decline, I often flew between Boston and New York.
Rail can compete very well at end points in the NEC – Boston, New York and Washington. Where rail has the decided advantage is the intermediate points – Providence, New Haven, Trenton, Route 128, etc.
To get our plane we made the hellish drive from very near the Route 128 Station in south suburban Norfolk County east to the Braintree Split then north to the Big Dig and Logan Airport. If we had been going to New York (as opposed to a much longer flight) that drive alone would have been enough to send us to Route 128 Station and onto an Amtrak train.
If you will pardon me for going back 65 years or so, the New Haven’s Route 128 Station built in a remote swamp in suburban Westwood, Massachusetts, was the best idea ever. This park-ride concept was successfully replicated elsewhere such as the Hiawatha’s station at the Milwaukee Airport, which has little to do with aviation and much to do with suburban SUVs.
ANNA – Thomas Cook’s mistake was buying airplanes and flying them. Airlines can’t make it in a seasonal business – they need to be loaded year ’round by moving them around to different routes. Lots of airlines have come and gone – Air Thomas Cook dragged down an established travel empire with it. Here’s the lesson: specialized companies hopefully make it, conglomerates don’t. Remember IC Industries? A failing railroad and a soft drink bottler etc. etc. etc.
Actually, it was the C&NW which used the 400 miles/minutes slogan, thus the “400”….a wonderful competitor to the Milwaukee’s “Hiawatha.”
Cedar Rapids is on my mind – not the city, the railcar. The Twin Cities Hiawatha advertised “400 Miles in 400 Minutes”, and kept that schedule with numerous stops in 1935, powered by a souped-up Alco 4-4-2.
That was in 1935, nearly a hundred years ago. If they could do it then, why can’t we do it now? And why can’t we beat it?
Just asking for a friend …
In other news, on a cross-thread topic, y’all may have heard that Thomas Cook, the original purveyer of the European Canned Holiday, went into receivership yesterday, and they are looking at liquidation. Their business model was built on the canned holiday. What this means for LAS – LAX train service and Brightline/Virgin I don’t know, but perhaps they should rethink their business model. I know I’m nuts for bringing it up, but the whole thing was screwed up and on that note I shall bolt.
The above comments are generic in nature and do not form the basis for an attorney/client relationship. They do not constitute legal advice. I am not your attorney. Find your own damn brain fried stumblebum.
Marvin’s comment is interesting I did not know the old Congressional was that fast (or that this train is that slow) either way I would rather take this train than deal with airports for the same trip. Will be interesting to see how it works. My take on Amtrak these days is that the President of Amtrak wants it to fail.
Let’s see 235 minutes non-stop. The Congressional mad the trip in about 240 minutes 60-70 years ago with several stops. What a saving in time. Big deal.
Wow! Almost 90 mph average speed. What a sorry excuse for HSR.
The article was in Railway Age, a few days ago.
AH
Non-stops have failed every other time and place they’ve been tried by Amtrak (and Penn Central), but–hey–maybe this time it will miraculously work.
AL and ANNA good posts.
IMHO, if the service is to be viable (and I have the same doubts as Anna), it must include at least two-way service, i.e. morning and afternoon departures from each end.
The current Amtrak administration – I forget the name of the president – seems obsessed with point-to-point (or end-to-end, if you like) service. One of the blogs, I believe by Fred Frailey, points out that most rail traffic is between intermediate destinations.
I don’t know … there is one point-to-point dedicated service on Amtrak that is successful, and that is the AutoTrain. But: the AutoTrain serves a specialized market. Can this service, point-to-point between NYC and Washington succeed? Is there enough demand? Pretty please with a cherry on top, could we see the numbers indicating this service is viable?
Amtrak is not an airline, where you have to go point-to-point. You can’t get out of an airplane halfway (well, you can, but such behaviour tends to attract notice). I am not entirely certain that the current brass have fully realized this.
But what do I know? I’m just a dumb housewife in a small town somewhere north of the Mason-Dixon line.
The above comments are generic in nature and do not form the basis for an attorney/client relationship. They do not constitute legal advice. I am not your attorney. Find your own damn sleazy shyster.