Passenger Trains > Is there a TO expert on Amtrak NEC schedule history?

If my memory serves me correctly, when the Acelas first appeared there was a time when the Amtrak NEC schedule had a 2 hour 28 minute Washington - New York non-stop run.  Does any TO member know the train number, schedule times, and dates this schedulle was in effect?

non-stops were recent additions. not long before COVID.  one each way morning and late afternoon, 

swirsk53 Wrote:
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> non-stops were recent additions. not long before
> COVID.  one each way morning and late
> afternoon

There tried it once before too, right after Acela was introduced.  From my collection, I show one round trip in the March 5, 2001 timetable.  This is when it first started I believe.  I don't know how long it lasted.  They were referred to as "Super Express" in the timetable.  Here is the info.

TRAIN 2180, leave Washington 6:50am, arrive NYC at 9:18am.  Thats 2 hours, 28 minutes.
TRAIN 2183, leave NYC at 3:50pm, arrive Washington at 6:18am.  Thats 2 hours, 28 minutes.

I hope this helps.

Amtrak has tried the non-stop Acela at least three times. It has never lasted.

If anyone knows dates of operation, here’s an archive of most, if not all printed Amtrak Timetables.

http://timetables.org/

Nick

Posted from iPhone

Thanks for the detailed reply BNSF6400.  There also was an earlier 2 hr 30 minute schedule.  I remember riding one, maybe about 1990 or so.  We ran into some problems and the actual time was 2 hours 39 minutes.

When the Acela first came out, they ran a nonstop and the ridership wasn't exactly what they were looking for. Recently, it was brought back but with different times but then it was discontinued. The problem with running these nonstop Acela trains is that the trains aren't getting filled up with as many riders as Amtrak is looking for. At that point, it's probaby best to replace the nonstop with an Acela that maybe doesn't make all of the typical stops that an Acela doesn't make-maybe only stop at NWK and Philadelphia and perhaps Baltimore. Those are major cities that are served by the Acelas between DC-NYP. During these covid difficult times, travel is low right now and business travel is no exception. A vaccine is only months away but it's going to take plenty of time for the entire population to get it.

BNSF6400 Wrote:
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>  Here is the
> info.
>
> TRAIN 2180, leave Washington 6:50am, arrive NYC at
> 9:18am.  Thats 2 hours, 28 minutes.
> TRAIN 2183, leave NYC at 3:50pm, arrive Washington
> at 6:18am.  Thats 2 hours, 28 minutes.
>
> I hope this helps.

Sure hope that arrival was 6:18 PM. It would be more like the Cardinal otherwise. 

march_hare Wrote:
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> BNSF6400 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> >  Here is the
> > info.
> >
> > TRAIN 2180, leave Washington 6:50am, arrive NYC
> at
> > 9:18am.  Thats 2 hours, 28 minutes.
> > TRAIN 2183, leave NYC at 3:50pm, arrive
> Washington
> > at 6:18am.  Thats 2 hours, 28 minutes.
> >
> > I hope this helps.
>
> Sure hope that arrival was 6:18 PM. It would be
> more like the Cardinal otherwise. 

So true!!  It beats the 85 hours it would take to walk there....barely.

There were also a couple of other "express" altered trains. Amtrak has done an Acela Express that served NYC - Philadelphia - Washington DC. There was also a train on the northern leg that went from NYC all the way to Providence, RI. Pretty sure ALL stops in CT were skipped. I know New Haven was, and pretty sure Stamford was too. It was sort of a early "get-away train" leaving NYC around 2:30 pm. Took it for New Year's up to Providence then rented a car to join up with family and friends in Newport, RI. 

No nonstops in the 29 April 2001 timetable --
the two former nonstops stopped at Philadelphia
and were scheduled 2 hr 30 min. The morning
train left Washington at 0720 instead of 0650.

LTCerny Wrote:
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> Thanks for the detailed reply BNSF6400.  There
> also was an earlier 2 hr 30 minute schedule.  I
> remember riding one, maybe about 1990 or so.  We
> ran into some problems and the actual time was 2
> hours 39 minutes.

I remember the advertising at that time for the "Express Metroliner" that was carded for WAS/NYP in "2 hours and 29 civilized minutes". The only scheduled intermediate stops were Beltway and maybe Newark. All the other Metroliners had low 100-series train numbers but these, if I recall correctly, ran in the low 200s. I can't remember if there were morning and evening expresses in both directions, or just to New York in the morning and back to Washington in the evening, but I suspect it was the former.