Tadman wrote: ↑Fri Jan 31, 2020 4:34 pm
Here's a better question:
IF the NEC from BOS through NYP, PHL, to WAS is the only place Superliners don't fit does a completely different plan work?
Such as LSL and Cap are now overnight trains from Albany and Pitt to Chicago, and Silver/Crescent are now overnight trains from Washington to NOLA and Florida.
Their timetable slot is occupied by coach trains that connect with the outbound (from northeast) LD train at Albany, Pitt, or Washington.
No more need for Viewliner sleepers or diners. The Viewliner sleeper and diner is much less efficient than the comparable Superliner.
Moving long distance trains away from New York City specifically and along the NEC generally allows running Superliner trains as you suggested, south and west from DC, Pittsburgh, and Albany. That frees up space for more Acela and Regional all coach trains on the NEC. But that forces many long distance passengers to transfer to sleeper trains elsewhere. How many must be asked and answered?
Amtrak ridership data that might surprise you.
Amtrak has a total of 31.7 million passengers in 2017 per Wiki.
Yearly top 20 station totals per Wiki (FY2018)
1 New York Penn Station 10,132,025
2 Washington Union Station 5,197,237
3 Philadelphia 30th Street Station 4,471,992
*4 Chicago Union Station 3,388,307
*5 Los Angeles Union Station 1,717,405
6 Boston South Station 1,553,953
*7 Sacramento Valley Station 1,089,223
8 Baltimore Penn Station 1,041,232
*9 Albany–Rensselaer 800,368
10 Providence 766,492
11 BWI Rail Station 756,553
12 Wilmington 702,150
13 Newark Penn Station 702,182
*14 San Diego Santa Fe Depot 699,430
15 New Haven Union Station 697,603
*16 Seattle King Street Station 686,426
17 Boston Back Bay 683,016
*18 Milwaukee Intermodal Station 604,631
*19 Emeryville 595,017
*20 Portland Union Station 576,339
Of the top 20, 11 of them are located on the NEC. Totaling the 11 stations on this list, ridership was 25,323,816.
Some math follows: 25.3 million / 31.7 million x 100 = 79.8%
Those 11 stations are not all the stations Amtrak visits on the NEC. So I believe it is safe to state than 4 out of 5 Amtrak passengers start or end their trips on the NEC. Why should that ratio differ between long distance and regional trains?
Additionally, New York Penn Station makes up 39.9% of the ridership on the NEC (at least with these 11 stations)
Math again: 10.1 million / 25.3 million x 100 = 39.9%
That's almost 2 out of 5 passengers for the NEC alone.
And some more math: 10.1 million / 31.7 million x 100 = 31.9%
And almost 1 out of 3 passengers nationally.
Anyway you wish to look at it, New York and the NEC have a significant share of Amtrak ridership. That's why all those long distance trains go to New York - if only to avoid many, many transfers elsewhere.