by SouthernRailway
It seems to me as though after the Penn Station-to-NJ tunnels, significantly speeding up trip times on the New Haven Line should be the #1 passenger rail priority in the US:
1. The New Haven Line is the most heavily used passenger rail line in the Americas.
2. The New Haven Line is relatively slow: nearly 2 hours for the 75 miles between Grand Central and New Haven, even accounting for no stops between 125th Street and Stamford.
3. The New Haven Line is the slowest stretch of track for the Acela, and the slow speeds significantly add to the Acela's overall trip time and significantly reduce its competitiveness.
4. The Connecticut coast is highly affluent and highly populated, and improving train service should further significantly enhance real estate values; I would expect that the area's affluent citizens could have their voice heard pretty easily.
5. New CT Rail trains starting from New Haven could easily connect with quick trips from Grand Central, opening up new parts of Connecticut to commuting.
So why isn't fixing the New Haven Line's slow speeds a huge priority for governments with cash to spend on passenger rail?
It seems absolutely ridiculous for a 75-mile rail line, which is the most heavily used passenger rail line in the Americas, to take nearly 2 hours for end-to-end trains. There should be express trains that do Grand Central-Stamford-New Haven in one hour.
1. The New Haven Line is the most heavily used passenger rail line in the Americas.
2. The New Haven Line is relatively slow: nearly 2 hours for the 75 miles between Grand Central and New Haven, even accounting for no stops between 125th Street and Stamford.
3. The New Haven Line is the slowest stretch of track for the Acela, and the slow speeds significantly add to the Acela's overall trip time and significantly reduce its competitiveness.
4. The Connecticut coast is highly affluent and highly populated, and improving train service should further significantly enhance real estate values; I would expect that the area's affluent citizens could have their voice heard pretty easily.
5. New CT Rail trains starting from New Haven could easily connect with quick trips from Grand Central, opening up new parts of Connecticut to commuting.
So why isn't fixing the New Haven Line's slow speeds a huge priority for governments with cash to spend on passenger rail?
It seems absolutely ridiculous for a 75-mile rail line, which is the most heavily used passenger rail line in the Americas, to take nearly 2 hours for end-to-end trains. There should be express trains that do Grand Central-Stamford-New Haven in one hour.