Another try at Acela non-stop service

[Rockingham Racer]

Amtrak announced this morning that it'll be running one non-stop each way on weekdays on the south end of the corridor. They tried this before and it has flopped. Let's see how long it lasts this time.

https://thepointsguy.com/news/amtrak-no ... 6-44923925

[bostontrainguy]

I don't see why this wouldn't work. There has to be a market for this. Really don't understand why it didn't work last time.

[nomis]

The simple details from the article posited above:

The weekday-only service will begin on Sep. 23. The southbound train will depart from New York at 6:35am and is scheduled to arrive in Washington around 9:10am. The nonstop return train will depart Union Station at 4:30pm and arrive at Penn Station around 7:05pm.

[chuchubob]

I don't see why this wouldn't work. There has to be a market for this. Really don't understand why it didn't work last time.

I thought it didn't work previously because too many passengers at Baltimore, Wilmington, and Philadelphia were left out.

[rcthompson04]

Not stopping at Philadelphia might be more of a problem for DC than New York. We are talking less than 15 minute (sometimes more or less 10 minutes) difference between a Keystone and Acela coming out of NYP to Philadelphia. On the other hand, there is a substantive difference between an Acela from Philly to DC than a Northeast Regional on the same route.

[NY&LB]

Now that's progress!
Penn Central did it in 1969 5 min. faster!
Effective April 2, 1969
NY-WAS train 2ND #131 7:10-9:40 AM
WAS-NY train ADVANCE #154 4:30 - 7:00 PM
On July 14, 1969 they adjusted the NY departure:
Train # 2005 NY-WAS 7:30 - 10:00 AM ( East bound train was now # 2004)

On Oct 26, 1969 they added stops in Newark, 30th St and Baltimore adding only 10 Min to the schedule
by MARCH 16, 1970 They were gone.

So we repeat again in 2019.....

[ExCon90]

At the time of the nonstop Metroliner (this is mentioned somewhere many pages back) the City of Baltimore dusted off an ordinance adopted at the time the PRR completed the connection between the former Philadelphia, Wilmington & Baltimore and the Baltimore & Potomac, making operation through Baltimore possible (1873?), requiring all passenger trains to stop in Baltimore, and brought legal action against PC attempting to require the Metroliner to stop there. PC added intermediate stops before any proceedings took place, rendering the question moot; I wonder whether that ordinance is still in place--ordinances don't get repealed very often--and whether Baltimore would have any inclination to try the same thing again.
(Since no safety considerations are involved I don't suppose a city ordinance could trump Federal regulation, but that needn't prevent politicians from generating some publicity--"we're in there pitching for you, folks!")

[Arlington]

Amtrak announced this morning that it'll be running one non-stop each way on weekdays on the south end of the corridor. They tried this before and it has flopped. Let's see how long it lasts this time.

https://thepointsguy.com/news/amtrak-no ... 6-44923925

HIGHLY TARGETED
Wasn't it bi-directional last time? (with trips in both directions in the AM and PM)? At some point I remember discussing a WAS-NYP in the morning (might have been in the toasterliner era ('95??) though)

I think this one, timed for the convenience of only NYC, and timed to maximize utilization, is about half as ambitious and twice as likely to succeed. You don't think Amtrak can find an extra 200 passengers on the NEC each morning? (some extra NYP-WAS nonstoppers, and some extras to fill the seats on the regular Acela cities?)

VS AIRLINES
And when was "last time" this was tried? I'm thinking it was a very different climate of airline competition the last time this was tried. As discussed in the regular Acela thread (or maybe the Texas Central thread?) the DCA-LGA shuttles are flown today on significantly smaller planes (large RJs instead of 737/319-sized) and with larger gaps in the day.

The DCA->LGA Shuttles are not hourly any more (both DL and AA are "on the hour" or the :59)
DL is less-than-hourly, omitting: 10am, 12n, & 8pm
AA is less-than-hourly, omitting: 11am, 12n, 2pm, 6pm, 7pm

[bostontrainguy]

And wasn't "last time" early in 2001 BEFORE 9/11 and the TSA factor? Just found some quick information and the stuff I found does mention a non-stop Acela announced around February 2001. The info mentions the Acela will run in 2 hours and 27 mins and also mentions the 1969 Metroliner that did it in 2 hours 30 mins. Kind of sad, isn't it? 1969!

[Arlington]

Even if not before 9-11, the airlines shrank/changed in the 2007-2010 era too.

Combine this with the fact that central New York City is booming and it's traffic is as bad or worse than ever, and you have a strong case that the traffic is there and wants to go by train, and that the airlines are not going to fight it that hard.

[R36 Combine Coach]

The super express (January-April 2008) was one weekday round trip.

SB: 2105 NYP Dp. 6:50am, PHL 7:55am WAS 9:25am
NB: 2120 WAS Dp. 3:55pm PHL 5:23pm NYP 6:30pm

Note 2120 departed WAS at 3:55pm, same time the first Metroliner round trip (2000/2001) departed WAS effective 1/16/69.

[Matt Johnson]

I know it will make zero practical difference in the running time, but with the last new wire being installed now in the Princeton Junction area to finish up the constant tension catenary upgrade, will the Acelas get a bump from 135 mph to 150 mph there?

[Arlington]

The super express (January-April 2008) was one weekday round trip.

SB: 2105 NYP Dp. 6:50am, PHL 7:55am WAS 9:25am
NB: 2120 WAS Dp. 3:55pm PHL 5:23pm NYP 6:30pm

Note 2120 departed WAS at 3:55pm, same time the first Metroliner round trip (2000/2001) departed WAS effective 1/16/69.

So this new one runs :15 earlier (SB) and :35 later (NB) on the same duration.

But somehow the 2008 attempt managed to stop in PHL. Did it have trouble timekeeping? have they secretly scheduled a stop in PHL that they won't announce until it seems a concession to political pressure? Or is the longer day in DC schedule forcing them to go a bit slower and not stop in PHL?

[Gilbert B Norman]

CBS Radio News aired this development last evening.

Wish 'em luck, everyone.

[Tadman]

At the time of the nonstop Metroliner (this is mentioned somewhere many pages back) the City of Baltimore dusted off an ordinance adopted at the time the PRR completed the connection between the former Philadelphia, Wilmington & Baltimore and the Baltimore & Potomac, making operation through Baltimore possible (1873?), requiring all passenger trains to stop in Baltimore, and brought legal action against PC attempting to require the Metroliner to stop there. PC added intermediate stops before any proceedings took place, rendering the question moot; I wonder whether that ordinance is still in place--ordinances don't get repealed very often--and whether Baltimore would have any inclination to try the same thing again.
(Since no safety considerations are involved I don't suppose a city ordinance could trump Federal regulation, but that needn't prevent politicians from generating some publicity--"we're in there pitching for you, folks!")

I'm no expert on this but it sounds like a restriction on interstate commerce, which is a hard act to do.