Northeast Corridor

This article is about the Amtrak main line. For the New Jersey Transit service, see Northeast Corridor Line. For the agglomeration of metropolitan areas, see Northeast megalopolis.

Northeast Corridor
An Amtrak Acela Express train near Philadelphia.
Overview
Type	Inter-city rail Regional rail and Heavy rail
System	Amtrak, CSXT, NS
Status	Operational
Locale	Northeastern States
Termini	Boston South Washington, D.C Union
Stations	30
Operation
Opened	Stages between 1830s-1917
Owner	Amtrak New York state Connecticut
Operator(s)	Amtrak
Technical
No. of tracks	2+
Track gauge	Standard gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Operating speed	Up to 150 mph (240 km/h) (certain locations only), up to 100 mph (161 km/h)
Route map Sections owned by Amtrak in red

[v · d · e]Northeast Corridor

Legend Boston South Station Boston Back Bay Route 128 Providence Kingston Westerly Mystic New London Old Saybrook Springfield Hartford New Haven Bridgeport Stamford New Rochelle New York City Newark, NJ Newark Airport Metropark New Brunswick Princeton Junction Trenton Cornwells Heights North Philadelphia Philadelphia Wilmington Newark, DE Aberdeen Baltimore BWI Airport New Carrollton Washington, D.C.

The Northeast Corridor (commonly abbreviated NEC) is a fully electrified railway line owned primarily by Amtrak serving the Northeast megalopolis of the United States from Boston in the north, via New York to Washington, D.C. in the south, with branches serving other cities. The line is used by the Acela Express and the Northeast Regional between New York and Washington plus other Amtrak routes in addition to commuter rail services and freight rail transport.

The NEC, which closely parallels Interstate 95 for most of its length, is the busiest passenger rail line in the United States by ridership and service frequency.^[1] The Acela, which entered service in 2000 and is the only high-speed rail service in the United States, operates at up to 150 mph (241 km/h) on part of the route, taking 2 hours 48 minutes between New York and Washington; for much of the route, however, speed is limited to under 100 mph (161 km/h). Plans have been prepared for a $117-billion (2010 dollars) project to reduce New York–Washington time to 96 minutes and Boston–New York to 84 minutes.^[2][3]

Description

With primarily passenger services, the Northeast Corridor is a cooperative venture between Amtrak and various state agencies. Amtrak owns the track between Washington and New Rochelle, New York, a northern suburb of New York City. The segment from New Rochelle to New Haven is owned by the states of New York and Connecticut; Metro-North Railroad commuter trains operate on this segment. North of New Haven, ownership again reverts to Amtrak, whose tracks stretch to the border between Rhode Island and Massachusetts. The final segment from the border north to Boston is owned by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Amtrak catenary maintenance unit on the 4-track line north of Baltimore

Under Amtrak's ownership, the Northeast Corridor suffered from several high-profile electric-power failures in 2006 and other infrastructure problems.^[4] Intermittent power outages caused delays of up to five hours for Amtrak and commuter trains. Railroad officials have blamed Amtrak's funding woes for the deterioration of the track and power supply infrastructure, which in places is almost a hundred years old.^[5]

Amtrak owns Pennsylvania Station in New York, 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Station in Baltimore, and Union Station in Washington.

There are only eleven grade crossings on the NEC, all in southeastern New London County, Connecticut, to the north of New York. Except for three grade crossings in New London, Connecticut (which are in close proximity to the station), all crossings feature four-quadrant gates without exit gate delays as well as induction loops to alert Amtrak personnel about trapped vehicles.

History

Origins

Map of Northeast Corridor, showing different milepost designations along the route.

The current Northeast Corridor was built by a number of different companies between 1830s and 1917. The route was later owned by two companies: the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad (NYNH&H) owned the section from Boston to New York (formerly known as the "Boston & New Haven Main Line" or "Shore Line"), and the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) owned the section from New York to Washington (formerly known as the "Philadelphia-to-Washington Main Line").

From Boston to New York:

Boston to Providence: Boston and Providence Railroad opened 1835, partially realigned in 1847 and in 1899. Became part of the Old Colony Railroad in 1888.^[6]

Providence to Stonington: New York, Providence and Boston Railroad opened 1837; partially realigned 1848.

Stonington to New Haven: New Haven, New London and Stonington Railroad opened 1852-1889, realigned in New Haven, 1894.

New Haven to New Rochelle: New York and New Haven Railroad opened 1849.

New Rochelle to Port Morris): Harlem River and Port Chester Railroad opened 1873.

A short section in New York was owned jointly by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad and the Pennsylvania Railroad:

Port Morris to Sunnyside Yard: New York Connecting Railroad: opened 1917.

The New York to Washington section:

Sunnyside Yard to Manhattan Transfer: Pennsylvania Tunnel and Terminal Railroad opened 1910.

Manhattan Transfer to Trenton: United New Jersey Railroad and Canal Company opened 1834-1839, 1841; partially realigned 1863 and 1870.

Trenton to Frankford Junction: Philadelphia and Trenton Railroad opened 1834; partially realigned 1911.

Frankford Junction to Zoo Tower: Connecting Railway opened 1867.

Zoo Tower to Grays Ferry: Junction Railroad opened 1863-1866.

Grays Ferry to Bayview: Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad opened 1837-1838, 1866, 1906.

Bayview Yard to Baltimore Union Station: Union Railroad opened 1873.

Bayview Yard to Baltimore Union Station: Baltimore and Potomac Rail Road opened 1872-1873.

Landover to Washington, D.C.: Magruder Branch opened 1907, 1905.

Electrification 1905-1938

New York section electrification

The New York Central began planning for electrification between Grand Central and the split at Mott Haven following the opening of the first electrified urban rail terminal in 1900, the Gare d'Orsay in Paris, France. Electricity was already in use on various branch lines of the NYNH&H for interurban streetcars via third rail or trolley wire. A further incentive was provided when an accident killed 17 people on January 8, 190, which was blamed on low visibility caused by the air pollution of steam locomotives. The resulting public outcry led to a push for electric operation in Manhattan.

The first section of what became the NEC was the Park Avenue Tunnel of the New York and Harlem Railroad, part of the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad (NYC) to its Grand Central Terminal in New York, and also used by the NYNH&H via trackage rights.

The NYNH&H announced in 1905 that it would electrify its main line from New York to Stamford, Connecticut. Along with the construction of the new Grand Central Terminal, opened in 1912, the NYC electrified its lines, beginning on December 11, 1906 with suburban multiple unit service to High Bridge on the Hudson Line. Electric locomotives began serving Grand Central February 13, 1907, and all NYC passenger service into Grand Central was electrified July 1. NYNH&H electrification began July 24 to New Rochelle, August 5 to Port Chester and October 6, 1907 the rest of the way to Stamford. Steam trains last operated into Grand Central on June 30, 1908, after which all NYNH&H passenger trains into Manhattan were electrified. On June 22, 1914 the NYNH&H electrification was extended to New Haven, which was the terminus of electrified service for over 80 years.

At the same time, the PRR was building its Pennsylvania Station and electrified approaches, served by the PRR's lines in New Jersey and the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR). LIRR electric service began in 1905 on the Atlantic Branch from downtown Brooklyn past Jamaica, and in June 1910 on the branch to Long Island City, part of the main line to Penn Station. Penn Station opened September 8, 1910 for LIRR trains and November 27 for the PRR; trains of both railroads were powered by DC electricity from a third rail. PRR trains changed engines (electric to/from steam) at Manhattan Transfer; passengers could also transfer there to H&M trains to downtown Manhattan.

On July 29, 1911, the NYNH&H began electric service on its Harlem River Branch, a suburban branch that would become a main line with the completion of the New York Connecting Railroad and its Hell Gate Bridge. The bridge opened on April 1, 1917, but was operated by steam with an engine change at Sunnyside Yard east of Penn Station until 1918.

Electrification of the portion north of New Haven to Providence and Boston had been planned by the NYNH&H, and authorized by the company's board of directors shortly before the U.S. entered World War I. This plan was not carried out because of the war and the company's financial problems.

New York to Washington electrification

Main article: Amtrak's 25 Hz Traction Power System

"K" Tower, located just north of Washington Union Station, is the only remaining interlocking tower on the NEC south of Philadelphia.

In 1905 Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) announced that it would electrify its suburban lines at Philadelphia; eventually the 11-kV 25-Hz AC catenary was extended all the way between New York and Washington. Electric service began September 11, 1915 with multiple unit trains west to Paoli on the PRR Main Line (now the Keystone Corridor). Electric service to Chestnut Hill (now the Chestnut Hill West Line), including a stretch of the NEC, began March 30, 1918. Local electric service to Wilmington, Delaware on the NEC began September 30, 1928, and the other way to Trenton, New Jersey on June 29, 1930.

The first electrified service between Exchange Place, the Jersey City terminal, and New Brunswick, New Jersey began on December 8, 1932, including the extension of Penn Station electric service from Manhattan Transfer. On January 16, 1933, the rest of the electrification, between New Brunswick and Trenton, opened, giving a fully electrified intercity line between New York and Philadelphia, and beyond to Wilmington. Through trains to Washington began running under electricity to Wilmington February 12, with the engine change moved from Manhattan Transfer to Wilmington. The same was done on April 9 for trains running west from Philadelphia, with the change point moved to Paoli.

In 1933, the electrification south of Wilmington was stalled by the Great Depression, but the PRR managed to get a loan from the federal government to resume work the next year. The tunnels at Baltimore were rebuilt, and electric revenue service between New York and Washington began February 10, 1935. On April 7 the electrification of all New York–Washington passenger trains was complete, with 639 daily trains, 191 locomotive-hauled and the other 448 multiple-unit. New York–Washington electric freight service began May 20 with the electrification of freight lines in New Jersey and Washington. Extensions to Potomac Yard across the Potomac River from Washington, as well as several freight branches along the way, were electrified in 1937 and 1938. The Potomac Yard electrification remained until 1981.

Reorganization, bankruptcy and Amtrak

The UAC Turbotrain set the speed record for a production train at 170.8 miles per hour (274.8 kilometers per hour) on the Northeast Corridor between New Brunswick, New Jersey and Trenton, New Jersey in December 1967^[7] shortly before Pennsylvania Railroad merged with its former rival, the New York Central Railroad in 1969 to form Penn Central Transportation. This new company then absorbed the NYNH&H in 1969, bringing the whole Washington-Boston corridor under control of one company.

Despite the joining of the New York Connecting Railroad and Hell Gate Bridge segments, the two were operated almost entirely independently of each other until the merger of the PRR and NYNH&H into Penn Central Transportation in 1968 and 1969 respectively, and the establishment of Amtrak in 1971. On September 21, 1970 all New York–Boston trains except the Turboservice were rerouted into Penn Station from Grand Central, and the Turboservice was moved February 1, 1971.

Amtrak took over intercity passenger rail services in the United States on May 1, 1971 and soon began running trains through New York, partly because of poor maintenance at Sunnyside Yard.^[8]

The State of New York bought and the State of Connecticut leased their sections of the New Haven Line, between Woodlawn, New York and New Haven, Connecticut, from Penn Central in January 1971, which was subsequently operated by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. In the same month, the State of Massachusetts bought the Attleboro/Stoughton Line in Massachusetts, which was subsequently operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.^

The Regional Rail Reorganization Act of 1973 provided for Amtrak to purchase any remaining trackage for the corridor which passed to Amtrak in April 1976 with the formation of Conrail except for the section between New Haven and the Rhode Island/Massachusetts state line, which were sold to the Providence and Worcester Railroad; those rights remained until the 1999 breakup of Conrail, when they were split between the Norfolk Southern Railway to the south and CSX Transportation to the north.^[ambiguous]

Conrail, another government corporation, was formed in 1976 to take over the now-bankrupt Penn Central Transportation, and sections of the line that had not already been sold to state commuter transportation authorities were sold to Amtrak. The purchase of the Northeast Corridor by Amtrak was controversial at the time, and the Department of Transportation blocked the transaction and withheld purchase funds for several months until Amtrak granted it control over reconstruction of the corridor.^[9]

The Preliminary System Plan for Conrail, prepared in February 1975, proposed abandoning all freight on the Shore Line (NEC) between Groton, Connecticut and Hills Grove, Rhode Island. However, in March 1975, the U.S. Railway Association announced that it had re-evaluated the line segment and would be keeping it in operation.^[10] Amtrak now operates and maintains the portion in Massachusetts, but the line from New Haven to New Rochelle, New York is operated by the Metro-North Railroad; this has been a problem with establishment of high-speed service.

Northeast Corridor Improvement Project 1976-1980

In 1976 Congress authorized the Northeast Corridor Improvement Project (NECIP) to begin a major overhaul and improvement of the system between Washington and Boston.^[11] The project included safety improvements, modernization of the signaling system by General Railway Signal and new Centralized Electrification and Traffic Control (CETC) control centers by Chrysler at Philadelphia, New York and Boston. It allowed more trains to run faster and closer together, and set the stage for later high-speed operation. NECIP also introduced the AEM-7 locomotive, which enabled lower travel times between cities, and it became the most successful engine on the Corridor. The NECIP set travel time goals of 2 hours and 30 minutes between Washington and New York, and 3 hours between Boston and New York. These goals were not met because of the low level of funding provided by the Reagan Administration and Congress in the 1980s.^[12]

A project for electrification between New Haven and Boston had been included in a bill signed by President Gerald Ford in 1976^[11] but then stalled after 1980 because of opposition from the Reagan Administration.

All grade crossings on the line have been eliminated between New York and Washington since the mid-1980s. Eleven grade crossings remain in Connecticut.

High-speed rail in the 1990s

An Amtrak Acela Express crosses a former Pennsylvania Railroad bridge in Maryland.

Main article: Amtrak's 60 Hz Traction Power System

The Northeast High Speed Rail Improvement Program (NHRIP), was implemented in the 1990s.^[12] In preparation for the new higher-speed Acela Express trains, Amtrak upgraded the portion of the Northeast Corridor north of New York; grade crossings were eliminated, some bridges were rebuilt, and some curves were modified. Beginning in 1996, the electrification was extended north along the 157-mile (253 km) section of track between New Haven and Boston with electric locomotives starting service on January 31, 2000. Concrete railroad ties replaced wood, and heavier continuous welded rail (CWR) was laid down.

Acela Express service began on December 11, 2000. Travel time between Boston and New York is about three and a half hours, and New York–Washington runs take two hours and forty-five minutes.

Future

Gateway project

In February 2011 Amtrak announced plans for the Gateway Project between Newark Penn Station and New York Penn Station.^[13]

Harold interlocking

In May 2011, a $294.7-million federal grant was awarded to address congestion at Harold Interlocking, the USA's busiest rail junction, which is part of Sunnyside Yard. The work will allow dedicated tracks to the New York Connecting Railroad right of way for Amtrak trains arriving from or bound for New England, thus avoiding NJT and LIRR traffic. ^{[14] [15] [16]} Financing for the project was jeopardized in July 2011 by the House of Representatives, which voted to divert the funding to unrelated projects.^[17]

New York to Philadelphia increased speeds

In May 2011 the Federal Government awarded $450 million to increase top speeds on a 24-mile stretch of track in New Jersey (between New Brunswick and Trenton) from 135 to 160 mph.^[18] The project is designed to upgrade electrical power, signal systems and overhead catenary wires on a 24-mile section between New Brunswick and Trenton to improve reliability, increase speeds up to 160 mph (260 km/h), and support more frequent high-speed service.^[19][20][21] Funding for the project and others announced at the same time had not been "obligated" by Congress and may be diverted by a bill passed by the House of Representatives in July 2011.^[22][17]

Replacement of bridge over Hutchinson River

Amtrak has applied for $15 million for the environmental impact studies and preliminary engineering design to examine replacement options for the more than 100-year-old, low-level movable rail bridge (just west of Pelham Bridge) over the Hutchinson River in The Bronx. The goal is for a new bridge to support expanded service and speeds up to 110 mph (177 kph).^[23]

"A vision for High-Speed Rail"

"A vision for High-Speed Rail on the Northeast corridor" is an aspirational proposal for new dedicated high-speed tracks between Washington, DC, and Boston, Massachusetts produced by Amtrak in October 2010.^[24] At a cost of approximately $117 billion (2010 dollars), it would allow speeds of 220 mph and reduce the travel time from New York to Washington, including a stop in Philadelphia, to 96 minutes, and the travel time from Boston to New York to 84 minutes.^[25][26]

The proposed alignment would closely follow the existing Northeast Corridor south of New York City with a number of different alignments to be studied north of New York City. One option would be through interior Connecticut paralleling Interstates 684, 84, and 90 (via Danbury, Waterbury, and Hartford); another would follow the existing shoreline route (paralleling Interstate 95); a third would route via Long Island, which would require the construction of the Long Island Sound link across Long Island Sound to Connecticut.

Current rail services

Intercity passenger services

The Northeast Corridor consists of tracks between Boston, Springfield, Massachusetts, New York City and Washington D.C. with multiple trains per day. The Atlantic City Express Service is a train to/from Atlantic City on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. The Cardinal is a second train to/from Chicago through Washington D.C. along the Northeast Corridor on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. Both the Atlantic City Express Service and the Cardinal run three days a week. Amtrak accounts for about 14% of all intercity trips between Northeast Corridor cities and its branches. The rest of these intercity trips are taken by airline, automobile, or coach.^[27]

Amtrak and other long-distance trains serving Northeast Corridor stations:

• Acela Express - high-speed rail from Boston to Washington.
• Adirondack- to/from Montreal along the Empire Corridor.
• New Jersey Transit Atlantic City Express Service- to/from Frankford Junction on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Timing varies by day of the week.
• Capitol Limited - to/from Chicago and Washington D.C..
• Cardinal - to/from Chicago through Washington D.C. along the Northeast Corridor on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. Timing varies by day of the week.
• Carolinian - to/from Charlotte, North Carolina.
• Crescent - to/from New Orleans.
• Empire Service- local service to/from Niagara Falls along the Empire Corridor. Most trains terminate at and start from Albany, with two trains continuing to/from Niagara Falls. On the westbound journey to Niagara Falls, there are two trains daily. On the eastbound journey, there is one daily train, and the timing of the second train varies by day of the week.
• Ethan Allen Express- to/from Rutland along the Empire Corridor, timing varies by day of the week.
• Keystone Service - local service along the Northeast Corridor to Philadelphia, and along the Keystone Corridor to/from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Timings vary by day of the week in each direction, and some trains terminate at and start from Philadelphia.
• Lake Shore Limited- to/from Chicago along the Northeast Corridor in Boston between Back Bay and South Station, and Empire Corridor between Depew, New York and New York City.
• Maple Leaf- to/from Toronto along the Empire Corridor.
• New Haven-Springfield Shuttle from New Haven to Springfield, Massachusetts, through the New Haven-Springfield Line.
• Northeast Regional - local service along the Northeast Corridor, from Boston, Massachusetts or Springfield, Massachusetts through the New Haven-Springfield Line, and New York City to Washington D.C., Richmond, Virginia, Newport News, Virginia, and Lynchburg, Virginia. Most trains run from Boston, Massachusetts or Springfield, Massachusetts through the New Haven-Springfield Line, and New York City to Washington D.C.. There are multiple trains daily to and from Richmond, Virginia and Newport News, Virginia, but some trains terminate at and start from Richmond, Virginia, while others head to and from Newport News, Virginia. One is a daily train, but for other trains, the timings will vary by day of the week. There is one daily train to Lynchburg, Virginia, and its timing varies by day of the week.
• Palmetto - to/from Savannah, Georgia.
• Pennsylvanian - to/from Pittsburgh along the Northeast Corridor and Keystone Corridor.
• Silver Meteor - to/from Miami.
• Silver Star - to/from Miami.
• Vermonter - to/from St. Albans, Vermont through the Northeast Corridor and New Haven-Springfield Line.

Commuter rail

In addition to Amtrak, several commuter rail agencies operate passenger service using the Northeast Corridor tracks.

• MARC Penn Line - Washington to Perryville, Maryland on Mondays to Fridays only.
• MBTA Providence/Stoughton Line from T. F. Green Airport in Warwick, Rhode Island, to Boston.
• MBTA Franklin Line from Hyde Park, to Boston.
• MBTA Needham Line from Ruggles, to Boston.
• MBTA Framingham/Worcester Line from Back Bay Station, to Boston.
• Metro-North Railroad New Haven Line from New Rochelle, New York, to New Haven.
• Metro-North Railroad Danbury Branch, from Norwalk to Danbury, Connecticut.
• Metro-North Railroad New Canaan Branch, from Stamford to New Canaan, Connecticut.
• Metro-North Railroad Waterbury Branch, from Stratford to Waterbury, Connecticut.
• New Jersey Transit Atlantic City Line in Philadelphia (from 30th Street Station to Frankford Junction).
• New Jersey Transit Northeast Corridor Line from Trenton to New York.
• New Jersey Transit North Jersey Coast Line from Rahway to New York.
• New Jersey Transit Morristown Line from Secaucus Junction to New York.
• New Jersey Transit Gladstone Branch from Secaucus Junction to New York.
• New Jersey Transit Montclair-Boonton Line from Secaucus Junction to New York.
• Long Island Rail Road City Terminal Zone from Sunnyside Yard to New York.
• SEPTA Airport Line in Philadelphia (from 30th Street Station to Phil Interlocking in Southwest Philadelphia).
• SEPTA Wilmington/Newark Line from Newark, Delaware, to Philadelphia.
• SEPTA Media/Elwyn Line in Philadelphia (from 30th Street Station to Arsenal Junction in University City).
• SEPTA Trenton Line from Philadelphia to Trenton, New Jersey.
• SEPTA Chestnut Hill West Line in Philadelphia (from 30th Street Station to North Philadelphia Station).
• Shore Line East from Stamford, Connecticut, to New London, Connecticut.

Freight services

Freight service is provided on the Northeast Corridor by trackage rights. The Norfolk Southern Railway operates over the line south of Philadelphia, and CSX Transportation has rights from New York to New Haven and in Massachusetts. CSX also has rights between Landover, MD and Bowie, MD, where the CSX Landover Subdivision and Pope's Creek Subdivision, respectively, diverge from the NEC. Between Philadelphia and New York, Conrail, which formerly provided service on the whole line, still operates over the line, as a local switching and terminal company for both CSX and Norfolk Southern. (See Conrail Shared Assets Operations.) The Providence and Worcester Railroad operates local freight service from New Haven into Rhode Island and has incidental trackage rights from New Haven to New York.

Grade crossings

There are eleven remaining grade crossings, all in southeastern Connecticut. From east to west:

• Stonington: Palmer Street (Pawcatuck), Elihue Island Road, Walker's Dock, Wamphassuc Crossing, Latimer Point Road and Broadway (Mystic)
• Groton: School Street (Noank) - the first quad-gate installation in the United States, dating from 1998
• New London: Ferry Street, State Street, and Bank Street Connector
• Waterford: Miner Lane

Station stops

• Amtrak lines: AE=Acela Express, AD=Adirondack, CD=Cardinal, CL=Carolinian, CPL=Capitol Limited, CS=Crescent, EAE=Ethan Allen Express, ES=Empire Service, KS=Keystone, LS=Lake Shore Limited, ML=Maple Leaf, NR=Northeast Regional, PA=Pennsylvanian, PL=Palmetto, SM=Silver Meteor, SS=Silver Star, VT=Vermonter (note that not all trains of that designation necessarily stop at all marked stations)
• MARC: Served by MARC Penn Line trains.
• MBTA: Served by MBTA Providence/Stoughton Line, Franklin Line, Needham Line, and/or Framingham/Worcester Line trains.
• MNR: Served by MTA Metro-North Railroad New Haven Line, Danbury Branch, New Canaan Branch, and/or Waterbury Branch trains.
• NJT: Served by New Jersey Transit Atlantic City Express Service, Atlantic City Line, Montclair-Boonton Line, Morristown Line, Gladstone Branch, North Jersey Coast Line, and/or Northeast Corridor Line trains.
• LIRR: Served by Long Island Rail Road City Terminal Zone portion of Main Line trains to Penn Station.
• SEPTA: Served by SEPTA Regional Rail Airport Line, Wilmington/Newark Line, Media/Elwyn Line, Trenton Line, and/or Chestnut Hill West Line trains.
• SLE: Served by Shore Line East trains.

Station Listing

State	Miles	City	Station	Amtrak	Other		Connections
MA	228.7	Boston	South Station	AE NR LS	MBTA		MBTA Red Line, Old Colony Lines, Greenbush Line, Framingham/Worcester Line, Fairmount Line
	227.6		Back Bay Station	AE NR LS	MBTA		MBTA Orange Line; split with Framingham/Worcester Line
	226.5		Ruggles		MBTA		MBTA Orange Line
	223.7		Forest Hills		MBTA		MBTA Orange Line; split with Needham Line
	220.6		Hyde Park		MBTA		MBTA Orange Line
	219.2		Readville		MBTA		MBTA Fairmount Line; split with Franklin Line. Northeast Corridor platforms only used in emergencies
	217.3	Westwood	Route 128	AE NR	MBTA		Park and ride
	213.9	Canton	Canton Junction		MBTA		Split with Stoughton branch
	210.8	Sharon	Sharon		MBTA
	204.0	Mansfield	Mansfield		MBTA
	196.9	Attleboro	Attleboro		MBTA
	191.9		South Attleboro		MBTA
	190.8	state line Massachusetts/Rhode Island
RI	185.1	Providence	Providence	AE NR	MBTA
	177.3	Warwick	T. F. Green Airport		MBTA
	164.2	Wickford	Wickford Junction		MBTA		Not yet open
	158.1	West Kingston	Kingston	NR
	141.3	Westerly	Westerly	NR
	141.1	state line Rhode Island/Connecticut
CT	132.3	Stonington	Mystic	NR
	122.9	New London	New London	AE NR		SLE
	105.1	Old Saybrook	Old Saybrook	NR		SLE
	101.2	Westbrook	Westbrook			SLE
	96.8	Clinton	Clinton			SLE
	93.1	Madison	Madison			SLE
	88.8	Guilford	Guilford			SLE
	81.4	Branford	Branford			SLE
	72.9	Division Post - Metro-North Railroad/Amtrak
	72.7	New Haven	State Street Station		MNR	SLE
	72.3		Union Station	AE NR VT	MNR	SLE	Amtrak Shuttle
		West Haven	West Haven		MNR		not yet open
	63.3	Milford	Milford		MNR
	59.0	Stratford	Stratford		MNR		MNRR Waterbury Branch
	55.4	Bridgeport	Bridgeport	NR VT	MNR	SLE
		Fairfield	Fairfield Metro Center		MNR		not yet open
	50.6		Fairfield		MNR
	48.9		Southport		MNR
	47.2	Westport	Green's Farms		MNR
	44.2		Westport		MNR
	42.1	Norwalk	East Norwalk		MNR
	41.0		South Norwalk		MNR		MNRR Danbury Branch
	39.2		Rowayton		MNR
	37.7	Darien	Darien		MNR
	36.2		Noroton Heights		MNR
	33.1	Stamford	Stamford	AE NR VT	MNR	SLE	MNRR New Canaan Branch
	31.3	Greenwich	Old Greenwich		MNR
	30.3		Riverside		MNR
	29.6		Cos Cob		MNR
	28.1		Greenwich		MNR
	26.1	state line Connecticut/New York
NY	25.7	Port Chester	Port Chester		MNR
	24.1	Rye	Rye		MNR
	22.2	Harrison	Harrison		MNR
	20.5	Mamaroneck	Mamaroneck		MNR
	18.7	Larchmont	Larchmont		MNR
	16.6	New Rochelle	New Rochelle	NR	MNR		Metro-North to Grand Central
	0.0	New York City	Penn Station	AE AD CD CL CS EAE ES KS LS ML NR PA PL SM SS VT	LIRR	NJT	NYCT: A C E trains at Eighth Avenue 1 2 3 trains at Seventh Avenue LIRR trains to Long Island.
	1.2	state line New York/New Jersey
NJ	5.0	Secaucus	Secaucus Junction			NJT	NJT to Hoboken and northern New Jersey
	6.0	Secaucus/Harrison	Portal Bridge			NJT	Active moveable bridge over Hackensack River.
	7.3	Harrison	Swift			NJT	Junction with NJT Kearny Connection to NJT Morris & Essex Line to Dover, Hackettstown & Gladstone and Montclair-Boonton Line to Montclair Heights, Dover and Hackettstown.
	8.5		Hudson			NJT	Former location of Manhattan Transfer; Current junction between NJT Waterfront Connection and AMT NEC Penn Main Line.
	8.8		Hudson Yard			NJT	Amtrak/NJT Yard.
	9.8	Newark	Dock				Active moveable bridge over Passaic River.
	10.0		Penn Station	AE CD CL CS KS NR PA PL SM SS VT		NJT	Newark City Subway, PATH
	11.1		Cliff				Former Newark (South Street) Station; consists of two crossovers that didn't fit at Hunter.
	11.7		Hunter				Junction for NJT Raritan Valley Line to High Bridge and Raritan; Conrail Lehigh Line.
	12.6		Newark Airport	KS NR		NJT	AirTrain.
	13.5		Lane				Junction for Conrail Greenville and Passaic & Harsimus Branches.
	14.4	Elizabeth	North Elizabeth			NJT
	15.4		Elizabeth (Broad Street)			NJT
	16.0		Elmora				Interlocking Plant
	16.1		South Elizabeth				Closed passenger Station.
	18.6	Linden	Linden			NJT
	20.1	Rahway	North Rahway			NJT	Closed passenger station.
	20.7		Rahway			NJT
	21.0		Union				Junction with NJT North Jersey Coast Line to Bay Head.
	22.8	Woodbridge	Colonia				Closed passenger station.
	24.0		Iselin				Closed passenger station.
	24.6		Metropark	AE KS NR VT		NJT	Park and ride
	27.1	Metuchen	Metuchen			NJT
	27.3		Lincoln				Interlocking Plant.
	30.3	Edison	Edison			NJT
	32.7	New Brunswick	New Brunswick	KS NR		NJT
	34.2		County				Junction Conrail Millstone Running Track
	34.4	North Brunswick	Jersey Avenue			NJT	Park and ride
	36.8		Adams				Closed passenger Station
	39.9	South Brunswick	Deans				Closed passenger Station
	42.4		Monmouth Junction				Closed passenger Station
	42.6		Midway				Interlocking plant; junction with Conrail Jamesburg Branch.
	48.3	Princeton Junction	Nassau				Junction with NJT Princeton Branch.
	48.4		Princeton Junction	KS NR		NJT	NJT Princeton Branch to Princeton.
	-	Hamilton Township (Mercer County)	Division Post New Jersey/Philadelphia Divisions
	54.4		Hamilton			NJT
	55.8		Millham				closed Interlocking Plant.
	57.8	Trenton	Fair				Junction for Belvedere-Delaware Secondary Track. Former junction for Bordentown Secondary Track. (See NJT River Line.) Current Amtrak Division Post New York and Philadelphia Divisions.
	58.1		Trenton	AE CD CL CS KS NR PA SM SS VT	SEPTA	NJT	NJT River Line to Camden
	59.2	state line New Jersey/Pennsylvania
PA	59.6	Morrisville	Morrisville				Closed passenger station
	59.7		Morris				Junction for Norfolk Southern Trenton Cut-off and Morrisville Yard.
	64.7	Tullytown	Levittown		SEPTA
	67.8	Bristol	Bristol		SEPTA
	70.7	Bristol Township	Croydon		SEPTA
	72.4	Bensalem	Eddington		SEPTA
	73.7	Cornwells Heights	Cornwells Heights	KS NR	SEPTA
	75.7	Philadelphia	Torresdale		SEPTA
	78.3		Holmesburg Junction		SEPTA
	79.3		Tacony		SEPTA
	81.2		Bridesburg		SEPTA
	82.8		Frankford Junction				Closed station; junction with Atlantic City Express Service and Atlantic City Line to Atlantic City
	86.0		North Philadelphia	KS NR	SEPTA
	89.0 0		ZOO Interlocking				Split with Keystone Corridor
	1.5		30th Street Station	AE CD CL CS KS NR PA PL SM SS VT	SEPTA	NJT	New Jersey Transit Atlantic City Line, all SEPTA commuter rail lines
	1.8		University City		SEPTA		SEPTA to Philadelphia International Airport, Elwyn, and Delaware
	6.1	Darby	Darby		SEPTA
	6.5	Sharon Hill	Curtis Park		SEPTA
	7.2		Sharon Hill		SEPTA
	7.7	Folcroft	Folcroft		SEPTA
	8.3	Glenolden	Glenolden		SEPTA
	9.0	Norwood	Norwood		SEPTA
	9.7	Prospect Park	Prospect Park		SEPTA
	10.4	Ridley Park	Ridley Park		SEPTA
	11.1		Crum Lynne		SEPTA
	12.3	Eddystone	Eddystone		SEPTA
	13.4	Chester	Chester Transportation Center		SEPTA
			Lamokin Street Station		SEPTA		Flag stop, closed in 2003.
	15.5		Highland Avenue Station		SEPTA
	16.7	Marcus Hook	Marcus Hook		SEPTA
	18.2	state line Pennsylvania/Delaware
DE	19.6	Claymont	Claymont		SEPTA
	26.8	Wilimington	Wilmington	AE CD CL CS NR PL SM SS VT	SEPTA
	32.5		Churchmans Crossing		SEPTA
	38.7	Newark	Newark	NR	SEPTA
	41.5	state line Delaware/Maryland
MD	59.5	Perryville	Perryville		MARC
	65.5	Aberdeen	Aberdeen	NR	MARC
	75.1	Edgewood	Edgewood		MARC
	84.0	Middle River	Martin State Airport		MARC
	95.7	Baltimore	Penn Station	AE CD CL CS NR PL SM SS VT	MARC		Maryland Transit Administration Light Rail
	98.5		West Baltimore		MARC
	103.0	Halethorpe	Halethorpe		MARC
	106.3	Linthicum	BWI Airport Rail Station	AE NR VT	MARC
	113.6	Odenton	Odenton		MARC
	119.4	Bowie	Bowie State		MARC
	120.5	Bowie	Bowie Interlocking				Wye junction with Pope's Creek Subdivision (CSX)
	124.7	Seabrook	Seabrook		MARC
	127.0	New Carrollton	New Carrollton	NR VT	MARC		Orange Line (Washington Metro), park and ride
	128.8	Landover	Landover Interlocking				Junction with CSX Landover Subdivision
	131.6	state line Maryland/District of Columbia
DC	134.6 1.1	Washington	C Interlocking				Junction with CSX Capital Subdivision and Metropolitan Subdivision
	0.0		Union Station	AE CPL CD CL CS NR PL SM SS VT	MARC	VRE	VRE commuter rail, Metro Red Line, Amtrak trains to Virginia, Chicago, New Orleans, Miami, MARC commuter Rail

Gallery

• 

  An Acela Express trainset stops at Union Station in New Haven, Connecticut, USA.

• 

  Kingston, Rhode Island

See also

• Amtrak's 25 Hz Traction Power System
• Amtrak's 60 Hz Traction Power System
• New Haven Line Metro North's Line which comprises part of the NEC
• High-speed rail in the United States
• Advanced Civil Speed Enforcement System (ACSES)
• Corridor (Via Rail)

References

1. ^ Bureau of Transportation Statistics, U.S. Department of Transportation (2005-11). "Transportation Statistics Annual Report" (PDF). http://www.bts.gov/publications/transportation_statistics_annual_report/2005/pdf/entire.pdf. Retrieved 2007-02-18. 
2. ^ N.Y. to D.C., 96 mins., $117 billion, CNN Money, November 2nd 2010.
3. ^ "A vision for High-Speed Rail in the Northeast Corridor". Amtrak. 2010-09-01. http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/BlobServer?blobcol=urldata&blobtable=MungoBlobs&blobkey=id&blobwhere=1249217394430&blobheader=application%2Fpdf&blobheadername1=Content-disposition&blobheadervalue1=attachment;filename=Amtrak_NECHSRReport92810RLR.pdf. 
4. ^ "Still No Answers in May Amtrak Power Outage". WNYC. June 22, 2006. http://www.wnyc.org/news/articles/61538. Retrieved 2006-11-13. 
5. ^ Tom Baldwin (June 23, 2006). "Amtrak: Cause of power outage unknown". Courier-Post. http://www.courierpostonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060623/NEWS01/606230378/1006. Retrieved 2006-11-13. ^{[dead link]}
6. ^ Report of the Board of Railroad Commissioners, Feb 15, 1911, page 408
7. ^ William D. Middleton (December 1999). "Passenger rail in the 20th Century". Archived from the original on 2007-05-04. http://web.archive.org/web/20070504173421/http://www.railwayage.com/dec99/passenger.html. Retrieved 2006-11-13. 
8. ^ Kevin McKinney, At the dawn of Amtrak, Trains June 1991
9. ^ "A loss for Amtrak is Coleman's Gain." Business Week, 1976-09-13, p. 36.
10. ^ United States Railway Association, Washington, D.C. (1975-07-26). Final System Plan for Restructuring Railroads in the Northeast and Midwest Region pursuant to the Regional Rail Reorganization Act of 1973. ("FSP"):
    Vol. 1. Vol. 2
11. ^ ^{a b} U.S. Congress. Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act of 1976, Pub. L. 94-210, 90 Stat. 31, 45 U.S.C. § 801. 1976-02-05. Sometimes referred to as the "4R Act."
12. ^ ^{a b} NEC Master Plan Working Group. "Northeast Corridor Infrastructure Master Plan." May 2010. pp. 19-20.
13. ^ "Gateway Project" (PDF). Amtrak. February 2011. http://lautenberg.senate.gov/assets/Gateway.pdf. Retrieved 2011-02-07. 
14. ^ "HAROLD interlocking (New York City)". wikimapia.org. http://wikimapia.org/10839077/HAROLD-interlocking. Retrieved 2011-05-13. 
15. ^ "Maloney Hails Federal Grant to Ease Amtrak Delays in NYC, Spur High-Speed Rail in NE Corridor - $294.7 Million Grant to Improve “Harold Interlocking”, a Delay-Plagued Junction For Trains in the NE Corridor". May 09, 2011. http://maloney.house.gov/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=2358&Itemid=61. Retrieved 2011-05-13. 
16. ^ Colvin, Jill (May 9, 2011). "New York Awarded $350 Million for High-Speed Rail Projects". DNAinfo.com. http://www.dnainfo.com/20110509/midtown/new-york-awarded-350-million-for-highspeed-rail-projects. Retrieved 2011-05-13. 
17. ^ ^{a b} "House Vote Jeopardizes Key Northeast Rail Projects". Back on Track: Northeast. The Business Alliance for Northeast Mobility. July 20, 2011. http://www.northeastbizalliance.org/blog/. Retrieved 2011-07-21. 
18. ^ "A Last Gasp for the Initial Intercity Rail Grants". The Transport Politic Blog. 2001-05-01. http://www.thetransportpolitic.com/2011/05/09/a-last-gasp-for-the-initial-intercity-rail-grants/. 
19. ^ Frassinelli, Mike (Monday, May 9, 2011), "Feds steer $450M to N.J. for high-speed rail", The Star Ledger, http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/05/amtrak_to_receive_800m_from_ca.html, retrieved 2011-05-13 
20. ^ Thorbourne, Ken (May 09, 2011), "Amtrak to receive nearly $450 million in high speed rail funding", The Jersey Journal, http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2011/05/amtrak_to_receive_nearly_450_m.html, retrieved 2011-05-13 
21. ^ McGeehan, Patrick (May 9, 2011), scp=2&sq=Ray%20Lahood&st=cse "Florida's rejected rail funds flow north", The New York Times, http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/09/floridas-rejected-rail-funds-flow-north/? scp=2&sq=Ray%20Lahood&st=cse, retrieved 2011-05-13 
22. ^ Frassinelli, Mike (July 16, 2011). "House passes bill that would divert money from electrical upgrades on N.J. Northeast". The Star-Ledger. http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/07/house_of_representatives_passe_1.html. Retrieved 2011-07-16. 
23. ^ "Amtak Seeks $1.3 billion for Gateway Project and Next-Generation High-Speed Rail on NEC". Amtrak. April 4, 2011. http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/BlobServer?blobcol=urldata&blobtable=MungoBlobs&blobkey=id&blobwhere=1249224538367&blobheader=application%2Fpdf&blobhead. Retrieved 2011-04-08. 
24. ^ "Amtrak Releases Concept for 220 mph Train Along Northeast Corridor". AASHTO Journal. http://www.aashtojournal.org/Pages/100110amtrak.aspx. Retrieved 2010-10-10. 
25. ^ "N.Y. to D.C., 96 mins., $117 billion". CNN Money. 2010-11-02. http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2010/11/02/n_amtrak_117_billion_train.cnnmoney/. 
26. ^ "A vision for High-Speed Rail in the Northeast Corridor". Amtrak. 2010-09-01. http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/BlobServer?blobcol=urldata&blobtable=MungoBlobs&blobkey=id&blobwhere=1249217394430&blobheader=application%2Fpdf&blobheadername1=Content-disposition&blobheadervalue1=attachment;filename=Amtrak_NECHSRReport92810RLR.pdf. 
27. ^ Congressional Budget Office. "The Past and Future of U.S. Passenger Rail Service," September 2003.[1]

Sources

• Middleton, William D. (1974) When The Steam Railroads Electrified (1st ed.). Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Kalmbach Publishing Co. ISBN 0-89024-028-0
• Spavins, Jim. (2010) Diesels on the Northeast Corridor (1st ed.). ISBN 1-4537-8765-8
• PRR Chronology (Christopher T. Baer)
• Amtrak Northeast Corridor mileposts between Philadelphia and Washington, DC
• PRR New York Division track profiles
• "Diesels on the Northeast Corridor"
• Route on OpenStreetMap