Acela Express

[jeaton]

I am sure this has been discussed more than once. I came to Washington on the Capitol Limited Wednesday and decided splurge on an Acela Express ticket to BWI to pick up a car. As stepson Matt would say-Awesome

I don't know the RR miles but the trip takes 21 minutes. That almost as long as the wait for a light change during rush hour in the District. Top speed in that stretch is 125MPH, and the unit doesn't mess around getting to speed. When the train is at speed, you can walk with a small suitcase, carry on and lap-top and not worry about being launched into someone's lap. Final touch? Doors between cars have motion sensors.

Next thing to do is get an excuse to do Washington-NYC or Boston. I'm working on it.

Jay

[Modelcar]

....Boy, all of that sounds like fun...! Thanks for the report.

[Anonymous]

I'm listening to the Yankees-Redsox postgame on the radio right now (Sox win again) and they advertise $99 Acela Express between NYP and Boston. If they stopped in Westerly, I'd take them up on this when visiting family in southern Rhode Island, but they don't.

[Anonymous]

Nice to hear about a positive expreience in regards to passenger rail....
Sounds like fun.

[michaelstevens]

I think that I've said it before; that it really is a world class train.
The only sensible choice for travel between D.C., Baltimore, Wilmington, Philly, NYC, New Haven, Providence and Boston.

[eastside]

[code]Next thing to do is get an excuse to do Washington-NYC or Boston. I'm working on it.
[/code]
I haven't been keeping track, but isn't the Acela currently running in crippled mode? I ask this because it's only about 30 minutes faster than the Metroliner from NYC to Boston. I can think of other reasons for taking the Acela. Last Sunday I took the Metroliner to Providence. The ride was OK because only about 40% of the seats were filled. (Good for the passengers, bad for Amtrak.) On the other you have to wonder how often Amtrak cleans the seats because of the slight odor that permeated the car. In addition, when I opened the seat tray there was such a strong stench that I immediately had to close it.

Best part: the ride over Hell's Gate Bridge, truly one of the engineering marvels of the 20th century.

[jchnhtfd]

QUOTE: Originally posted by eastside

[code]Next thing to do is get an excuse to do Washington-NYC or Boston. I'm working on it.
[/code]
I haven't been keeping track, but isn't the Acela currently running in crippled mode? I ask this because it's only about 30 minutes faster than the Metroliner from NYC to Boston. I can think of other reasons for taking the Acela. Last Sunday I took the Metroliner to Providence. The ride was OK because only about 40% of the seats were filled. (Good for the passengers, bad for Amtrak.) On the other you have to wonder how often Amtrak cleans the seats because of the slight odor that permeated the car. In addition, when I opened the seat tray there was such a strong stench that I immediately had to close it.

Best part: the ride over Hell's Gate Bridge, truly one of the engineering marvels of the 20th century.

Well, you might call it crippled mode -- only it isn't the Acela which is the cripple, it's the track between New York and roughly the Connecticut/Rhode Island state line. You're talking the home of the NIMBY here, friend, and realigning that track to allow for full speed running would be EXPENSIVE[8D]. If you could get Connecticut to go along with it at all.

[eastside]

QUOTE: Well, you might call it crippled mode -- only it isn't the Acela which is the cripple, it's the track between New York and roughly the Connecticut/Rhode Island state line. You're talking the home of the NIMBY here, friend, and realigning that track to allow for full speed running would be EXPENSIVE. If you could get Connecticut to go along with it at all.

Is it the potential noise that they object to? That would be ironic because I-95, one of the busiest stretches of the Interstate system, parallels the tracks from NYC to Boston. If the locals can put up with the constant roar of I-95 traffic, it seems they would hardly notice an intermittent fast train. The big bucks seems like a more likely reason.

[daveklepper]

It is dollars. Based on comments by friends in Connecticut, most people along the Corridor would approve anything that would improve and speed up passenger service. Why? Less traffic congestion in general and particularly on I-95. Also, many use the commuter trains that not only operate New Haven - Grand Central as Metro North, but also Shore Line East to New London. Dave Klepper

[jchnhtfd]

Yup. Dollars. While people who actually ride the trains or use I-95 would, as Dave said, approve almost anything which would speed up passenger service, the money has to come from the State legislature and be approved by the State DOT. Considering that amount of hassle which it took to get the CT DOT to agree to a few new cars... or the disgraceful way the same stalwart agency has 'supported' the Waterbury operation, I'd say... fuggedaboutit. The automobile is King in Hartford and Wethersfield.

But there is also a NIMBY factor involved in the dollars: west of New Haven, most of the line is in industrial or commercial areas (where it isn't marshes -- but the bad curves are in industrial areas) so it isn't so much in evidence there -- just the landowners sensing lots of money for property to be used to realign the track and widen the centres. East of New Haven, though... there are a lot of folks who will do almost anything they can to block improvements on the line; witness the hassle Amtrak had in getting electrification in place.

[jeaton]

Just so you folks out that way know, I have no objection to my tax bucks being spent on the line. Not just for the occasional ride either.
We all dip in the same pool of oil to get ourselves about town and and any decent option to the car anywhere takes off the demand pressure everywhere.

Interestingly, th GAO said the electrification to Boston and related work was screwed up because the objective of making the Boston-NYC time of three hours was not met. Your'e comments about CT seem to pin point the problem. Probably is a good thing there is not much room there left to pave over.

Jay