I'll admit to being pleasantly surprised that the day itself is treated as any other public holiday - to my mind that's how it should be.
Well, I'm not having much success with posting this picture.
Maybe Not !
I checked the Time Table for Amtrak's "Northest Corridor", service from Boston to New York and Washington. Best running time 6 1/2 hours. Serving the states of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and Washington DC.
"Weekdays", first departure Southbound from Boston 5:10 AM --- last departure 9:45 PM / Northbound first departure from Washington 3:15 AM --- last departure 8:25 PM.
18 trains each way each day --- 9 of the 18 are "Acela" Bullet Trains
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"Saturday & Sundays", only 13 trains each way each weekend day ---- 5 are "Acela" bullet trains
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Christmas this year, a Friday, Amtrak ran on a "Saturday & Sunday" schedule
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All "Northeast Corridor" trains are "All Reserved" --- "Acela" are "First Class" and "Business Class" (2nd class) only ---- "Northeast Regional" are "Business Class" and "Coach Class" (3rd class) only.
Two of the twenty Acela Trains in Boston
Don U. TCA 73-5735
I rode Amtrak's Acela Boston to Washington on Christmas Day. I then boarded Amtrak's Silver Meteor (Train 97) southbound to Florida.
The Acela, despite its higher price tag, was 2/3 full pretty much the entire way. The bulk of the passengers didn't seem to be "business" persons hurrying to a meeting or anything like that. Train 97 departed WAS almost completely full, and I believe they ran several hours overnight with passengers seated in the lounge car before detraining at Savannah or some similar point.
Boston's station didn't seem particularly quieter than other weekdays. Washington station seemed more subdued than normal, but that may have been because some of the regionals and commuter rail trains that frequent the station didn't run that day. About 60 % of the vendors there were closed for the holiday.
I have to admit I was quite surprised at the volume of traffic on the actual day itself.
Second heaviest day or second heaviest period of the year? Is Christmas Day really that busy?
Second heaviest day in most years. Extra cars are added on Thanksgiving and Christmas, sometimes borrowed from Commuter Railroads. Unlike Airlines, railroads tend to be weather proof.
In the United States, Interstate rail passenger service is run by a federal agency, The National Railroad Passenger Corporation (service mark AMTRAK). Amtrak runs 7 days a week, lighter schedules on weekends and some holidays. Service between major cities (less than 500 miles) is frequent, on some lines, hourly. Only the Boston, New York, Washington Corridor have "Bullet Trains". "Long Haul" trains run daily, or 3 times a week, or 2 times a week, everybody in the United States fly long distances in this 3,000 mile wide country. In most cases, Amtrak rents the track from the independent, and very profitable, Freight Railroads.
The running of Commuter Rail is up to the States or City. The need to move a large number of people to work has caused Commuter Railroads to be formed. They own there own locomotives, cars, and in a lot of cases the track. Yes, they rent the use of the track back to Amtrak and the local freight carrier. Boston's MBTA, Chicago's METRA, New York City's Long Island, Metro North, and Jersey Transit all reach out 50 to 75 miles in each direction. Lets not forget CalTran on the west coast. Commuter roads run 7 days a week, heavy in the morning and evening rush hours, light midday, and reduced service on weekends.
Moving on from my Transit post, do Amtrak Services run on Christmas Day?
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