Metroliner
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| Amtrak Northeast Corridor services |
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| The Acela brand |
| Acela Express |
| Northeast Regional (including Virginia and NHV-SPG) |
| Former services: Clocker - Metroliner |
| Other Amtrak trains on the NEC: Cardinal - Carolinian - Crescent Keystone - Palmetto - Pennsylvanian Silver Meteor - Silver Star - Vermonter |
| Commuter services on the NEC: MBTA Providence/Stoughton Line - SLE MNRR New Haven Line - NJT NEC Line SEPTA R7 - SEPTA R2 - MARC Penn Line |
Metroliner was a premium express train service run by the Pennsylvania Railroad, Penn Central, and Amtrak, between Washington, D.C., and New York City in the United States from 1969 to 2006, with first-generation self-powered cars being replaced by new (although somewhat identical looking) locomotive-powered set in the early 1980s. The train offered reserved business class and first class seating. A trip between New York's Pennsylvania Station and Washington, D.C.'s Union Station took 3 hours. Amtrak has replaced Metroliner service with Acela Express trainsets, and to this end, Metroliner service was discontinued on 27 October 2006. The equipment transferred to Amtrak's non-Acela services in the Northeastern US where it was badly needed. Some original 1969 Metroliner multiple unit cars had been converted to serve as Amtrak's push-pull cab car fleet in the late 1980s. Some are still in use today, on Springfield, MA-New Haven, CT shuttles and push-pull AEM7 Keystone service. The Metroliner cab-cars are now one of the oldest cars operating in regular service in the Amtrak fleet, a testament to the durability of the Budd Company design.
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[edit] History
The High Speed Ground Transportation Act of 1965 started a U.S. Government effort to develop a high speed train for Northeast Corridor service. The U.S. Department of Transportation worked with the Pennsylvania Railroad, Budd Company, General Electric and Westinghouse to develop a Multiple unit high speed passenger train with initial service target for 1967.
After several setbacks, Metroliner service started on January 16, 1969, operated by Penn Central Transportation, successor to the Pennsylvania Railroad. The initial trip between New York and Washington took 2:59, 36 minutes faster than the previous best.[citation needed] The train consisted of six cars; 2 club cars and six snack bar coaches, full coaches weren't added until October. By April 1969 the fastest scheduled train took 2:30 running at 125 mph.[citation needed]
The Metroliner was very successful with some trains having three times as many people trying to buy tickets as there were seats.[citation needed] With the creation of the National Railroad Passenger Corporation in 1971, the Metroliner trains were transferred to Amtrak.
During the prolonged labor strike at Eastern Shuttle many passengers defected to the Metroliner service.
With the increasing popularity of the faster and more modern Acela Express, the last Metroliner service operated on Friday 27 October 2006.[3]
[edit] First generation multiple unit trains
The original electric multiple-unit (self-propelled) trains built in 1968-69 were retired from service in the mid-1980s and repaced with locomotive hauled fleets. Some of the first generation Metroliner cars were scrapped, some have been preserved in museums, while many were rebuilt as demotorized push-pull cab cars, and others were converted to standard coaches. These rebuilt cars ran on mainly on Midwest and West Coast Routes as well the short lived Atlantic City Express. Some still exist today for service for use as cab cars between New York, NY, Philadelphia and Harrisburg, PA on the Keystone Service with AEM7s, and for the diesel shuttle on the New Haven-Springfield Line.
[edit] Second generation AEM7 trains
Metroliner service from 1981 to 2006 consisted of AEM7 locomotives pulling conventional Amfleet I and II coaches (the design of the coaches is derived from the first generation Metroliner design).
Expanded Metroliner service was initiated by Amtrak when issues developed with the Acela Express trainset braking systems during 2002 and 2005. As trainsets were repaired, the number of Metroliner service trains declined to a single round trip each weekday and eventually was completely discontinued and the fleet transferred to other routes in the Amtrak system.
[edit] References
- ^ Atlantic Coast Services timetable (PDF). Amtrak (2007-04-02). Retrieved on 2007-08-30.
- ^ Metroliner. Amtrak (2007). Retrieved on 2007-08-30.
- ^ Amtrak to run last Metroliner. Trains.com (2006-09-08). Retrieved on 2006-09-08.
