Last Tuesday I rode the Acela from Philadelphia to New York. It is a convenient, comfortable way to travel between the City of Brotherly Love and the Big Apple.
I caught the 8:35 a.m. departure from 30th Street Station, which is one of Amtrak’s grandest stations. It’s what a major railway station ought to be. In the cavernous main hall I could almost hear the announcer calling passengers for the Broadway Limited, Spirit of St. Louis, East Coast Champion, Silver Meteor, etc. Equally important, the staff that I have encountered on this, as well as previous trips through 30th Street, was courteous, pleasant, and knowledgeable.
The interior of the Acela is an inviting. My business class car was bathed in soft light from recessed lights in the ceiling while amble light from outside flowed through the car’s large windows. Individual reading lights are available for each seat. The overhead bins for small carry-on items reminded me of those found on commercial airplanes. But they provide more space and appear easier to open and close. There is a luggage area at the end of the car where a garment bag or coat can be hung. The seats are covered in a light blue fabric that has just a hint of a red woven into it. The sides of the car are cream colored, and the floor is covered with a dark blue carpet. The restroom was clean and appeared to contain high quality countertops and facilities.
My seat was comfortable, with plenty of leg room, although when it was in the full upright position it felt a bit confining. However, by putting it back a notch, it fit me much better. Or I fit it better depending on one’s perspective. The tray in the back of the seat in front of me was easy to manipulate, but it sloped toward me. I placed a cup of coffee on it, not recognizing straightaway the slop. It immediately began sliding toward me. Had I not bee
Those NY-Philly fares are sky-high. I believe Amtrak would prefer to have a NY - DC rider than a Philly - NY rider, so they try to discourage them. You can do the same trip on SEPTA and NJT for much less - although the total trip time is about 2-1/2 hours. Or, SEPTA Market St Subway to PATCO line to NJT River Line to NJT NEC line for much, much, less. Last month I did two round trips from the Philly area by driving to NJTs mammoth, new Hamilton station. Round trip was something like $20 off peak from Hamilton which is about 50 miles from Penn.
Finally, I agree with your assessment of 30th St. Station. It is the BEST passenger station in the country. All parts of it are doing what they were designed to do at volumes near design level. Plus the feel of the station is just awsome. I worked in offices there for a couple years in the late 70’s and it was grand, even then.
However, the PRR never called any of their E-W fleet there. They all stopped at North Philly and headed west at Zoo. If you wanted to ride the Broadway from Philly, you took the Paoli local and got on there. (The last years of the Broadway on Amtrak, it did stop in Phila and changed direction - you rode backward to/from NY)
You’re correct! The PRR’s east/west fleet stopped at North Philadelphia. I should have remembered that; I took the train from Altoona to New York and vice versa hundreds of times. However, the trains to and from Florida stopped at 30th Street. Also, the Pittsburgh Night Express began its run to Pittsburgh from 30th Street whilst the Philadelphia Night Express terminated its run at 30th Street.
The sign over the entrance to Suburban Station brought back fond memories. It reads, Pennsylvania Railroad. That’s class.
Also, SEPTA has a nice museum and gift shop in downtown Philadelphia. It is worth a look see.
My first encounter with 30th Street Station was in in 1959 at the impressionable age of 7. The view from close-up outside was one of those “Oh Wow” moments, once inside, it was simply a "“jaw dropping” expierence. The vastness & elegance of the main hall has left a lasting impression on me. I can remember one of the station agents high above the crowd on a catwalk,which surrounded the arrivals & departures board above the central information counter, manually undating train names, times & platform assignments. The individual imformation boards above the wooden escalators to the platforms were also manually changed by the assigned boarding agents. Aside from a good updating and a sprucing-up, 30th Street has essentially remained unchanged since it was opened in 1934. If this building is not on the National Historic Register, it should be! It’s a shame that “First Impressions of Philadelphia” for travellers from the west came from commuter stations at Paoli & North Philadelphia.
Do you suppose you have the aspect ratio wrong on that photo?
These Business Class seats (3-across) look mighty narrow. And what is with the Cops-TV-innocent-bystander face? A person could ask permission of another person in taking a photo.
The best thing about 3oth Street in the 50’s was the 1" scale K4 that you put a nickel in the slot in the case and it ran for about 5 minutes. It was bought on the great Penn Central auction and has never been heard from since to the best of knowledge.
Business class seating on the Acela is four across. First class seating is three across. The picture in the post above appears to be from one of the first class cars. Otherwise, the picture of the car shown looks like the business class car that I rode to New York.
I took the photo at the request of Amtrak but did not have a signed release from the employee pictured, or any other employee, for publication. The signature photo in the upper left of my postings is of me in the cab of the Acela during the photo shoot, I’ve done two. The train was between runs in the station at the time. The seats are not narrow, but have higher than normal backs.
The reason for that shot was to show the RED Emergency Light Strips running down each side of the carpet and the Secure Overhead Cargo Bins. The safety of the 20 Acelas exceed any other train in the U.S., maybe the world.
?? Short run New York to Philly, still 23% faster than the Regional. Pricing is set to be below Air Fare. Plug in your Laptop at your seat, they have 115 volt outlets. One car is a “Quiet Car”, no cell phone use.
Safety? Too bad they didn’t put in some kind of retractable steps on the outside. Pretty sad they have to employ step ladders if you need to get on/get off the train at a location other than a high platform.
The Acela operates on high platforms only as do most Bullet Trains. This gives a rugged step free frame. For emergency use, two collapsible ladders are stored in each vestibule behind the door on the left side. A metal “bridge” is stored in the Food Service Car that reaches to a train on an adjacent track to evacuate the train.
Did you notice in the interior photo, the overhead lights are in groups of 4, except in the center where there are 2. That’s the “soft area” no heavy steel, a Fireman’s Axe can chop through it. Every Window, every, has the pull gasket handles to allow window removal in an accident. Every wheel bearing is monitored in both the Locomotive and the Conductors Station in the Food Service Car, also is the pressure in each car’s "Air Springs.
I agree with you on the magnificence of Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station. When I first encountered that space twenty years ago, I had no words to explain what I saw. That piece of sculpture is still breath-taking.
We should be happy that 30th Street station still looks the same (versus altered or destroyed); I can only remember NYC’s Pennsylvania Station before it was destroyed to build a speculative (but banal) piece of architecture above its tracks (the current Madison Square Garden), only to now be considered for destruction. This venue should have been left at its original place at Madison Square (Twenty-third Street and Madison Avenue)!
I rode first class from Boston to Washington a few years ago – it was sure better than flying or driving, but not fast or comfortable as the trains I rode in England 15 years ago.
Although the Acela can go 150 mph, their average speed for the whole run works out to less than half that. The trains I rode in England were mostly diesel (then called Intercity 125’s, because their top speed was 125 mph) and they spent a lot of time going 100 mph. I remember pacing a heavy 747 taking off from Heathrow for a long distance… The 225 trains (which went 225 kph max) were very impressive in terms of speed, especially when passing a train going the other way…
I was disappointed in the comfort on the Acela. The tray table sloped, so eventually a beverage slid into my lap (fortunately, there is no checked luggage service so my suitcase was nearby with dry pants…). The 225 trains in England were classic with their chrome decor and refined in terms of comfort. The seats folded UP to make it more convenient for eating; a welcome adjustment on a trip where food is more important than sleep. On a fast train, you don’t have time to sleep!
Maybe someday America will build more than a couple dozen high-speen trains. Can you imagine that the Japanese had an initial order in the late 1960’s for 1,550 trains?
It is not to be a ‘bad speaker’ about track quality, and I have never been in the US to sample that alive, but friends of mine who have been, and have a lot of experience riding european trains (that I have), and it seems that riding quality in the NEC is still some notches under its european counterparts, and Acelas seem to be very similar in terms of suspension to other european contemporary trains: For what I know, riding quality has much to do with the way track is layered, with the typical nowadays being monoblock prestressed ties, elastic fastenings (from Pandrol, Vossloh, or Nabla, in TGV lines), heavy rail (in Europe 60 kilograms per metre, 120 pounds), and above all a pretty manicured and levelled to the milimeter balast overlay. Off course pneumatic suspension helps a lot, and its a plus to have a smooth ‘The Water Level you Can Sleep’ (lierally ) feeling when riding such trains. But there might be other things influencing riding quality. For instance, if a line is renovated, in material terms, but the underplatform isn’t subjected to the same treatment, ther might be some unwanted surprises, such as rough spots on a shiny new track.
A I was writing this, I have just rememberd that some european trains that were tested in the past in the US didn’t like much of the track they had under their weels. One case in particular came to my mind. When Amtrak was searching for new electrics to replace te GG1 fleet, french and swedish prototypes were tested. The swedish Rc4 ended up as the winner, not only because it was technologically more advanced, and more resistant to rough track. The french engine, actually SNCf’s CC21001, known in the US as X715 (i think), with its complicated swiss watch maintenance prone connections between axles and traction motors, wich demand a very, very well maintaned track - the norm in france - and it’s more conventional internal arquitecture, ended up being the looser.
We are a country of 300 million people, a large part of which live on, or near, the east and west coasts. Try to tell the taxpayers in the center of the country and the west coast that the east coast needs more money for passenger trains. We have States that haven’t had a passenger train in 30 years.
The track itself has, for the most part, been replaced with European standards rails, ties and ballast. The track is installed on a 150 year old Right-of-Way!!! Little open country between Boston and Washington, most “station stops” are, on average, 50 miles apart. The taking of land for a new Right-of-Way is not politically possible at this time.
You leave Washington heading to New York, most of the way your running under 75 year oldCatenary. North from New York toward Boston, it gets worse. You are running for 56 of the miles toward New Haven on tracks owned by the Metro North Commuter Railroad and maintained at 90mph. From New Haven to Boston the Track and Catenary is new and perfect. But, starting in Stamford CT. all the way to Westerly R.I. you are crossing 100 year old Draw Bridges every few miles (speed restrictions), and, oh yes, you have a half dozen Grade Crossings between New London CT. and Westerly R.I. The number of curves north of New York, if added up would take you in circles.
Amtrak does well with what they have and think ahead what may be possible.
Well, DMU in Ct – I rode DMU trains in England and Scotland, and some of their schedules rivaled our Acela. And who came up with that name “Acela” anyway? Whatever happened to Metroliners? Poor Amtrak…
Americans just hate to admit how much they spend on transportation, and so we have no policy of making transportation safe, comfortable, economical, and fast. And so we miss out on the magic of trains: it is possible to travel while casually viewing the scenery (not white-knuckle clutching a steering wheel); it is possible to move about when you want during a trip; it is even possible to have comfort and sometimes PRIVACY as you cross our nation.
(On the issue of privacy, I advocate either a return to open sections or widening of passenger cars, because Amtrak’s economy berths are just TOO NARROW. Forget romance on the rails. Even deluxe rooms have a narrower bed than open sections!)
There really ought be catenary replacement NY-Washington as soon as possible. The place to begin is Wilmington - Washington where there are places that can economically be upgraded to 150 mph running. You have to credit Metro North and ConnDot for replacing the catenary. Of course they had to do so, otherwise commuters would have been even more angry over frequent delays do to problems. At least now they have a reliable system, even if too slow for Amtrak.
DMU is my initials, nothing to do with the self-powered trains with the same letters.
“Acela” is a contraction of Acceleration and Excellence.
The “Metroliners” ended up locomotive hauled, Amfleet Car equipped, trains topping out at 125 mph. The ran only between Washington and New York with one train a day going on to New Haven.
As for Amtrak’s place in long distance travel, I, personally, do not think it has a place. “Long Haul” trains are for Tourists and they should pay the cost. If you want to go somewhere in the USA, you will not want to spend 20 hours on a Train between New York and Chicago when you can fly it in 2 hours. More than 4 days to cross the country by Train???
Much of the United States, depending on traffic, is double, tripple and four track lines, most was first built in the 1800s. Trains were smaller, narrower then! Standards for train width and hight was developed then to allow interchange between the hundreds of railroads that then existed. Today, even the Acela has clearence problems in curves that restrict the amount of “Tilt”. Even The Canton Viaduct in Canton MA (built 1835) had to be widen so two Acela Trains could pass each other.
I was not serious about my suggestion to widen passenger cars*, but I definitely believe trains have a place in our national transportation network. Much travel that was one considered “inter” city is now “intra” city (for example, between Santa Barbara and San Diego), yet we rely on “Inter” state highways for automoblile routes and Amtrak to run trains.
The “Metroliner” name was a classic. “Acela” is not only nonsense, but it sounds like where you put your furnace, or worse, a body part I should not mention. I think the adoption of a stupid name is all part of the way Amtrak is sabotaged…
The idea of catering trans-continental trains to tourists is viable if there is open access to rails. Relieving train operators from right-of-way financial obligations would put train operators on the same level as, say, hotels; which do not directly pay for the streets and highways used for access, nor do they bear all costs of the police which keep those streets safe. Why do we expect railroads to pay for rails and dispatching?
*(But one comment on catenary, clearance, and comfort – it’s scary being around and inside Superliners at Washington Union Station! They just barely fit under the wires… on the other hand, how many other nations truly have double - stack clearance?)
