Northeast Regional - Route

Route

Most Northeast Regional trains operate over the Northeast Corridor between Boston and Washington (via New York). The Corridor is owned, in part, by Amtrak, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) and Metro-North Railroad (MNRR):

  • MBTA Providence/Stoughton Line, Boston to Massachusetts/Rhode Island state line (dispatched and maintained by Amtrak)
  • Amtrak Northeast Corridor, state line to New Haven
  • MNRR New Haven Line, New Haven to New Rochelle
  • Amtrak Northeast Corridor, New Rochelle to Washington

Trains which turn north at New Haven to serve Springfield, Massachusetts, operate over the New Haven-Springfield Line, which is wholly owned by Amtrak. Both Virginia extensions of the Northeast Regional (Newport News and Lynchburg) use the ex-Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad, now CSX, between Washington and Alexandria, Virginia. From Alexandria the Lynchburg trains use the Norfolk Southern (ex-Southern Railway, ex-Virginia Midland Railway), while Newport News trains use the following CSX tracks:

  • RF&P Subdivision
  • Richmond Terminal Subdivision
  • Bellwood Subdivision
  • Peninsula Subdivision

There has been frequent service between Washington-New York and Washington-Boston throughout the day. There has been some service to Springfield, Massachusetts, either through to Washington or via a connection at New Haven, Connecticut. Trains between Springfield and New Haven have operated over Amtrak trackage but required a diesel locomotive over that portion. Some trains travel as far south as Richmond, Newport News, Virginia or Lynchburg, Virginia.

Until around 1999, some service to Springfield continued east to Boston, for an alternate Inland Route between New York and Boston. One weekend train stayed along this route until the November 1, 2004 schedule.

One train, the Federal (Twilight Shoreliner until 2004), formerly provided premium overnight sleeper service between Washington and Boston, giving the corridor 24-hour service; the Federal name (briefly resurrected in 2004) is no longer used as an indication of the absence of sleeper service, but a Northeast Regional runs in its place.

Read more about this topic:  Northeast Regional

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