regional

Regional is Amtrak's service between Newport News, Virginia and Boston, Massachusetts. It has also been known as NortheastDirect and Acela Regional. Amtrak removed the Acela from the name due to mass confusion by passengers with the high speed Acela Express in early-2003. There is frequent daily all-reserved service, operating every hour of every day. Most have Business Class and a Café Car.

Most trains operate between Boston and Washington, with some continuing to Newport News with a diesel engine. Some operate only between Boston and New York, Boston and Philadelphia, and New York and Washington.

One train, the Federal (Twilight Shoreliner until 2004), used to provide 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 Regional runs in its place.

Trains are usually 6 to 10 cars long, with an electric locomotive pulling at the head end between Boston and Washington. The electric locomotives are AEM-7 class, built 1978-1987 with 7000 horsepower (5.2 MW), Rebuilt AEM-7's (AEM-7AC) with 8000 horsepower (6 MW), or an Bombardier/Alstom HHP-8 built 1999-2002, also with 8000 horsepower (6 MW). Diesel engines are used between Washington and Newport News. Only select trains operate between those cities; most terminate/originate at Washington. The cars are Amfleet I series passenger cars built by the Budd Company in the mid to late 1970s. The first car is Business Class (formerly the last car); the second car is the operational Café Car (formerly the second-to-last car). If a second Café Car is present, it is only used for passenger seating. Rarely, there will be no business class car, but instead limited business class seating at the front of the Café Car featuring wider seats than typical business class (3 across).

There is frequent service between Washington-New York and Washington-Boston throughout the day. There is some service to Springfield, Massachusetts, either through to Washington or via a connection at New Haven, Connecticut. Some trains go as far south as Richmond or Newport News, Virginia.

Travel times are approximately four hours from Newport News to Washington, two hours from Washington to Philadelphia, one and a half hours from Philadelphia to New York, and four hours from New York to Boston.

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.

Beginning with the schedule effective April 25, 2005, Amtrak has abolished the previously common unreserved Regional trains. Now, any ticketed passenger is guaranteed a seat on their train. "Reservations" may be made at any time prior to the train's departure, easing the frequent practice of arriving at the station and purchasing a ticket for the next train.

Naming

The services along the line, as inherited from Penn Central, once had their own names; typically a name applied to at most one train and its "twin" in the opposite direction. On October 28, 1995, Amtrak introduced the NortheastDirect brand for all trains on the Northeast Corridor (and its extension to Newport News, Virginia) except for the express Metroliner and hourly Clocker services.^[1] The November 10, 1996 timetable restored the old names in addition to the NortheastDirect brand.^[2] The names (except the Twilight Shoreliner) were permanently dropped with the May 16, 1999 schedule,^[3] and on January 31, 2000 the first rebranded Acela Regional electrified trains ran.^[4] Due to confusion with the Acela Express, the name was changed again on March 17, 2003 to Regional.^[5]

Classes of service

• Coach class: This class has large, comfortable seats with reading lamps and folding tables and either 1 or 2 120V 3-Prong AC outlets per seat pair. Reservations are required.
• Business Class: Seating with extra legroom, and complimentary non-alcoholic beverages and snacks are available. Reservations are required.
• First Class was formerly offered on NortheastDirect trains but is no longer available on Regional trains. It is now exclusively on Acela Express trains.

Route details

The Regional operates over Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, Amtrak, Metro-North Railroad, and CSX Transportation trackage:

• MBTA Providence 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
• CSX Landover Subdivision, RF&P Subdivision, Richmond Terminal Subdivision, Bellwood Subdivision, and Peninsula Subdivision, Washington to Newport News

Station stops

External links

• Amtrak - Regional

References

1. ^ Matthew Mitchell, Free rides, misc.transport.urban-transit October 27, 1995
2. ^ Scanner, Trains February 1997
3. ^ A step back in the Northeast, Trains August 1999 page 17
4. ^ Ron Newman, Acela Regional starts Jan 31, 2000, misc.transport.rail.americas January 27, 2000
5. ^ Rail Travel News - News Posting March 23, 2003

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