Metroliner (train)

Route map
	Legend
	NY
	NJ
	10 mi
	16 km
	25 mi
	40 km
	58 mi
	93 km
	NJ
	PA
	91 mi
	146 km
	PA
	DE
	116 mi
	187 km
	DE
	MD
	185 mi
	298 km
	196 mi
	315 km
	MD
	DC
	225 mi
	362 km
	This diagram: view; talk; edit;

*Metroliner*
	A southbound Metroliner at Bowie, Maryland in 1980
Overview
Service type	High speed Inter-city rail
Status	Discontinued
Locale	Northeast Corridor
First service	January 16, 1969
Last service	October 27, 2006
Successor	Acela Express
Former operator(s)	Penn Central (1969–1971); Amtrak (1971–2006)
Route
Termini	New York City; Washington, D.C.
Distance travelled	225 miles (362 km)
Average journey time	2.5 to 4 hours
Service frequency	Up to 15 daily round trips
On-board services
Class(es)	Business and First
Technical
Rolling stock	Budd Metroliners (1969–1982); EMD AEM-7s pulling Amfleet coaches (1978–2006);
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Electrification	Catenary; 11–13.5 kV 25 Hz AC; 11–13.5 kV 60 Hz AC
Operating speed	Up to 125 mph (200 km/h)
Track owner(s)	PC, Amtrak
Route map
Route map
	Legend
	NY
	NJ
	10 mi
	16 km
	25 mi
	40 km
	58 mi
	93 km
	NJ
	PA
	91 mi
	146 km
	PA
	DE
	116 mi
	187 km
	DE
	MD
	185 mi
	298 km
	196 mi
	315 km
	MD
	DC
	225 mi
	362 km
	This diagram: view; talk; edit;

The Metroliners were extra-fare high-speed trains between Washington, D.C., and New York City which operated from 1969 to 2006. They were briefly first operated by Penn Central Transportation (successor to the Pennsylvania Railroad, which originally ordered the equipment), then by Amtrak for 35 years.

Service originally ran with Budd Metroliners, self-powered electric multiple unit cars designed for high-speed service. These proved unreliable and were replaced with locomotive-hauled trains in the 1980s. The trains had reserved business-class and first-class seating. The fastest trips between New York Penn Station and Washington Union Station were scheduled for 2.5 hours, though some midday trains around 1980 had schedules as long as 4 hours.^[1]

Amtrak replaced Metroliner service with the high-speed Acela Express, which runs up to 150 mph (240 km/h) in revenue service.^[2]^[3]^[4] The first Acela Express trains ran in 2000, but due to equipment difficulties at the time they did not fully replace the Metroliners until 2006.^[1]

^ ^a ^b ^c Cite error: The named reference goldberg was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ "Amtrak's Management of Northeast Corridor Improvements Demonstrates Need for Applying Best Practices (GAO-04-94)" (PDF). Report to the chairman, Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, U.S. Senate. United States General Accounting Office. February 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 21, 2014. Retrieved August 26, 2013.
^ Dao, James (April 24, 2005). "Acela, Built to Be Rail's Savior, Bedevils Amtrak at Every Turn". The New York Times. Retrieved August 26, 2013.
^ "Northeast Corridor Employee Timetable #5" (PDF). National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak). June 7, 2020. p. 110. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 7, 2020. Retrieved June 7, 2020 – via National Transportation Safety Board.

Cite error: There are <ref group=Note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=Note}} template (see the help page).

[goldberg-1] Cite error: The named reference goldberg was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[3] "Amtrak's Management of Northeast Corridor Improvements Demonstrates Need for Applying Best Practices (GAO-04-94)" (PDF). Report to the chairman, Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, U.S. Senate. United States General Accounting Office. February 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 21, 2014. Retrieved August 26, 2013.

[4] Dao, James (April 24, 2005). "Acela, Built to Be Rail's Savior, Bedevils Amtrak at Every Turn". The New York Times. Retrieved August 26, 2013.

[5] "Northeast Corridor Employee Timetable #5" (PDF). National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak). June 7, 2020. p. 110. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 7, 2020. Retrieved June 7, 2020 – via National Transportation Safety Board.

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