Organization: City University of New York/ University Computer Center
Date: Wednesday, 27 Jan 1993 16:14:55 EST
From: Aron Eisenpress <AFECU@CUNYVM.BITNET>
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: Re: NEC

A few comments on things other folks haven't (yet) said:


In article <16B5CF000.M00209@MBVM.Mitre.Org>, M00209@MBVM.Mitre.Org says:
>
>
>150 mph.  Back in the 1960s, the Pennsylvania Railroad's Metroliner electric
>multiple unit trains were allowed at least 120 mph.

I remember watching out the front and seeing the speedometer up around 124
on those, when they were first in service.


>           5.) Trenton - Philadelphia.  Operated by Southeastern Pennsylvania
>         Transportation Authority (SEPTA).  Electric multiple-unit trains.
>         Service operates seven days a week, all day and evening.  Last time I
>         remember looking at a schedule, base service was hourly with more
>         trains in the rush hours, but SEPTA has been cutting back recently.
>         Through tickets sold New York <-> Philadelphia by NJT/SEPTA at a
>         considerably cheaper price than Amtrak charges.  SEPTA trains run on
>         the Corridor (and on other lines as well) to 30th Street Station, then
>         follow a short branch into Penn Center and Market East Stations in
>         downtown ("Center City") Philadelphia.  Most then continue on to one
>         of several destinations on the former Reading Railroad lines.  This
>         line is relatively lightly used even for SEPTA, which is arguably the
          worst commuter rail system operator in the U.S.

SEPTA also runs one or two AEM-7 (or similar) locomotive-hauled trains here.
I see them at Trenton on the weekend.

I happen to have a 1980 schedule for this line, and the comparison is
interesting:

          Trains weekdays (each direction)      Saturdays        Sundays

1980                      21                       11               6

Today                     25                       18              18

On the other hand, I think Amtrak was much cheaper then than now, so there was
less incentive to use the local for NYC-Philadelphia (or Trenton-Philadelphia)
travel.  (The cheapest fares now for New York/Philadelphia are, on Amtrak,
$47.00 for a round-trip excursion, and on NJTransit+SEPTA, $21.00 for an off-
peak round-trip.  One-way NYC-PHL is $30.00 on Amtrak, $12.95 on NJT/SEPTA
off-peak, $14.20 peak.  NJT sells SEPTA tickets, but not vice-versa, and if
you're traveling through Center City to another SEPTA line you can't buy the
SEPTA through ticket from NJT.)

(SEPTA fares, by the way, have gone up from $3.25 to $3.50 off-peak and from
$4.35 to $4.75 peak, since 1980, for Trenton/Philadelphia.  Monthly passes went
*down*, from $145 to $132.)  Also, base service is still hourly; I don't think
this service was cut at all recently, other than to eliminate the former flag
stops at Frankford Junction and Andalusia.

>           6.) Philadelphia - Wilmington - Newark (DE).  Electric multiple-unit
>         trains operated by SEPTA.  Most service runs between Philadelphia and
>         Wilmington (see comment above regarding "Center City").  I believe
>         that a few rush hour trains are extended to Newark but this may not
>         yet have begun.  There used to be additional service between Chester
>         and Philadelphia, and I think there still is.

The additional service goes to Marcus Hook, 3 stops beyond Chester and 2 stops
before Wilmington.  There's no service to Newark on the timetable, and on
Sundays there's no service past Marcus Hook.


Interestingly, I recently had to pay a cash fare on Amtrak (to upgrade an
excursion ticket) and the receipt has punchboxes for a few stations between
Philadelphia (PHL) and Baltimore (BAL) that I didn't think Amtrak had anything
to do with: CHT (Chester), NRK (Newark), ETN (????), and ABE (Aberdeen).


And in response to another thread, the Poughkeepsie bridge is just north of
the Poughkeepsie Metro-North/Amtrak station.


Newsgroups: rec.railroad