Transportation
Amtrak aspires to a 2-hour D.C.-N.Y. trip, but it’s going to take a lot more than faster trains

By Luz Lazo
November 3, 2019 at 12:30 p.m. EST

Amtrak’s new nonstop Acela service between Washington and New York was billed as the start of an era of faster and more efficient passenger service in the Northeast.

The service, launched in September, connects the nation’s two most powerful cities in two hours and 35 minutes, saving passengers about 15 minutes’ travel time. In 2021, the railroad plans to debut more Acela train sets, and it is in the midst of other cosmetic changes and upgrades.

Amtrak appears to be on a roll, with record ridership, faster Acela service and improved amenities for its customers. But its ambitions for the busy Northeast Corridor, including higher speeds, fewer delays, more trains and an eventual two-hour Washington-to-New York trip rest largely on its ability to raise billions needed for costly improvements to its aging and inadequate infrastructure.

“We aspire to hit higher top speeds, and ultimately the goal is to shrink the trip time,” said Caroline N. Decker, Amtrak’s vice president for the Northeast Corridor line. “But we have to be very mindful of the infrastructure that we use that was really never designed for high-speed rail.”
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Luz Lazo is a transportation reporter at The Washington Post covering passenger and freight transportation, buses, taxis and ride-sharing services. She also writes about traffic, road infrastructure and air travel in the Washington region and beyond. She joined The Post in 2011. Follow https://twitter.com/luzcita