Atlantic City Express Service

Last updated
Atlantic City Express Service
Atlantic City Express Service.svg
Atlantic City Express Service (ACES) train 7163.jpg
GE Genesis diesel locomotive leads ACES train through Elizabeth express down the Northeast Corridor to Atlantic City.
Overview
Service type Inter-city rail
StatusDiscontinued
Locale New York City, New Jersey
Predecessor Atlantic City Express
First serviceFebruary 6, 2009
Last serviceSeptember 18, 2011
Former operator(s) NJ Transit Rail Operations
Route
Termini New York Penn
Atlantic City
Stops1
Average journey time2 hours, 40 minutes
Service frequencyFriday to Sunday only
On-board services
Class(es) Coach, first class, private lounge
Disabled accessYes
Seating arrangementsReserved
Catering facilitiesCafé
Baggage facilitiesLuggage racks
Technical
Rolling stock GE Genesis P40DC & ALP-44 locomotives
Bombardier MultiLevel Coaches
Track owner(s) Amtrak, NJ Transit
Route map
BSicon CONTg.svg
Northeast Corridor & LIRR Main Line
to Boston & Greenport
BSicon YRD.svg
Sunnyside Yard
BSicon MASKl.svg
BSicon -WASSERq.svg
BSicon -WASSERq.svg
BSicon tSTRa@g.svg
BSicon MASKr.svg
BSicon -WASSERq.svg
East River Tunnels
BSicon tINTACC.svg
BSicon SUBWAY.svg MTA NYC logo.svg BSicon LOGO Amtrak2.svg
BSicon MASKl.svg
BSicon WASSERq-.svg
BSicon WASSERq-.svg
BSicon tSTR.svg
BSicon MASKr.svg
BSicon WASSERq-.svg
NY
NJ
BSicon tSTRe@f.svg
BSicon LSTR.svg
skipped
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon CONTgq.svg
BSicon lACC.svg
BSicon TBHFo.svg
BSicon CONTfq.svg
MTA NYC logo.svg
BSicon INTACC.svg
NJT NJ Symbol.svg PATH logo.svg BSicon LOGO Amtrak2.svg
BSicon LSTR.svg
skipped
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon ABZgl.svg
BSicon CONTfq.svg
BSicon ACC.svg
Metropark
BSicon LOGO Amtrak2.svg
BSicon CONTgq.svg
BSicon KRZo.svg
BSicon CONTfq.svg
BSicon ACC.svg
Metuchen
BSicon ACC.svg
Edison
BSicon ACC.svg
New Brunswick
BSicon LOGO Amtrak2.svg
BSicon HST.svg
Jersey Avenue
BSicon YRD.svg
BSicon ABZgl.svg
BSicon CONTfq.svg
Jamesburg Branch
BSicon ev-SHI2gr.svg
BSicon lACC.svg
BSicon vKBHFxa-BHF.svg
Princeton Junction
BSicon LOGO Amtrak2.svg
BSicon CONTr+g.svg
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon ACC.svg
Hamilton
BSicon INTACC.svg
32.5 mi
52.3 km
Trenton BSicon TRAM.svg NJT logo.svg BSicon LOGO Amtrak2.svg
BSicon STR+GRZq.svg
New Jersey
Pennsylvania
BSicon LSTR.svg
skipped
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon HSTACC.svg
Levittown
BSicon HST.svg
Bristol
BSicon HSTACC.svg
Croydon
BSicon HST.svg
Eddington
BSicon HSTACC.svg
Cornwells Heights BSicon LOGO Amtrak2.svg
BSicon HST.svg
Torresdale
BSicon HST.svg
Holmesburg Junction
BSicon HST.svg
Tacony
BSicon HST.svg
Bridesburg
BSicon ABZg+l.svg
BSicon STR+r.svg
Frankford Junction
BSicon CONTf.svg
BSicon STR.svg
Northeast Corridor
to Philadelphia
BSicon STR+l.svg
BSicon STRr.svg
BSicon hbKRZWae.svg
BSicon GRZq.svg
BSicon leer.svg
BSicon GRZq.svg
PA
NJ
BSicon LSTR.svg
skipped
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon INTACC.svg
BSicon TRAM.svg
BSicon ACC.svg
Cherry Hill
BSicon uCONT4+f.svg
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon lCSTRae(r).svg
BSicon umvBHF-STR.svg
BSicon lCSTRae(l).svg
BSicon udACC.svg
BSicon vSTR-.svg
BSicon umvBHF-STR.svg
BSicon lvINTACC.svg
BSicon umvBHF.svg
21.4 mi
34.4 km
Lindenwold
BSicon uv-STRl.svg
BSicon mdKRZu.svg
BSicon uKBSTeq.svg
Lindenwold Shops
BSicon HSTACC.svg
27.5 mi
44.3 km
Atco
BSicon HSTACC.svg
Hammonton
BSicon HSTACC.svg
Egg Harbor City
BSicon HSTACC.svg
Absecon
BSicon KACCe.svg
Atlantic City

The Atlantic City Express Service (ACES) was an inter-city rail service, operating from February 2009 until September 2011. It was operated by New Jersey Transit under contract and funded by the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, with support from the Borgata, Caesars, and Harrah's casinos. The train provided summer seasonal service between New York City and Atlantic City three days a week, operating along the Northeast Corridor and Atlantic City Line. The train was formally cancelled on March 9, 2012.

Contents

Background

With the success of NJT's commuter service to Atlantic City, talks about direct service to New York were discussed. In June 2006, the board of New Jersey Transit accepted a plan for an express service between Atlantic City, New Jersey and New York Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan, for a three-year trial initially slated to begin in 2007 (Newark Penn was not initially intended as a stop, but it would be added during the planning stages). [1] Because of delays in acquiring the cars and preparing the needed motive power (the 8 cars for this service were part of a larger 329-car order, and the four diesel locomotives were acquired from Amtrak), the service did not begin until February 2009.

The fleet was composed of eight bilevel rail cars carrying both ACES and NJ Transit markings, with service funded by the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority and three casinos, Caesars, Harrah's, and the Borgata. [2] Each train contained 300 seats with 4 cars per train. The multi-level cars' interior was customized for the ACES service, adding reclining leather seating across all classes and upper decks were dedicated to first-class seating in a 2x1 arrangement with at-seat food and beverage service. Trains also featured rentable private lounge space for groups of four and for coach passengers a small café offered food and beverages for sale. [3]

In January 2011, service was suspended until May, citing low ridership and a $6 million loss in the first year of operations. [4] Service resumed May 13, 2011 and ended September 18, 2011. [5] The formal discontinuation of the route was announced on March 9, 2012. [6]

The ACES passenger cars were converted to regular NJT cars by Bombardier between 2013 and 2014. They re-entered NJT service in mid-2014. [7]

ACES fares

Tickets for the ACES service were priced on a dynamic pricing scale, with tickets varying between $29 and $69 for one-way coach travel, first-class service available for a $20 upgrade from the coach fare, and lounge rental available for a $200 to $300 upgrade from the coach fare. [8]

Route

Trains picked up passengers at New York Penn Station and Newark Penn Station, then ran non-stop to/from the Atlantic City Rail Terminal in about two-and-a-half to three hours.

Typically, southbound trains departed New York pushed by an ALP-44 electric locomotive and led by a dormant GE P40DC diesel locomotive until Frankford Junction in North Philadelphia. At this junction in North Philadelphia, the diesel engine started, the train reversed direction and was pushed by the P40DC along the Atlantic City Line. Northbound, the P40DC pulled the train to Frankford Junction, where the pantograph on the ALP-44 was raised, and the electric locomotive pulled the train up the Northeast Corridor to New York. [9]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NJ Transit</span> Public transportation system

New Jersey Transit Corporation, branded as NJ Transit or NJTransit and often shortened to NJT, is a state-owned public transportation system that serves the U.S. state of New Jersey and portions of the state of New York and Pennsylvania. It operates bus, light rail, and commuter rail services throughout the state, connecting to major commercial and employment centers both within the state and in its two adjacent major cities, New York City and Philadelphia. In 2022, the system had a ridership of 175,960,600.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newark Light Rail</span> Light rail system

The Newark Light Rail (NLR) is a light rail system serving Newark, New Jersey and surrounding areas, owned by New Jersey Transit and operated by its bus operations division. The service consists of two segments, the original Newark City Subway (NCS), and the extension to Broad Street station. The City Subway opened on May 16, 1935, while the combined Newark Light Rail service was officially inaugurated on July 17, 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GE Genesis</span> Series of locomotives

General Electric Genesis is a series of passenger diesel locomotives produced by GE Transportation, then a subsidiary of General Electric. Between 1992 and 2001, a total of 321 units were built for Amtrak, Metro-North, and Via Rail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northeast Corridor Line</span> Commuter rail line in New Jersey and New York

The Northeast Corridor Line is a commuter rail service operated by NJ Transit between the Trenton Transit Center and New York Penn Station on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor in the United States. The service is the successor to Pennsylvania Railroad commuter trains between Trenton and New York, and is NJ Transit's busiest commuter rail service. After arrival at New York Penn Station, some trains load passengers and return to New Jersey, while others continue east to Sunnyside Yard for storage. Most servicing is done at the Morrisville Yard, at the west end of the line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newark Penn Station</span> Transportation center in Newark, New Jersey

Newark Penn Station is an intermodal passenger station in Newark, New Jersey. One of the New York metropolitan area's major transportation hubs, Newark Penn Station is served by multiple rail and bus carriers, making it the seventh busiest rail station in the United States, and the fourth busiest in the New York City metropolitan area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NJ Transit Rail Operations</span> Commuter rail division of NJ Transit

NJ Transit Rail Operations is the rail division of NJ Transit. It operates commuter rail service in New Jersey, with most service centered on transportation to and from New York City, Hoboken, and Newark. NJ Transit also operates rail service in Orange and Rockland counties in New York under contract to Metro-North Railroad. The commuter rail lines saw 45,838,200 riders in 2022, making it the third-busiest commuter railroad in North America and the longest commuter rail system in North America by route length.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Railroad of New Jersey</span> Defunct Class I railroad in the U.S. state of New Jersey (1839-1976)

The Central Railroad of New Jersey, also known as the Jersey Central, Jersey Central Lines or New Jersey Central, was a Class I railroad with origins in the 1830s. It was absorbed into Conrail in April 1976 along with several other prominent bankrupt railroads of the Northeastern United States.

The Waterfront Connection allows NJ Transit trains to switch from the former Pennsylvania Railroad main line to the former Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad main line, now NJ Transit Rail Operations. The connection opened on September 9, 1991, at a cost of $16 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Jersey Coast Line</span> Commuter rail line in New Jersey

The North Jersey Coast Line is a commuter rail line running from Rahway to Bay Head, New Jersey, traversing through the Jersey Shore region. Operated by New Jersey Transit, the line is electrified as far south as Long Branch. On rail system maps it is colored light blue, and its symbol is a sailboat. The line runs along the former New York & Long Branch Railroad, which was co-owned by the Central Railroad of New Jersey and the Pennsylvania Railroad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raritan Valley Line</span> Commuter rail line in New Jersey and New York

The Raritan Valley Line is a commuter rail service operated by New Jersey Transit (NJT) which serves passengers in municipalities in Union, Somerset, Middlesex and Hunterdon counties in the Raritan Valley region in central New Jersey, United States. The line's most frequent western terminus is Raritan station in Raritan. Some weekday trains continue farther west and terminate at the High Bridge station, located in High Bridge. Most eastbound trains terminate in Newark; passengers bound for New York make a cross-platform transfer. A limited number of weekday trains continue directly to New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aldene Connection</span> Railroad junction in New Jersey

The Aldene Connection is a connection between two railroad lines in the Aldene neighborhood of Roselle Park, New Jersey, United States, one formerly belonging to the Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ), the other formerly of the Lehigh Valley Railroad. The connections allow trains on the New Jersey Transit Raritan Valley Line to travel from Cranford and points west through stations in Roselle Park and Union to the Hunter Connection in Newark, which in turn allows access to the Northeast Corridor and Newark Penn Station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlantic City Line</span> Commuter rail line in New Jersey and Pennsylvania

The Atlantic City Line (ACL) is a commuter rail line operated by NJ Transit (NJT) in the United States between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Atlantic City, New Jersey, operating along the corridor of the White Horse Pike. It runs over trackage that was controlled by both the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) and the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines. It shares trackage with SEPTA and Amtrak on the Northeast Corridor (NEC) until it crosses the Delaware River on Conrails Delair Bridge into New Jersey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlantic City Rail Terminal</span> NJ Transit rail station

The Atlantic City Rail Terminal is Atlantic City, New Jersey's train station, located inside of the Atlantic City Convention Center. It has five tracks served by three platforms and functions as the easternmost terminus of the NJ Transit Atlantic City Line to and from Philadelphia. The station was also served by the Atlantic City Express Service (ACES) from 2009 until it was formally discontinued on March 9, 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EMD GP40-based passenger locomotives</span>

The passenger locomotives derivatives of the General Motors EMD GP40 diesel-electric locomotive have been, and continue to be, used by multiple passenger railroads in North America. For passenger service, the locomotives required extra components for providing steam or head-end power (HEP) for heating, lighting and electricity in passenger cars. Most of these passenger locomotives were rebuilt from older freight locomotives, while some were built as brand new models.

<i>Atlantic City Express</i> (Amtrak train) Former Amtrak rail service

The Atlantic City Express was an Amtrak train that ran from both Harrisburg, New York City, Richmond, Springfield and Washington, D.C. to Atlantic City, New Jersey, in the Northeastern United States. The train operated on the Northeast Corridor to 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where it went east to Atlantic City.

The West Trenton Line is a proposed NJ Transit (NJT) commuter rail service that would be operated mostly on the CSX Transportation Trenton Subdivision, connecting West Trenton Station in Ewing Township, New Jersey with Newark Penn Station in Newark, New Jersey. The route would connect with the Raritan Valley Line at Bridgewater and the SEPTA West Trenton Line at West Trenton. As of 2007, NJT's estimate of the cost of creating a passenger line to West Trenton was $219 million. The project is still on the books, but no funding for the proposal has been secured to this date.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harrah's Atlantic City</span> Hotel and casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey

Harrah's Resort Atlantic City is a casino hotel in the marina district of Atlantic City, New Jersey, owned by Vici Properties and operated by Caesars Entertainment. Harrah's is one of the largest hotels in New Jersey.

Light rail in New Jersey is provided by NJ Transit, a state-owned corporation which also provides bus and commuter rail services. In 2022, the light rail system had a ridership of 17,495,800. Light rail, among other forms of transit, is a major part of the state's Smart Growth policy.

<i>Crusader</i> (train) Reading Railroad train between Philadelphia and Jersey City

The Crusader was a 5 car stainless steel streamlined express train that ran on a 90.3-mile (145.3 km) route from Philadelphia's Reading Terminal to Jersey City's Communipaw Terminal, with a ferry connection to Lower Manhattan at Liberty Street. The Reading Railroad provided this service in partnership with the Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ), in which it was the majority owner of capital stock. Trains including the Crusader ran on Reading Railroad tracks from Reading Terminal in Philadelphia to Bound Brook, NJ, where they continued on CNJ tracks to Communipaw Terminal in Jersey City. Passengers then left the train and walked aboard the ferry or boarded busses that loaded onto the ferry. Introduced in 1937, the Crusader service declined during the 1960s, and the name was ultimately dropped in 1981.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bombardier MultiLevel Coach</span> Bi-level passenger rail car

The Adessia Max, originally branded and still commonly known as the MultiLevel Coach, is a bi-level passenger rail car for use on commuter rail lines. The first units were delivered by Bombardier Transportation in 2006 for New Jersey Transit and Montreal's Exo. Over 643 have been delivered in various orders, including a later purchase by Maryland's MARC. NJ Transit ordered an additional 113 cars in 2021 from Alstom, which purchased Bombardier.

References

  1. "NYC to Atlantic City express train will stop in Newark". New York Daily News . Associated Press. March 16, 2008. Retrieved January 5, 2011.
  2. Smothers, Ronald (June 20, 2006). "Atlantic City And Rail Line Agree to Offer Direct Service". The New York Times . Retrieved January 5, 2011.
  3. "Atlantic City Express Service schedule" (PDF). Casino Reinvestment Development Authority . Summer 2011. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  4. Murray, Lucas (January 5, 2011). "Hiatus planned for fast rail line to Atlantic City". The Courier Post.
  5. "ACES rail line between Atlantic City and New York shuts down for fall and winter". Press of Atlantic City. September 15, 2011. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 14, 2012.
  6. "NJT announces the formal discontinuation of Atlantic City Express Service". NBC 40. Associated Press. March 9, 2012. Archived from the original on March 11, 2012. Retrieved March 9, 2012.
  7. "Bombardier Change Order Docs" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-05-02.
  8. Salkin, Allen (December 16, 2008). "A Luxury Train, Bound for Atlantic City". The New York Times . Retrieved January 5, 2011.
  9. Alan, PeterDavid. "New Jersey Remembers 'The Seashore’s Finest Train'", Railway Age , March 17, 2020. Accessed January 17, 2024.