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For railroad fans and enthusiasts worldwide, the phrase "Northeast Corridor" means fast-paced intercity and commuter rail action. For over 150 years the rails of the Northeast Corridor - which stretches from Boston, Massachusetts, south to Washington, D.C. - have traversed the historic heart of American business, industry, and government.
History
of the Northeast Corridor Building, buying, and leasing south from Philadelphia, the PRR entered the nation's capital in 1872. The railroad then embarked on a 60-year program of line and service improvements, culminating in the opening of the magnificent Washington Union Station in 1908 and the electrification of all lines between New York City and Washington between 1933 and 1935.
The Northeast Corridor saw heavy use through World War II, with the PRR's passenger service quadrupling. The postwar period was not kind, however, as trucks took away much of the Pennsylvania's freight traffic, and automobiles and the airlines made inroads on the passenger business. By the late 1950s the railroad was heavily in debt, saddled with aging equipment and infrastructure, and facing serious financial problems. In 1968 the Pennsylvania merged with its archrival, the New York Central Railroad, to form the Penn Central. Within two years the new railroad went bankrupt, a victim of internal management struggles, excessive property and trackage, equipment problems, and rising passenger expenses. Passenger service throughout the Penn Central system went to the newly formed Amtrak, except for commuter rail operations. In 1976 the federal government formed the Consolidated Rail Corporation (known as Conrail) to assume control of the Penn Central and six other bankrupt northeastern railroads. As part of the formation of Conrail, Amtrak received the rails and supporting facilities of much of the Northeast Corridor. For Amtrak the Corridor was both an opportunity and a challenge. While there was plenty of passenger traffic along the line, the rails, supporting infrastructure, and equipment dated from the old Pennsylvania and were in poor shape. Amtrak embarked on a lengthy program of upgrades, acquiring new locomotives, passenger cars, and equipment while making safety and schedule improvements. These efforts culminated in the recent introduction of the Acela high-speed service and trains. Running
the Northeast Corridor in Train Simulator From Amtrak's 30th Street Station you'll run along the Delaware River into Wilmington, Delaware, and then continue south towards the Chesapeake Bay. A few minutes after crossing the Susquehanna River at Havre de Grace, Maryland, you'll find yourself in Baltimore. From there it's a quick run to your final destination, Washington Union Station. Amtrak runs a tight schedule with the Acela Express, covering the 135 miles between Philadelphia and Washington in 1 hour and 35 minutes. While Acela Regional service makes stops in Wilmington, Del., Baltimore, BWI Airport Station, and New Carrollton, Md., before arriving in Washington, it still hustles down the track in just 1 hour and 55 minutes. Will you be able to match these times? Acela
Express Bombardier (the company that manufactures high-speed passenger rail equipment and aircraft such as the Learjet) and Alstom (a technology and rail manufacturer which produced the French TGV train) are building the Acela Express trainsets for Amtrak. Each Acela Express trainset consists of five passenger cars (one First class and four Business class), a Cafe car, and two 6,000 hp Power Cars, one at each end. Acela
HHP-8 
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