Northeast Corridor
Amtrak Acela near Old Saybrook, Connecticut
Overview
Owner	Massachusetts Department of Transportation (Boston–MA/RI border) Amtrak (MA/RI border–New Haven) Connecticut Department of Transportation (New Haven–CT/NY border) Metro-North Railroad (CT/NY border–New Rochelle) Amtrak (New Rochelle–Washington)
Locale	Northeastern megalopolis
Termini	Boston, Massachusetts Washington, D.C.
Stations	108 (30 Amtrak stations, 78 commuter-rail-only stations)
Website	nec-commission.com
Service
Type	High-speed rail Higher-speed rail Inter-city rail Commuter rail
System	Amtrak CSX Transportation Norfolk Southern Railway Providence and Worcester Railroad
Operator(s)	Amtrak, MBTA, CT Rail, Metro-North Railroad, Long Island Rail Road, NJ Transit, SEPTA, MARC
Ridership	14,052,537 (Amtrak only, FY24) 15.9%[a][1]
History
Opened	1834 (first section) 1917 (final section)
Technical
Line length	457 mi (735 km)
Number of tracks	2–6
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Electrification	Overhead line: 25 kV AC at 60 Hz (Boston–New Haven) 12.5 kV AC at 60 Hz (New Haven–New York) 12 kV AC at 25 Hz (New York–Washington)
Route map Legend Boston South Greenbush, Old Colony, and Fairmount Lines Back Bay Inland Route Boston to Route 128 Boston to Route 128 Ruggles Forest Hills Hyde Park Franklin/Foxboro Line and Fairmount Line Readville Route 128 Route 128 to Providence Route 128 to Providence Canton Junction Stoughton Branch Sharon Framingham Secondary Mansfield Middleboro Subdivision Attleboro East Junction Branch South Attleboro East Providence Branch MA RI Providence and Worcester RR Pawtucket/​Central Falls Providence Providence to New London Providence to New London T. F. Green Airport Seaview Railroad Wickford Junction Kingston Westerly RI CT Mystic Groton Wharf Branch Norwich and Worcester Railroad New England Central Railroad New London New London to New Haven New London to New Haven Valley Railroad Old Saybrook Westbrook Clinton Madison Guilford Branford Steam Railroad Branford Air Line New Haven–Springfield Line New Haven State Street New Haven New Haven to Stamford New Haven to Stamford West Haven Milford Waterbury Branch Stratford Bridgeport Fairfield Metro Fairfield Southport Green's Farms Westport East Norwalk Danbury Branch South Norwalk Rowayton Darien Noroton Heights New Canaan Branch Stamford Stamford to New York City Stamford to New York City Old Greenwich Riverside Cos Cob Greenwich CT NY Port Chester Rye Harrison Mamaroneck Larchmont New Rochelle New Haven Line Oak Point Link New York Connecting Railroad LIRR Main Line East Side Access Lower Montauk Branch LIRR Main Line New York New York City to Newark New York City to Newark Empire Corridor NY NJ CSX River Subdivision NJ Transit Secaucus Junction Waterfront Connection Kearny Connection Newark Penn Newark to Metropark Newark to Metropark Raritan Valley Line / Lehigh Line Newark Airport North Elizabeth Elizabeth Staten Island Railway Linden Linden Industrial Track Rahway North Jersey Coast Line Metropark Metropark to Trenton Metropark to Trenton Port Reading Secondary Metuchen Edison New Brunswick Millstone Branch Jersey Avenue Amboy Secondary Princeton Junction Princeton Branch Hamilton Trenton Trenton to Philadelphia Trenton to Philadelphia NJ PA Trenton Cutoff / NJT Morrisville Yard Fairless Branch Levittown Bristol Croydon Eddington Cornwells Heights Torresdale Bustleton Branch Holmesburg Junction Tacony Bridesburg Atlantic City Line North Philadelphia SEPTA Main Line Chestnut Hill West Line CSX CSX Keystone Corridor Zoo Junction Philadelphia–30th Street  Philadelphia to Wilmington  Philadelphia to Wilmington West Chester Line Philadelphia Subdivision Airport Line Darby Curtis Park Sharon Hill Folcroft Glenolden Norwood Prospect Park Ridley Park Crum Lynne Eddystone Chester T.C. Highland Avenue Chester Secondary Marcus Hook PA DE Claymont Shellpot Branch Wilmington Wilmington to Baltimore Wilmington to Baltimore Philadelphia Subdivision Shellpot Branch Churchmans Crossing Delmarva Secondary Newark, DE DE MD Port Road Branch Perryville Aberdeen Edgewood Martin State Airport Port of Baltimore Baltimore Baltimore to BWI Airport Baltimore to BWI Airport West Baltimore Halethorpe Camden Line BWI Airport BWI Airport to Washington BWI Airport to Washington Odenton Bowie State Pope's Creek Subdivision Seabrook New Carrollton Landover Subdivision Alexandria Extension MD DC Camden Line Brunswick Line Washington, D.C. RF&P Subdivision This diagram: view talk edit

The Northeast Corridor (NEC) is an electrified railroad line in the Northeast megalopolis of the United States. Owned primarily by Amtrak, it runs from Boston in the north to Washington, D.C., in the south, with major stops in Providence, New Haven, Stamford, New York City, Newark, Trenton, Philadelphia, Wilmington, and Baltimore. The NEC is roughly paralleled by Interstate 95 for most of its length. Carrying more than 2,200 trains a day,^[2] it is the busiest passenger rail line in the United States by ridership and service frequency.^[3]

The corridor is used by many Amtrak trains, including the high-speed Acela (formerly Acela Express), intercity trains, and several long-distance trains. Most of the corridor also has frequent commuter rail service, operated by the MBTA, CT Rail, Metro-North Railroad, Long Island Rail Road, New Jersey Transit, SEPTA, and MARC. While large through freights have not run on the NEC since the early 1980s, some sections still carry smaller local freights operated by CSX, Norfolk Southern, CSAO, Providence and Worcester, New York and Atlantic, and Canadian Pacific. CSX and NS partly own their routes.

Long-distance Amtrak services that use the Northeast Corridor include the Cardinal, Crescent, and Silver Meteor trains, which reach 125 mph (201 km/h), as well as its Acela trains, which reach 150 mph (240 km/h) in parts of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Jersey. Some express trains operated by MARC that reach 125 mph (201 km/h) also operate on the Northeast Corridor. Acela can travel the 225 mi (362 km) between New York City and Washington, D.C., in under three hours, and the 229 mi (369 km) between New York and Boston in under 3.5 hours.^[4][5]

In 2012, Amtrak proposed improvements to enable "true" high-speed rail on the corridor, which would have roughly halved travel times at an estimated cost of $151 billion.^[6][7]

Most of what is now called the Northeast Corridor was built, piece by piece, by several railroads constructed as early as the 1830s. Before 1900, their routes had been consolidated as two long and unconnected stretches, each a part of a major railroad. Anchored in Washington, D.C., the stretch owned by the Pennsylvania Railroad, approached New York City from the south, anchored at Boston, the stretch owned by the New Haven Railroad, and entered New York State from Connecticut. The former terminated at New Jersey ferry slips across the Hudson River from Manhattan Island.^[8] The latter extended to the Bronx, where it continued into Manhattan via trackage rights on the New York and Harlem Railroad. It also reached the Bronx via the Harlem River and Port Chester Railroad, which extended to the Bronx from the New Haven at New Rochelle.^[9]

From 1903 to 1917, the two railroads undertook a number of projects that connected their lines and completed, in effect, the Northeast Corridor. These included the New York Tunnel Extension, which extended from New Jersey to Long Island (and was composed of the Manhattan Transfer station, the North River Tunnels, a new Pennsylvania Station, the East River Tunnels), the New York Connecting Railroad, and the Hell Gate Bridge. Combined, these constituted a stretch that started just outside of Newark, New Jersey, on the Pennsylvania Railroad side, and connected with the Harlem River and Port Chester Railroad (and thus New Rochelle) on the New Haven side. With the opening of the Hell Gate Bridge in 1917, this final connecting stretch, and thus the Northeast Corridor itself, was complete.^{[citation needed]}

With the 1968 creation of Penn Central, which was a combination of those two railroads and the New York Central Railroad, the entire corridor was under the control of a single entity for the first time. After successor Penn Central’s 1970 bankruptcy, the corridor was almost entirely subsumed by the subsequently-created Amtrak on May 1, 1971.^{[citation needed]}

• Boston–Providence: Boston and Providence Railroad opened 1835, partially realigned in 1847 and in 1899. Became part of the Old Colony Railroad in 1888.^[10]
• Providence–Stonington: New York, Providence and Boston Railroad opened 1837; partially realigned 1848.^{[citation needed]}
• Stonington–New Haven: New Haven, New London and Stonington Railroad opened 1852–1889, realigned in New Haven, 1894.^{[citation needed]}
• New Haven–New Rochelle: New York and New Haven Railroad opened 1849.^{[citation needed]}
• New Rochelle–Port Morris (Bronx): Harlem River and Port Chester Railroad opened 1873.^{[citation needed]}

• Newark–Trenton: United New Jersey Railroad and Canal Company opened 1834–1839, 1841; partially realigned 1863 and 1870.^{[citation needed]}
• Trenton–Frankford Junction: Philadelphia and Trenton Railroad opened 1834; partially realigned 1911.^{[citation needed]}
• Frankford Junction–Zoo Tower: Connecting Railway opened 1867.^{[citation needed]}
• Zoo Tower–Grays Ferry Bridge: Junction Railroad opened 1863–1866.^{[citation needed]}
• Grays Ferry–Bayview: Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad opened 1837–1838,^[11] 1866, 1906.^{[citation needed]}
• Bayview Yard–Baltimore Union Station: Union Railroad opened 1873.^[12]
• Baltimore Union Station–Landover: Baltimore and Potomac Rail Road opened 1872.^[13]
• Landover–Washington, D.C.: Magruder Branch opened 1907^[14]

• The Manhattan Transfer station (just above Newark), opened 1910^[15]
• New York Tunnel Extension, opened 1910^[15]
• Pennsylvania Station (1910–1963), completed 1910^[15]
• New York Connecting Railroad, completed 1917^[16]
• Hell Gate Bridge (connected to Harlem River and Port Chester Railroad), opened 1917^[16]

In 1899, William J. Wilgus, the New York Central Railroad (NYC)'s chief engineer, proposed electrifying the lines leading from Grand Central Terminal and the split at Mott Haven, using a third rail power system devised by Frank J. Sprague. Electricity was in use on some branch lines of the NYNH&H for interurban streetcars via third rail or trolley wire.^[17] An accident in the Park Avenue Tunnel near the present Grand Central Terminal that killed 17 people on January 8, 1902, was blamed on smoke from steam locomotives; the resulting outcry led to a push for electric operation in Manhattan.^[18][19][20]

The NH announced in 1905 that it would electrify its main line from New York to Stamford, Connecticut.^{[citation needed]} Along with the construction of Grand Central Terminal, which was opened in 1913, the NYC electrified its lines. On September 30, 1906, the NYC conducted a test of suburban multiple unit service to Highbridge station on the Hudson Line;^{[21]: 97 [22]} regular service began on December 11.^[23][24] Electric locomotives began serving Grand Central on February 15, 1907,^[21]: 115 and all NYC passenger service into Grand Central was electrified on July 1, 1907.^[24][25] NH electrification began in July to New Rochelle, August to Port Chester and October the rest of the way to Stamford.^[26] Steam trains last operated into Grand Central on June 30, 1908: the deadline after which steam trains were banned in Manhattan.^{[21]: 55–56} Subsequently, all NH passenger trains into Manhattan were electrified. In June 1914, the NH electrification was extended to New Haven, which was the terminus of electrified service for over 80 years.^[27]

The PRR was building its Pennsylvania Station and electrified approaches, which were served by the PRR's lines in New Jersey and the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR). LIRR electric service began in 1905 on the Atlantic Branch from downtown Brooklyn past Jamaica,^[28][29] and in June 1910 on the branch to Long Island City: part of the main line to Penn Station.^[29] Penn Station opened on September 8, 1910, for LIRR trains^[30] and November 27 for the PRR;^[31] trains of both railroads were powered by DC electricity from a third rail. PRR trains changed engines (electric to/from steam) at Manhattan Transfer; passengers could also transfer there to H&M trains to downtown Manhattan.^{[citation needed]}

On July 29, 1911, NH began electric service on its Harlem River Branch: a suburban branch that would become a main line with the completion of the New York Connecting Railroad and its Hell Gate Bridge.^[32][33] The bridge opened on March 9, 1917,^[16] but was operated by steam with an engine change at Sunnyside Yard east of Penn Station until 1918.^{[citation needed]}

Electrification north of New Haven to Providence and Boston had been planned by the NH, and authorized by the company's board of directors shortly before the United States entered World War I. This plan was not carried out because of the war and the company's financial problems. Electrification north of New Haven did not occur until the 1990s, by Amtrak, using a 60 Hz system.

In 1905, the PRR began to electrify its suburban lines at Philadelphia: an effort that eventually led to 11 kV, 25 Hz AC catenary from New York and Washington.^[34] Electric service began in September 1915, with multiple unit trains west to Paoli on the PRR Main Line (now the Keystone Corridor).^[35] Electric service to Chestnut Hill (now the Chestnut Hill West Line), including a stretch of the NEC, began on March 30, 1918.^{[citation needed]} Local electric service to Wilmington, Delaware, on the NEC began on September 30, 1928, and to Trenton, New Jersey, on June 29, 1930.^{[citation needed]}

Electrified service between Exchange Place, the Jersey City terminal, and New Brunswick, New Jersey, began on December 8, 1932, including the extension of Penn Station electric service from Manhattan Transfer.^{[citation needed]} On January 16, 1933, the rest of the electrification between New Brunswick and Trenton opened, giving a fully-electrified line between New York and Wilmington. Trains to Washington began running under electricity to Wilmington on February 12, 1933, with the engine-change moved from Manhattan Transfer to Wilmington.^{[citation needed]} The same was done on April 9, 1933, for trains running west from Philadelphia, with the change point moved to Paoli.^{[citation needed]}

In 1933, the electrification south of Wilmington was stalled by the Great Depression, but the PRR got a loan from the Public Works Administration to resume work.^[36] The tunnels at Baltimore were rebuilt as part of the project. Electric service between New York and Washington began on February 10, 1935.^[37] On April 7, the electrification of passenger trains was complete, with 639 daily trains: 191 hauled by locomotives and the other 448 under multiple-unit power.^{[citation needed]} New York–Washington electric freight service began on May 20, 1935, after the electrification of freight lines in New Jersey and Washington,DC. ^{[citation needed]} Extensions to Potomac Yard across the Potomac River from Washington, as well as several freight branches along the way, were electrified in 1937 and 1938.^{[citation needed]} The Potomac Yard retained its electrification until 1981.^{[citation needed]}

In the 1930s, PRR equipped the New York–Washington line with Pulse code cab signaling. Between 1998 and 2003, this system was overlaid with an Alstom Advanced Civil Speed Enforcement System (ACSES), using track-mounted transponders similar to the Balises of the modern European Train Control System.^[38] The ACSES will enable Amtrak to implement positive train control to comply with the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008.^{[citation needed]}

In December 1967, the UAC TurboTrain set a speed record for a production train: 170.8 miles per hour (274.9 km/h) between New Brunswick and Trenton, New Jersey.^[39]

In February 1968, PRR merged with its rival New York Central Railroad to form the Penn Central (PC).^[40] Penn Central was required to absorb the New Haven in 1969 as a condition of the merger.^[41]

On September 21, 1970, all New York–Boston trains except the Turboservice were rerouted into Penn Station from Grand Central;^{[citation needed]} the Turboservice moved on February 1, 1971, for cross-platform transfers to the Metroliners.^[42]

In 1971, Amtrak began operations, and various state governments took control of portions of the NEC for their commuter transportation authorities. In January, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts bought the Attleboro/Stoughton Line in Massachusetts,^{[citation needed]} later operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. The same month, the New York State Metropolitan Transportation Authority bought, and Connecticut leased, from Penn Central their sections of the New Haven Line, between Woodlawn, New York, and New Haven, Connecticut.^[42]

In 1973, the Regional Rail Reorganization Act opened the way for Amtrak to buy sections of the NEC not already been sold to these commuter transportation authorities. These purchases by Amtrak were controversial at the time, and the Department of Transportation blocked the transaction and withheld purchase funds for several months until Amtrak granted it control over reconstruction of the corridor.^[43]

In February 1975, the Preliminary System Plan for Conrail proposed to stop running freight trains on the NEC between Groton, Connecticut, and Hillsgrove, Rhode Island, but this clause was rejected the following month by the U.S. Railway Association.^[44]

By April 1976, Amtrak owned the entire NEC except Boston to the RI state line, which is owned by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and New Haven to New Rochelle, New York, which is owned by the States of Connecticut and New York. Amtrak still operates and maintains the portion in Massachusetts, but the line from New Haven to New Rochelle, New York, is operated by the Metro-North Railroad, which has hindered the establishment of high-speed service.^[45][46]

In 1976, Congress authorized an overhaul of the system between Washington and Boston.^[47] Called the Northeast Corridor Improvement Project (NECIP), it included safety improvements, modernization of the signaling system by General Railway Signal, and new Centralized Electrification and Traffic Control (CETC) control centers by Chrysler at Philadelphia, New York and Boston.^{[citation needed]} It allowed more trains to run faster and closer together, and set the stage for later high-speed operation. NECIP also introduced the AEM-7 locomotive, which lowered travel times and became the most successful engine on the Corridor. The NECIP set travel time goals of 2 hours and 40 minutes between Washington and New York, and 3 hours and 40 minutes between Boston and New York.^[48] These goals were not met because of the low level of funding provided by the Reagan Administration and Congress in the 1980s.^[49]

Electrification between New Haven and Boston was to be included in the 1976 Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act.^[47]

The last grade crossings between New York and Washington were closed about 1985; eleven grade crossings remain in Connecticut.

In the 1990s, Amtrak upgraded the NEC north of New Haven, CT to get it ready for the high-speed Acela Express trains.^[49] Dubbed the Northeast High Speed Rail Improvement Program (NHRIP), the effort eliminated grade crossings, rebuilt bridges and modified curves. Concrete railroad ties replaced wood ties, and heavier continuous welded rail (CWR) was laid-down.^[50]

In 1996, Amtrak began installing electrification gear along the 157 miles (253 kilometres) of track between New Haven and Boston. The infrastructure included a new overhead catenary wire made of high-strength silver-bearing copper, specified by Amtrak and later patented by Phelps Dodge Specialty Copper Products of Elizabeth, New Jersey.^[51]

Service with electric locomotives between New Haven and Boston began on January 31, 2000.^[52] The project took four years and cost close to $2.3 billion: $1.3 billion for the infrastructure improvements and close to $1 billion for both the new Acela Express trainsets and the Bombardier–Alstom HHP-8 locomotives.^[53]

On December 11, 2000, Amtrak began operating its higher-speed Acela Express service.^[54] Fastest travel time by Acela is three and a half hours between Boston and New York, and two hours forty-five minutes between New York and Washington, D.C.^[55]

In 2005, there was talk in Congress of splitting the Northeast Corridor, which was opposed by then-acting Amtrak president David Gunn. The plan, supported by the Bush administration, would "turn over the Northeast Corridor – the tracks from Washington to Boston that are the railroad's main physical asset – to a federal-state consortium."^[56]

With the passage of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008, the Congress established the Northeast Corridor Commission (NEC Commission) in the U.S. Department of Transportation to facilitate mutual cooperation and planning and to advise Congress on Corridor rail and development policy. The commission members include USDOT, Amtrak and the Northeast Corridor states.

In October 2010, Amtrak released "A Vision for High-Speed Rail on the Northeast Corridor," an aspirational proposal for dedicated high-speed rail tracks between Washington, D.C., and Boston.^[57] Many of these proposals are unfunded.

In August 2011 the United States Department of Transportation committed $450 million to a six-year project to support capacity increases on one of the busiest segments on the NEC: a 24-mile (39 km) section between New Brunswick and Trenton, passing through Princeton Junction. The Next Generation High-Speed project is designed to upgrade electrical power, signal systems and overhead catenary wires to improve reliability and increase speeds up to 160 mph (260 km/h), and, after the purchase of new equipment, up to 186 miles per hour (299 km/h).^[58] In September 2012, speed tests were conducted using Acela trainsets, achieving a speed of 165 miles per hour (266 km/h).^[59][60] The improvements were scheduled to be completed in 2016, but, due to delays, the project had not been completed until 2020.^[61][62]

In 2012, the Federal Railroad Administration began developing a master plan for bringing high-speed rail to the Northeast Corridor titled NEC FUTURE, and released the final environmental impact statement in December 2016.^[63] Multiple potential alignments north of New York City were studied.^[64] The proposed upgrades have not been funded.

Eleven minutes after leaving 30th Street Station in Philadelphia on May 12, 2015, a year-old ACS-64 locomotive (#601) and all seven Amfleet I coaches of Amtrak's northbound Northeast Regional (TR#188) derailed at 9:21pm at Frankford Junction in the Port Richmond section of the city, while entering a 50 mph (80 km/h) speed limited (but at the time non-ATC protected) 4° curve at 106 mph (171 km/h), killing eight and injuring more than 200 (eight critically) of the 238 passengers and five crew on board as well as causing the suspension of all Philadelphia–New York NEC service for six days.^[65][66]

This was the deadliest crash on the Northeast Corridor since 16 died when Amtrak's Washington–Boston Colonial (TR#94) rear-ended three stationary Conrail locomotives at Gunpow Interlocking near Baltimore on January 4, 1987.^[67] Frankford Junction curve was the site of a previous fatal accident on September 6, 1943, when an extra section of the PRR's Washington to New York Congressional Limited derailed there, killing 79 and injuring 117 of the 541 on board.^[68]

The NEC is a cooperative venture between Amtrak and various state agencies. Amtrak owns the track between Washington and New Rochelle, New York, a northern suburb of New York City.^{[citation needed]} The segment from New Rochelle to New Haven is owned by the states of New York and Connecticut; Metro-North Railroad commuter trains operate there.^{[citation needed]} Amtrak owns the tracks north of New Haven to the border between Rhode Island and Massachusetts. The final segment from the border north to Boston is owned by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.^{[citation needed]}

At just over 453 miles (729 km), the Northeast Corridor is the longest electrified rail corridor in the United States.^{[citation needed]} Most electrified railways in the country are for rapid transit or commuter rail use; the Keystone Corridor is the only other electrified intercity mainline.^{[citation needed]}

Currently, the corridor uses three catenary systems. From Washington, D.C., to Sunnyside Yard (just east of New York Penn Station), Amtrak's 25 Hz traction power system (originally built by the Pennsylvania Railroad) supplies 12 kV at 25 Hz. From Sunnyside to Mill River (just east of New Haven station), the former New Haven Railroad's system, since modified by Metro-North, supplies 12.5 kV at 60 Hz. From Mill River to Boston, the much newer 60 Hz traction power system supplies 25 kV at 60 Hz. All of Amtrak's electric locomotives can switch between these systems.

In addition to catenary, the East River Tunnels have 750 V DC third rail for Long Island Rail Road trains, and the North River Tunnels have third rail for emergency use only.

In 2006, several high-profile electric-power failures delayed Amtrak and commuter trains on the Northeast Corridor up to five hours.^[69] Railroad officials blamed Amtrak's funding woes for the deterioration of the track and power supply system, which in places is almost a hundred years old. These problems have decreased in recent years after tracks and power systems were repaired and improved.^[70]

In September 2013, one of two feeder lines supplying power to the New Haven Line failed, while the other feeder was disabled for service. The lack of electrical power disrupted trains on Amtrak and Metro-North Railroad, which share the segment in New York State.^[71]

There are 109 active stations on the Northeast Corridor; 30 are used by Amtrak. All but three (Kingston, Westerly, and Mystic) see commuter service. Amtrak owns Pennsylvania Station in New York, 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, Penn Station in Baltimore, and Union Station in Washington.^{[citation needed]}

The main services of the Northeast Corridor are indicated using the following abbreviations. Other services are listed in the right-most column. Note that not all trains necessarily stop at all indicated stations.

• Amtrak corridor: A (Acela), KS (Keystone Service), NR (Northeast Regional), PA (Pennsylvanian), VT (Vermonter)
• Amtrak long distance: CD (Cardinal), CL (Carolinian), CS (Crescent), PL (Palmetto), SM (Silver Meteor)
• MBTA Commuter Rail: P/S (Providence/Stoughton Line), NE (Needham Line), FR (Franklin/Foxboro Line)
• CT Rail: SLE (Shore Line East)
• Metro-North Railroad: NHV (New Haven Line)
• NJ Transit Rail: NEC (Northeast Corridor Line), NJC (North Jersey Coast Line), RV (Raritan Valley Line)
• SEPTA Regional Rail: CHW (Chestnut Hill West Line), NWK (Wilmington/Newark Line), TRE (Trenton Line)
• MARC Train: PEN (Penn Line)

Station listing

State	Distance from NYP	City	Station	Amtrak corridor services					Amtrak long-distance services					Commuter services			Additional rail services/connections
MA	228.7 mi (368.1 km)	Boston	South Station	A	NR									P/S	NE	FR	Amtrak: Lake Shore Limited MBTA Commuter Rail: Fairmount, Framingham/Worcester, Greenbush, Old Colony Lines MBTA subway:  Red Line   Silver Line
	227.6 mi (366.3 km)		Back Bay	A	NR									P/S	NE	FR	Amtrak: Lake Shore Limited MBTA Commuter Rail: Framingham/Worcester Line MBTA subway:  Orange Line
	226.5 mi (364.5 km)		Ruggles											P/S	NE	FR	MBTA subway:  Orange Line
	223.7 mi (360.0 km)		Forest Hills											P/S	NE	FR	MBTA subway:  Orange Line
	220.6 mi (355.0 km)		Hyde Park											P/S		FR
	219.2 mi (352.8 km)		Readville													FR	MBTA Commuter Rail: Fairmount Line
	217.3 mi (349.7 km)	Westwood	Route 128	A	NR									P/S
	213.9 mi (344.2 km)	Canton	Canton Junction											P/S
	210.8 mi (339.2 km)	Sharon	Sharon											P/S
	204.0 mi (328.3 km)	Mansfield	Mansfield											P/S
	196.9 mi (316.9 km)	Attleboro	Attleboro											P/S
	191.9 mi (308.8 km)		South Attleboro											P/S
RI	189.3 mi (304.6 km)	Pawtucket	Pawtucket/​Central Falls											P/S
	185.1 mi (297.9 km)	Providence	Providence	A	NR									P/S
	177.3 mi (285.3 km)	Warwick	T. F. Green Airport											P/S
	165.8 mi (266.8 km)	North Kingstown	Wickford Junction											P/S
	158.1 mi (254.4 km)	West Kingston	Kingston		NR
	141.3 mi (227.4 km)	Westerly	Westerly		NR
CT	132.3 mi (212.9 km)	Mystic	Mystic		NR
	122.9 mi (197.8 km)	New London	New London		NR									SLE
	105.1 mi (169.1 km)	Old Saybrook	Old Saybrook		NR									SLE
	101.2 mi (162.9 km)	Westbrook	Westbrook											SLE
	96.8 mi (155.8 km)	Clinton	Clinton											SLE
	93.1 mi (149.8 km)	Madison	Madison											SLE
	88.8 mi (142.9 km)	Guilford	Guilford											SLE
	81.4 mi (131.0 km)	Branford	Branford											SLE
	72.7 mi (117.0 km)	New Haven	New Haven State Street											SLE	NHV		Amtrak: Hartford Line CT Rail: Hartford Line
	72.3 mi (116.4 km)		New Haven Union Station	A	NR	VT								SLE	NHV		Amtrak: Hartford Line CT Rail: Hartford Line
	69.4 mi (111.7 km)	West Haven	West Haven											SLE	NHV
	63.3 mi (101.9 km)	Milford	Milford											SLE	NHV
	59.0 mi (95.0 km)	Stratford	Stratford											SLE	NHV		Metro-North: ■ Waterbury Branch
	55.4 mi (89.2 km)	Bridgeport	Bridgeport		NR	VT								SLE	NHV		Metro-North: ■ Waterbury Branch
	52.3 mi (84.2 km)	Fairfield	Fairfield–Black Rock												NHV
	50.6 mi (81.4 km)		Fairfield												NHV
	48.9 mi (78.7 km)		Southport												NHV
	47.2 mi (76.0 km)	Westport	Green's Farms												NHV
	44.2 mi (71.1 km)		Westport												NHV
	42.1 mi (67.8 km)	Norwalk	East Norwalk												NHV
	41.0 mi (66.0 km)		South Norwalk												NHV		Metro-North: ■ Danbury Branch
	39.2 mi (63.1 km)		Rowayton												NHV
	37.7 mi (60.7 km)	Darien	Darien												NHV
	36.2 mi (58.3 km)		Noroton Heights												NHV
	33.1 mi (53.3 km)	Stamford	Stamford	A	NR	VT								SLE	NHV		Metro-North: ■ Danbury Branch, ■ New Canaan Branch
	31.3 mi (50.4 km)	Greenwich	Old Greenwich												NHV
	30.3 mi (48.8 km)		Riverside												NHV
	29.6 mi (47.6 km)		Cos Cob												NHV
	28.1 mi (45.2 km)		Greenwich												NHV
NY	25.7 mi (41.4 km)	Port Chester	Port Chester												NHV
	24.1 mi (38.8 km)	Rye	Rye												NHV
	22.2 mi (35.7 km)	Harrison	Harrison												NHV
	20.5 mi (33.0 km)	Mamaroneck	Mamaroneck												NHV
	18.7 mi (30.1 km)	Larchmont	Larchmont												NHV
	16.6 mi (26.7 km)	New Rochelle	New Rochelle		NR										NHV
	0.0 mi (0 km)	New York	Penn Station	A	NR	VT	KS	PA	CD	CL	CS	PL	SM	RARV	NEC	NJCL	Amtrak: Adirondack, Berkshire Flyer, Ethan Allen Express, Empire Service, Lake Shore Limited, Maple Leaf LIRR: ■ Main Line, ■ Port Washington Branch NJ Transit■ Gladstone Branch, ■ Montclair-Boonton Line, ■ Morristown Line NYC Subway: ​​​​ PATH: HOB-33 JSQ-33 JSQ-33 (via HOB)
NJ	5.0 mi (8.0 km)	Secaucus	Secaucus Junction											RARV	NEC	NJCL	NJ Transit: ■ Bergen, ■ Gladstone, ■ Main, ■ Montclair-Boonton, ■ Morristown, ■ Pascack Valley ■ Meadowlands Rail Line Metro-North: ■ Port Jervis Line
	10.0 mi (16.1 km)	Newark	Penn Station	A	NR	VT	KS	PA	CD	CL	CS	PL	SM	RARV	NEC	NJCL	Newark Light Rail PATH: NWK-WTC
	12.6 mi (20.3 km)		Newark Airport		NR		KS								NEC	NJCL	AirTrain Newark
	14.4 mi (23.2 km)	Elizabeth	North Elizabeth												NEC	NJCL
	15.4 mi (24.8 km)		Elizabeth												NEC	NJCL
	18.6 mi (29.9 km)	Linden	Linden												NEC	NJCL
	20.7 mi (33.3 km)	Rahway	Rahway												NEC	NJCL	Transfer point between service to Trenton and Long Branch/Bay Head
	24.6 mi (39.6 km)	Woodbridge	Metropark	A	NR	VT	KS				CS				NEC
	27.1 mi (43.6 km)	Metuchen	Metuchen												NEC
	30.3 mi (48.8 km)	Edison	Edison												NEC
	32.7 mi (52.6 km)	New Brunswick	New Brunswick		NR		KS								NEC
	34.4 mi (55.4 km)		Jersey Avenue												NEC
	48.8 mi (78.5 km)	Princeton Junction	Princeton Junction		NR		KS								NEC		NJ Transit: ■ Princeton Branch
	54.4 mi (87.5 km)	Hamilton Twp.	Hamilton												NEC
	58.1 mi (93.5 km)	Trenton	Trenton		NR	VT	KS	PA	CD	CL	CS	PL	SM	TRE	NEC		NJ Transit: ■ River Line
PA	64.7 mi (104.1 km)	Tullytown	Levittown											TRE
	67.8 mi (109.1 km)	Bristol	Bristol											TRE
	70.7 mi (113.8 km)	Croydon	Croydon											TRE
	72.4 mi (116.5 km)	Eddington	Eddington											TRE
	73.7 mi (118.6 km)	Cornwells Heights	Cornwells Heights				KS							TRE
	75.8 mi (122.0 km)	Philadelphia	Torresdale											TRE
	78.3 mi (126.0 km)		Holmesburg Junction											TRE
	79.3 mi (127.6 km)		Tacony											TRE
	81.2 mi (130.7 km)		Bridesburg											TRE
	86.0 mi (138.4 km)		North Philadelphia				KS							TRE		CHW	SEPTA Metro: Broad Street Line
	90.5 mi (145.6 km)		30th Street Station	A	NR	VT	KS	PA	CD	CL	CS	PL	SM	TRE	NWK	CHW	SEPTA Regional Rail: all lines NJ Transit: ■ Atlantic City Line SEPTA Metro: Market–Frankford Line, Subway–Surface Trolleys
	94.8 mi (152.6 km)	Darby	Darby												NWK
	95.5 mi (153.7 km)	Sharon Hill	Curtis Park												NWK
	96.2 mi (154.8 km)		Sharon Hill												NWK
	96.7 mi (155.6 km)	Folcroft	Folcroft												NWK
	97.3 mi (156.6 km)	Glenolden	Glenolden												NWK
	98.0 mi (157.7 km)	Norwood	Norwood												NWK
	98.7 mi (158.8 km)	Prospect Park	Prospect Park												NWK
	99.4 mi (160.0 km)	Ridley Park	Ridley Park												NWK
	100.1 mi (161.1 km)		Crum Lynne												NWK
	101.3 mi (163.0 km)	Eddystone	Eddystone												NWK
	102.4 mi (164.8 km)	Chester	Chester T.C.												NWK
	104.5 mi (168.2 km)		Highland Avenue												NWK
	105.7 mi (170.1 km)	Marcus Hook	Marcus Hook												NWK
DE	108.6 mi (174.8 km)	Claymont	Claymont												NWK
	115.8 mi (186.4 km)	Wilmington	Wilmington	A	NR	VT			CD	CL	CS	PL	SM		NWK
	121.5 mi (195.5 km)		Churchmans Crossing												NWK
	127.7 mi (205.5 km)	Newark	Newark		NR										NWK
MD	148.5 mi (239.0 km)	Perryville	Perryville											PEN
	154.5 mi (248.6 km)	Aberdeen	Aberdeen		NR									PEN
	164.1 mi (264.1 km)	Edgewood	Edgewood											PEN
	173.0 mi (278.4 km)	Middle River	Martin State Airport											PEN
	184.7 mi (297.2 km)	Baltimore	Penn Station	A	NR	VT			CD	CL	CS	PL	SM	PEN			MTA Maryland: Light RailLink
	187.5 mi (301.8 km)		West Baltimore											PEN
	192.3 mi (309.5 km)	Halethorpe	Halethorpe											PEN
	195.3 mi (314.3 km)	Linthicum Heights	BWI Airport	A	NR	VT					CS	PL		PEN
	202.6 mi (326.1 km)	Odenton	Odenton											PEN
	208.4 mi (335.4 km)	Bowie	Bowie State											PEN
	213.7 mi (343.9 km)	Seabrook	Seabrook											PEN
	216.0 mi (347.6 km)	New Carrollton	New Carrollton		NR	VT						PL		PEN			Washington Metro: Orange Line
DC	224.7 mi (361.6 km)	Washington	Union Station	A	NR	VT			CD	CL	CS	PL	SM	PEN			Amtrak: Floridian MARC: ■ Brunswick Line, ■ Camden Line VRE: ■ Fredericksburg Line, ■ Manassas Line Washington Metro: Red Line DC Streetcar: H Street/Benning Road Line

The entire Northeast Corridor has 11 grade crossings, all in southeastern New London County, Connecticut. The remaining grade crossings are along a part of the line that hugs the shore of Long Island Sound. Some of these crossings constitute the only points of access to waterfront communities and businesses otherwise disconnected from the road network. As such, eliminating them would require grade separation to maintain access. Six of the grade crossings have four-quadrant gates with induction loop sensors, which allow vehicles stopped on the tracks to be detected in time for an oncoming train to stop. The remaining five grade crossings, 3 near New London Union Station and two in Stonington, have dual gates.^[72]

FRA rules limit track speeds on the corridor to 80 miles per hour (130 km/h) over conventional crossings and 95 miles per hour (153 km/h) over crossings with four-quadrant gates and vehicle detection tied into the signal system.^[73]

The New York to New Haven line has long been completely grade-separated, and the last grade crossings between Washington and New York were eliminated in the 1980s.^{[citation needed]} In 1994, during planning for electrification and high-speed Acela Express service between New Haven and Boston, a law was passed requiring USDOT to plan for the elimination of all remaining crossings (unless impractical or unnecessary) by 1997.^[74] Some lightly used crossings were simply closed, while most were converted into bridges or underpasses. Only thirteen remained by 1999, of which lightly used crossings in Old Lyme, Connecticut, and Exeter, Rhode Island, were soon closed.^[75]

Despite six nonfatal accidents in the previous sixteen years, there was substantial local opposition to closing the remaining 11 crossings. Outright closing the crossing would eliminate the sole access points to several of the places they served, while grade separation would be expensive and require land takings.^[75] Instead, the crossings were supplied with additional protections. In 1998, School Street in Groton was the first four-quadrant gate installation in the country with vehicle detection sensors tied into the line's signal system.^[76] It cost $1 million rather than the $4 million for a bridge.^[77] Seven more crossings received similar installations in 1999 and 2000; only the three in New London (which are on a tight curve with speed limits under 30 miles per hour (48 km/h)) did not.^[78]

On September 28, 2005, a southbound Acela Express struck a car at Miner Lane in Waterford, Connecticut, the first such incident since the additional protections were implemented.^[79] The train was approaching the crossing at approximately 70 miles per hour (110 km/h) when the car reportedly rolled under the lowered crossing gate arms too late for the sensor system to fully stop the train. The driver and one passenger were killed on impact; the other passenger died nine days later from injuries sustained in the crash. The gates were later inspected and declared to have been functioning properly at the time of the incident.^[80] The incident drew public criticism about the remaining grade crossings along the busy line.^[81]

Crossing are listed east to west.^[72]

In 2003, Amtrak accounted for about 14% of intercity trips between the cities served by the NEC and its branches (the rest were taken by airline, automobile, or bus).^[90] A 2011 study estimated that in 2010 Amtrak carried 6% of the Boston–Washington traffic, compared to 80% for automobiles, 8–9% for intercity bus, and 5% for airlines.^[91] Amtrak's share of the air or rail passenger traffic between New York City and Boston has grown from 20 percent to 54 percent since 2001, and 75 percent between New York City and Washington, D.C.^[92]

These Amtrak trains serve NEC stations and run at least partially on the corridor:

• Acela: high-speed rail Boston–Washington, D.C.
• Cardinal: New York–Chicago via Washington, D.C. (Wednesdays, Fridays, & Sundays only)
• Carolinian: New York–Charlotte, North Carolina
• Crescent: New York–New Orleans
• Keystone Service: higher-speed rail Harrisburg, Pennsylvania – New York
• Northeast Regional: higher-speed rail (This service qualifies as high speed rail on the 125mph stretch between New Brunswick and Princeton Junction.) Boston/Springfield/New York–Washington D.C./Richmond/Newport News/Norfolk/Roanoke, Virginia
• Palmetto: Savannah, Georgia – New York
• Pennsylvanian: Pittsburgh–New York via NEC and Philadelphia to Harrisburg Main Line
• Silver Meteor: Miami–New York
• Vermonter: St. Albans, Vermont – Washington, D.C., via NEC and New Haven–Springfield Line

Eight other Amtrak trains terminate at NEC stations, but do not use any NEC infrastructure outside the terminus:

• Amtrak Hartford Line: operated in conjunction with ConnDOT, runs across Amtrak-owned New Haven–Springfield line from Springfield Union to New Haven Union, the latter of which uses NEC infrastructure.
• Capitol Limited: runs from Washington, D.C. Union to Chicago Union, the former of which uses NEC infrastructure.

Six Amtrak services operate via the Empire Corridor, a line largely owned by CSX, with other sections owned by Metro-North Railroad and Amtrak. It meets the NEC at New York Penn Station.

• Adirondack: runs from New York Penn to Montreal Central
• Berkshire Flyer: higher-speed rail from New York Penn to Albany–Rensselaer and the Joseph Scelsi Intermodal Transportation Center in Pittsfield, Massachusetts
• Empire Service: higher-speed rail from New York Penn to Albany–Rensselaer and Niagara Falls
• Ethan Allen Express: runs from Burlington Union to New York Penn
• Lake Shore Limited: runs from Chicago Union to New York Penn; also has a branch to the NEC's terminus at Boston South
• Maple Leaf: runs from New York Penn to Toronto Union

Due to the wide availability of the Northeast Regional, Keystone Service, and Acela, as well as commuter rail, most long- and medium-haul trains operating along the New York-Washington leg of the NEC do not allow local travel between NEC stations. In most cases, long- and medium-haul trains only stop to discharge passengers from Washington (and in some cases, Alexandria) northward, and to receive passengers from Newark to Washington. This policy is intended to keep seats available for passengers making longer trips. The Vermonter and Palmetto are the only medium- and long-haul trains that allow local travel in both directions between New York and Washington. The southbound Carolinian allows local travel daily, while the northbound Carolinian only allows local travel on Sundays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Additionally, the medium-haul Pennsylvanian allows local NEC travel, but this train leaves the corridor in Philadelphia and does not travel all the way to Washington.

In addition to Amtrak, several commuter rail agencies operate passenger service using the NEC tracks:

• Providence/Stoughton Line: Wickford Junction–Boston
• Franklin/Foxboro Line: Readville–Boston
• Needham Line: Forest Hills–Boston
• Framingham/Worcester Line: Back Bay Station–Boston

The only section north of New York that does not have commuter service is the 43 miles between Wickford Junction and New London.

• Hartford Line: New Haven Union Station–New Haven-State Street
• Shore Line East: Stamford–New London, Connecticut

• New Haven Line: New Rochelle, New York–New Haven, Connecticut
• Danbury Branch: Stamford–Norwalk, Connecticut
• Waterbury Branch: Bridgeport–Stratford, Connecticut