Amtrak announces nonstop trains from DC to NY

Amtrak plans to run nonstop trains between Washington, D.C., and New York beginning Sept. 23, with tickets available starting Thursday.

The service, which aims to make Amtrak more competitive, will service Washington’s Union Station and New York’s Penn Station with an approximate duration of 2 hours and 35 minutes each way, according to USA Today.

{mosads}The service will use the same trains as Amtrak’s current Acela fleet, with a top speed between New York and Washington of 135 mph.

“The new Acela Nonstop service will have you halfway to your New York City or DC destination in the time it would take you to board a flight,” said Amtrak president and CEO Richard Anderson in a press release.

The train will begin with exclusively weekday service, with the first train leaving New York at 6:35 a.m. and arriving in Washington at 9:10 a.m. and the final northbound train leaving the District at 4:30 p.m. and reaching New York at 7:05 p.m., according to USA Today.

The nonstop service will be 15 minutes faster than the average Acela train traveling the same route, Amtrak spokesperson Jason Abrams told the newspaper.

Amtrak will reportedly consider expansion or higher frequency after the initial train service launches. The two stations were Amtrak’s busiest nationwide in fiscal 2018.