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97-475: 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
194-517: A book whose central theory was that the cities between Washington, D.C., and Boston together form a sort of cohesive, integrated "supercity." He took the term megalopolis from a small Greek town that was settled in the Classical Era with the hope it would "become the largest of the Greek cities". The city still exists today, but is largely a sleepy agricultural community. However, the dream of
291-614: A day, it is the busiest passenger rail line in the United States by ridership and service frequency. 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
388-579: A new Newark Penn Station to replace three stations: Manhattan Transfer, Park Place, and the PRR's Market Street station in Newark. Newark Penn was to be a quarter-mile south of Park Place. The H&M would be extended to Newark Penn via new approach tracks over the Passaic River , and H&M and PRR passengers would be able to connect at Newark Penn instead of Manhattan Transfer. Contracts to electrify
485-416: 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 . Service with electric locomotives between New Haven and Boston began on January 31, 2000. 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
582-620: A pair of tunnels under the Hudson River to New York Penn Station . This new line branched off the original line two miles east of Newark, then ran northeast across the Jersey Meadows to the tunnels. Just west of the split, the PRR built the Manhattan Transfer station. Passenger trains bound for New York Penn paused there so that their steam locomotives could be replaced by electric locomotives that could run through
679-406: 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
776-461: A separate city from New York), Cincinnati , and New Orleans had over 100,000: five were within one 400-mile strip while the last two were each four hundred miles away from the next closest metropolis. The immense concentration of people in one relatively densely packed area gave that region considerable sway through population density over the rest of the nation, which was solidified in 1800 when Washington, D.C. , only 38 miles southwest of Baltimore,
873-469: A special way relative to sites outside their area. Twin cities, such as Minneapolis–Saint Paul in Minnesota , are not usually considered to form megalopolitan areas since in most cases, the two cities have become integrated enough that they effectively function as one single city in various ways, even though they may have distinct city borders and distinct central business districts. Large communities on
970-558: A suburban branch that would become a main line with the completion of the New York Connecting Railroad and its Hell Gate Bridge . The bridge opened on March 9, 1917, but was operated by steam with an engine change at Sunnyside Yard east of Penn Station until 1918. 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
1067-474: Is $ 5.2 trillion of which around $ 2.2 trillion is New York metropolitan area . If Northeast megalopolis was a sovereign nation (2022), it would rank in terms of nominal GDP as the world's third largest economy , ahead of Japan ($ 4.231 trillion). Due to its proximity to Europe , the Eastern coast of the United States was among the first regions of the continent to be widely settled by Europeans. Over time,
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#17327647914651164-566: Is almost a hundred years old. These problems have decreased in recent years after tracks and power systems were repaired and improved. 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. There are 109 active stations on
1261-643: Is linked by Interstate 95 and U.S. Route 1 , which start in Miami and Key West, Florida , respectively, in the south, and terminate in Maine at the U.S.-Canadian border . It is also linked by the Northeast Corridor train line, the country's busiest passenger rail line, serving Amtrak and several commuter rail agencies. As of 2019, the region is home to 52.3 million people, and its metropolitan statistical areas are contiguous from Washington, D.C., in
1358-602: 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
1455-457: Is rocky and little sheltered, whereas to the south it is smooth and does not feature as many bays or inlets that might function as natural harbors. Also featured are navigable rivers that lead deeper into the heartlands, such as the Hudson , Delaware , and Connecticut rivers, which all support large populations and were necessary to early settlers for development. Therefore, while other parts of
1552-573: Is temperate and not particularly prone to hurricanes or tropical storms , which increase further south . However, the most important factor was the "interpenetration of land and sea," which makes for exceptional harbors, such as those at the Chesapeake Bay , the Port of New York and New Jersey , Narragansett Bay in Providence, Rhode Island , and Boston Harbor . The coastline to the north
1649-590: The Battle of Chancellorsville , and the Battles of Petersburg all occurred in the region. Additionally, Richmond acted as the capital of the Confederacy . By 1800, the region included the only three U.S. cities with populations of over 25,000: Philadelphia , New York City , and Baltimore . By 1850, New York City and Philadelphia alone had over 300,000 residents while Baltimore, Boston, Brooklyn (at that time
1746-554: 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. Railroad officials blamed Amtrak's funding woes for the deterioration of the track and power supply system, which in places
1843-649: The First Continental Congress all occurred in the region. In 1775, the Battles of Lexington and Concord , the first major battle of the Revolution, occurred in Massachusetts a few miles away from Boston . Many of the most significant battles took place in the region, including the Battle of Bunker Hill , the Battle of Monmouth , the Battle of Trenton , the Battle of Princeton , as well as several significant military campaigns such as
1940-714: The Hudson Line ; regular service began on December 11. Electric locomotives began serving Grand Central on February 15, 1907, and all NYC passenger service into Grand Central was electrified on July 1, 1907. NH electrification began in July to New Rochelle , August to Port Chester and October the rest of the way to Stamford. Steam trains last operated into Grand Central on June 30, 1908: the deadline after which steam trains were banned in Manhattan. Subsequently, all NH passenger trains into Manhattan were electrified. In June 1914,
2037-842: 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 . 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
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#17327647914652134-700: The Metro-North Railroad , which has hindered the establishment of high-speed service. In 1976, Congress authorized an overhaul of the system between Washington and Boston. 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. It allowed more trains to run faster and closer together, and set
2231-643: 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. 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
2328-682: 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,
2425-1112: The New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq , and the headquarters of the United Nations in New York City, and the executive, legislative, and judicial centers of the U.S. federal government , the White House , the U.S. Capitol , and the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. The region also is home to the headquarters of most of the nation and some of the world's largest media organizations, including ABC , NBC , CBS , NPR , PBS , Fox , Comcast , The New York Times Company , USA Today , New York Post , The Wall Street Journal , Newsday , The Washington Post , and The Boston Globe . The global headquarters of many major financial firms, including JPMorgan Chase , Citigroup , Goldman Sachs , Morgan Stanley , Fannie Mae , Freddie Mac , Capital One , The Vanguard Group , and Fidelity , are located in
2522-605: The Northeast Corridor , Acela Corridor , Boston–Washington corridor , BosWash , or BosNYWash , is the most populous megalopolis exclusively within the United States, with slightly over 50 million residents as of 2022. It is the world's largest megalopolis by economic output. Located primarily on the Atlantic Coast in the Northeastern United States , the Northeast megalopolis extends from
2619-464: The Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) main line, now Amtrak 's Northeast Corridor . It operated from 1910 to 1937 and consisted of two 1,100 feet (340 m) car-floor-level platforms, one on each side of the PRR line. It was also served by the Hudson and Manhattan Railroad . There were no pedestrian entrances or exits to the station, as its sole purpose was for passengers to change trains, or for trains to have their locomotives changed. Until 1910, none of
2716-857: The Philadelphia Campaign , the New York and New Jersey Campaign , the Boston Campaign , and the Yorktown Campaign . The surrender of the British occurred in the south end of the megalopolis after the Siege of Yorktown in 1781. Other significant events that occurred during the Revolution at this time in the region include the Second Continental Congress , the creation of the Articles of Confederation ,
2813-470: 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. This was the deadliest crash on
2910-755: The Turboservice were rerouted into Penn Station from Grand Central; the Turboservice moved on February 1, 1971, for cross-platform transfers to the Metroliners. 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, later operated by
3007-564: The U.S. Railway Association . 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
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3104-530: 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 . In February 1968, PRR merged with its rival New York Central Railroad to form the Penn Central (PC). Penn Central was required to absorb the New Haven in 1969 as a condition of the merger. On September 21, 1970, all New York–Boston trains except
3201-612: 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
3298-650: The signing of the Declaration of Independence , and the Constitutional Convention . During the Civil War , while most of the region did not experience fighting, there were many significant battles in the southern end of the region, particularly in Virginia . Major battles such as the Battle of Gettysburg , the Battle of Antietam , the Battles of Bull Run , the Battle of Fredericksburg ,
3395-596: The 11 kV catenary system in December 1932. Within two months, the PRR had completed the electrification of the main line from Philadelphia north to New York Penn Station; south to the PRR station in Wilmington, Delaware ; and west to the Paoli, Pennsylvania , PRR station. By March 1933 most PRR trains on that stretch of the main line were pulled by electric engines, but PRR trains continued to stop at Manhattan Transfer for
3492-711: 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 . The ACSES will enable Amtrak to implement positive train control to comply with the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 . In December 1967,
3589-463: The 1980s. Electrification between New Haven and Boston was to be included in the 1976 Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act . 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. Dubbed
3686-472: The 541 on board. 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. 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. Amtrak owns the tracks north of New Haven to the border between Rhode Island and Massachusetts. The final segment from
3783-514: The CNJ stored its trains in the yard on the eastbound platform's site. Manhattan Transfer became famous, and the name was used in other contexts. In 1925 John Dos Passos published an acclaimed novel about the busyness of New York City. The tributes to Manhattan Transfer station include a jazz vocal ensemble formed in 1969. Manhattan Transfer station consisted of two island platforms , one for westbound trains and one for eastbound. Each platform
3880-553: The Contemporary Northeast . National Geographic Society released a map in 1994 of the region at the time of the American Revolutionary War and in present day, which borrowed Gottmann's book's title. U.S. Senator Claiborne Pell wrote a book, Megalopolis Unbound in 1966, which summarized and expanded on Gottman's original book to outline his vision for a cohesive transportation policy in
3977-454: The H&;M connection. (The branch to South Amboy remained steam for a couple more years, so a few engine changes continued at Manhattan Transfer.) Around 1940 the third rail west of the west end of the tunnels was removed. On June 20, 1937 the H&M moved from Park Place to Newark Penn Station, and Manhattan Transfer and Park Place closed. Newark Penn allowed transfers between the H&M,
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4074-699: 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
4171-654: The NH electrification was extended to New Haven , which was the terminus of electrified service for over 80 years. 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 , and in June 1910 on
4268-558: The New Haven at New Rochelle . 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 ),
4365-419: 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. 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
4462-485: The Northeast Corridor titled NEC FUTURE, and released the final environmental impact statement in December 2016. Multiple potential alignments north of New York City were studied. 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
4559-409: 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. 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. Most of what
4656-704: 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. 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. [REDACTED] 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
4753-399: 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. In 1996, Amtrak began installing electrification gear along the 157 miles (253 kilometres) of track between New Haven and Boston. The infrastructure included
4850-462: The PRR Main Line (now the Keystone Corridor ). Electric service to Chestnut Hill (now the Chestnut Hill West Line ), including a stretch of the NEC, began on March 30, 1918. Local electric service to Wilmington, Delaware , on the NEC began on September 30, 1928, and to Trenton, New Jersey , on June 29, 1930. Electrified service between Exchange Place , the Jersey City terminal, and New Brunswick, New Jersey , began on December 8, 1932, including
4947-441: The PRR tracks south of Manhattan Transfer with 11 kV overhead wires were awarded in 1929. Two years later, in light of low interest rates and high unemployment, the PRR's president announced plans to speed up the electrification project, with plans to complete it in two and a half years instead of four. In addition, new approach tracks to Newark Penn would be built over the Passaic River . PRR trains to Exchange Place started using
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#17327647914655044-413: The PRR, and the newly extended Newark City Subway , and had exits to the street. Manhattan Transfer was demolished, but the site of the platforms could be seen through the 1960s. The site of the eastbound platform was partly replaced by a yard for the Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ) in 1967. After the opening of the Aldene Connection , the CNJ started running trains to PRR's Newark Penn Station, and
5141-523: The PRR. The "McAdoo Reds", as the MP-38s were called, ran only between Manhattan Transfer and New York City, carrying the logos of PRR and H&M to show their partnership. Until 1922 the PRR also operated a shuttle service from Manhattan Transfer to New York Penn, using six converted MP-54 cars. A spate of serious accidents involving H&M trains took place at Manhattan Transfer in the 1920s. A collision between two PRR trains occurred at Manhattan Transfer on October 27, 1921, injuring 36 people. The cause
5238-441: 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,
5335-475: 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. Many of these proposals are unfunded. In August 2011
5432-440: The U.S. average of 80.5 per square mile (31 people/km ). At least one projection estimates the area will grow to 58.1 million people by 2025. French geographer Jean Gottmann popularized the term "megalopolis" in his 1961 study of the region, Megalopolis: The Urbanized Northeastern Seaboard of the United States . Gottmann concluded that the region's cities, while discrete and independent, are uniquely tied to each other through
5529-484: 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. Electric service began in September 1915, with multiple unit trains west to Paoli on
5626-552: The border north to Boston is owned by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. At just over 453 miles (729 km), the Northeast Corridor is the longest electrified rail corridor in the United States. Most electrified railways in the country are for rapid transit or commuter rail use; the Keystone Corridor is the only other electrified intercity mainline. 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
5723-469: The branch to Long Island City : part of the main line to Penn Station. Penn Station opened on September 8, 1910, for LIRR trains and November 27 for the PRR; 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. On July 29, 1911, NH began electric service on its Harlem River Branch :
5820-458: The change point moved to Paoli. 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. The tunnels at Baltimore were rebuilt as part of the project. Electric service between New York and Washington began on February 10, 1935. On April 7, the electrification of passenger trains was complete, with 639 daily trains: 191 hauled by locomotives and
5917-443: The cities and towns founded on the East Coast had the advantage of age over most other parts of the U.S. However, it was the Northeast in particular that developed most rapidly, owing to a number of fortuitous circumstances. While possessing neither particularly rich soil—one exception being New England's Connecticut River Valley —nor exceptional mineral wealth, the region still supports some agriculture and mining . The climate
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#17327647914656014-424: The city's founders, Gottmann argued, was being realized in the Northeastern U.S. in the 1960s with the ascent of the region to global political, academic, and economic prominence. Gottmann defined two criteria for a group of cities to be a true megalopolis: "polynuclear structure" and "manifold concentration"—that is, the presence of multiple urban nuclei, which exist independently of each other yet are integrated in
6111-424: The country exceeded the region in raw resource value, they were not as easily accessible, and often, access to them necessarily had to pass through the Northeast first. The Northeast played a significant role in the foundation of the United States during the late colonial era and in the American Revolutionary War . Pre-revolutionary events like the Gaspee affair , the Boston Massacre , Boston Tea Party , and
6208-472: The extension of Penn Station electric service from Manhattan Transfer. 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. The same was done on April 9, 1933, for trains running west from Philadelphia, with
6305-660: The intermeshing of their suburban zones, taking on some characteristics of a single, massive city: a megalopolis , a term he co-opted from an ancient Greek town of the same name that named itself out of aspirations to become the largest Greek city. The Northeast megalopolis includes many of the financial and political centers of influence in the United States , including the national capital of Washington, D.C. , and all or part of 12 states (from north to south): Maine , New Hampshire , Massachusetts , Rhode Island , Connecticut , New York , New Jersey , Pennsylvania , Delaware , Maryland , West Virginia , and Virginia . The region
6402-437: 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 . 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 ;
6499-473: The megalopolitan area owned by national or international corporations have also appeared, such as BoltBus and Megabus . These ventures indicate not only the dual "independent nuclei"/"interlinked system" nature of the megalopolis, but also a broad public understanding of and capitalization on the concept. In 2007, Gottmann's "megalopolis" concept was largely supported by John Rennie Short , who authored an update to Gottmann's book, Liquid City: Megalopolis and
6596-407: The new Acela Express trainsets and the Bombardier–Alstom HHP-8 locomotives. On December 11, 2000, Amtrak began operating its higher-speed Acela Express service. 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. In 2005, there was talk in Congress of splitting the Northeast Corridor, which
6693-416: The northern suburbs of Boston to Washington, D.C. , running roughly southwesterly along a section of U.S. Route 1 , Interstate 95 , and the Northeast Corridor train line. It is sometimes defined more broadly to include other urban regions, including the Richmond and Hampton Roads regions to the south; Portland, Maine , and Manchester, New Hampshire , to the north; and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania , to
6790-460: The northwest and entered a viaduct, stopping at Harrison before terminating at Park Place station in Newark. PRR trains continued southwest East of the station, the PRR tracks split to the northeast and continued 8 miles (13 km) to New York Penn, while the H&M tracks split to the southeast for 7 miles (11 km) to Exchange Place before entering the Downtown Hudson Tubes to Hudson Terminal in New York City. There were two switch towers near
6887-407: The other 448 under multiple-unit power. New York–Washington electric freight service began on May 20, 1935, after the electrification of freight lines in New Jersey and Washington,DC. 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. The Potomac Yard retained its electrification until 1981. In
6984-541: The other hand, while the major cities of the Northeast megalopolis all are distinct, independent cities, they are closely linked by transportation and telecommunications. Neil Gustafson showed in 1961 that the vast majority of phone calls originating in the region terminate elsewhere in the region, and it is only a minority that are routed to elsewhere in the United States or abroad. In 2010 automobiles carried 80% of Boston-Washington corridor travel; intercity buses 8–9%; Amtrak 6%; and airlines 5%. Business ventures unique to
7081-523: The outer tracks of the two Manhattan Transfer platforms, allowing passengers to transfer from Penn-Station-bound trains. H&M trains also carried mail bound for PRR trains, retrieving first-class letters sent from the Church Street Station Post Office , near Hudson Terminal, and transferring the letters to PRR trains at Manhattan Transfer. The H&M ordered MP-38 railcars to run this special service, in partnership with
7178-511: The outskirts of major cities, such as Bethesda in Maryland (outside of Washington, D.C.) and Camden in New Jersey (outside of Philadelphia), may be clearly distinct areas with even their own downtowns . However, they tend to be independent of their host cities in few, if any, ways, still being considered suburbs or lesser cities that almost certainly would not have developed in the ways that they have without their host cities' presence. On
7275-522: The purchase of new equipment, up to 186 miles per hour (299 km/h). In September 2012, speed tests were conducted using Acela trainsets, achieving a speed of 165 miles per hour (266 km/h). The improvements were scheduled to be completed in 2016, but, due to delays, the project had not been completed until 2020. In 2012, the Federal Railroad Administration began developing a master plan for bringing high-speed rail to
7372-585: The railroads that crossed New Jersey to reach New York City crossed the Hudson River . Instead, passengers rode to terminals on the Hudson Waterfront , where they boarded ferries . The dominant Pennsylvania Railroad was no exception; its passenger trains ran to Exchange Place in Jersey City . On November 27, 1910, the PRR opened the New York Tunnel Extension , a line that ran through
7469-523: The region have sprung up that capitalize on the interconnectedness of the megalopolis, such as airline shuttle services that operate short flights between Boston and New York City and New York City and Washington, D.C. that leave every half-hour, Amtrak's Acela Express high-speed rail service from Washington to Boston, and the Chinatown bus lines , which offer economy transportation between the cities' Chinatowns and elsewhere. Other bus lines operating in
7566-490: The region, including his state of Rhode Island. In 1967, futurists Herman Kahn and Anthony Wiener coined the term " BosWash " to predict that the region would emerge as the sort of megalopolis initially described by Gottmann. Manhattan Transfer station Manhattan Transfer was a passenger transfer station in Harrison, New Jersey , east of Newark , 8.8 miles (14.2 km) west of New York Penn Station on
7663-463: The region. Among the world's 500 largest companies , 54 are based in the Northeast megalopolis. Among the 500 largest U.S.-based companies , 162 are headquartered in the region. The region is the center of the global hedge fund industry, which is heavily based in New York City and the suburban Connecticut cities of Greenwich and Stamford . The Northeast megalopolis is home to hundreds of colleges and universities, including several that rank among
7760-401: The rest of the strip. Additionally, the proximity to Europe, as well as the prominence of Ellis Island as an immigrant processing center, made New York City and cities nearby a "landing wharf for European immigrants," who represented an ever replenished supply of diversity of thought and determined workers. By contrast, the other major source of trans-oceanic immigrants was China , which
7857-510: The resulting outcry led to a push for electric operation in Manhattan . The NH announced in 1905 that it would electrify its main line from New York to Stamford, Connecticut . 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
7954-471: The south to Boston in the north. The region is not uniformly populated between the terminal cities, and there are regions nominally within the corridor yet located away from the main transit lines that have been bypassed by urbanization, such as the Quiet Corner in Connecticut. The region accounts for 20% of the U.S. gross domestic product . It is home to two of the world's largest stock exchanges,
8051-613: 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. These goals were not met because of the low level of funding provided by the Reagan Administration and Congress in
8148-485: The station on February 24, 1925, killing 3 and injuring 32 more. Manhattan Transfer was built mainly because PRR trains needed to switch to electric locomotives. In 1913 the PRR's board voted to electrify its main line in the Philadelphia area using an 11 kV overhead catenary system . This had to do with the PRR's cumbersome operations at Broad Street Station in Philadelphia, where trains had to enter and leave
8245-427: The terminal from the same side, and congestion frequently arose because of the length of time needed for steam locomotives to switch directions. Tracks at Manhattan Transfer were originally electrified with 650 V third rail , which was used by PRR electric trains to Penn Station and Exchange Place, and by H&M trains between Park Place and Hudson Terminal. In 1928 the PRR and the Newark government agreed to build
8342-550: 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. 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
8439-417: The title from the pre– Civil War industrial era until about 1929, and New York City has held it since. Loudoun and Fairfax County , Virginia are the wealthiest counties in the country, and Connecticut's Gold Coast has one of the highest population densities of families worth over $ 30 million USD. The concept of megalopolises originated with Jean Gottmann , a French geographer who wrote Megalopolis ,
8536-634: 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. 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. Northeast megalopolis Core combined statistical areas (CSAs) Outlying metropolitan areas The Northeast megalopolis , also known as
8633-722: The tunnel under the river. The station also allowed passengers to change trains; riders on the main line could transfer to local trains to Exchange Place , where they could catch ferries or Hudson and Manhattan Railroad (H&M) subway trains to 33rd Street Terminal in Manhattan , and riders from Exchange Place could change to PRR main line trains. The H&M, the precursor to the PATH train , started running trains between Hudson Terminal in Manhattan and Park Place in Newark on October 1, 1911. H&M trains stopped at Exchange Place , Grove Street , Summit Avenue , Manhattan Transfer, and Harrison . Afterward, H&M trains stopped on
8730-401: The west. The region includes many of the nation's most populated metropolitan areas, including those of New York City , Philadelphia , Washington, D.C. , and Boston . As of 2020, it contained more than 50 million people, about 17% of the U.S. population on less than 2% of the nation's land area, with a population density of about 1,000 people per square mile (390 people/km ), far more than
8827-748: The world's most elite universities, including Harvard and MIT , both in Cambridge, Massachusetts , Brown in Providence, Rhode Island , Yale in New Haven, Connecticut , Columbia in New York City, Princeton in Princeton, New Jersey , the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia , Johns Hopkins in Baltimore , and Georgetown in Washington, D.C. Total GDP of Northeast megalopolis
8924-417: Was 1,100 feet (340 m) long and 28 feet (8.5 m) wide. The station itself had four tracks, but several bypass tracks surrounded the station to south and north, and passed between the two platforms. H&M trains stopped on the outer tracks, while PRR trains stopped on the inner tracks. The two platforms were brick, which deteriorated during later years. West of the station the H&M tracks split to
9021-552: Was complete. 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. In 1899, William J. Wilgus , the New York Central Railroad (NYC)'s chief engineer, proposed electrifying
9118-497: Was farther from the U.S. West Coast than Europe was from the East, and whose ethnicity made them targets of racial discrimination , creating barriers to their seamless integration into American society. By 1950, the region held over one-fifth of the total U.S. population, with a density nearly 15 times that of the national average. The region has been home to the richest city in the nation for over 200 years: Hartford, Connecticut held
9215-413: Was heavy fog covering a train signal. Less than a year later, on August 31, 1922, heavy fog caused another collision. This time, the collision was between two H&M trains; fifty people were injured, including eight who were seriously injured. Another collision between two H&M trains near the station on July 22, 1923, killed one person and injured 15 others. A crash between two PRR trains occurred at
9312-402: Was made the nation's capital. According to Gottmann, capital cities "will tend to create for and around the seats of power a certain kind of built environment, singularly endowed, for instance, with monumentality, stressing status and ritual, a trait that will increase with duration." The transportation and telecommunications infrastructure that the capital city mandated also spilled over into
9409-694: 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." With the passage of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 , the Congress established the Northeast Corridor Commission (NEC Commission) in
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