New Haven Line Super Express Runs Faster Than Acela

Signal upgrades, PTC, and rail simulation help Metro North cut 10 minutes off schedule

A Metro North train composed of M-8 EMUs comes through South Norwalk on its way to Grand Central Terminal.

If you wanted to take the fastest train between New York City and New Haven, CT, you would probably book space on one of Amtrak’s Acela Expresses. However, according to Metro North’s new president, Justin Vonashek, you would arrive three minutes sooner if you rode one of his railroad’s new ‘super express” trains instead.

Metro North’s hottest train is actually six minutes faster, However, to be fair, Amtrak uses Penn Station and the Hell Gate Bridge route, which is three miles longer. But the Acela is way more expensive than the regional line.

Thanks to signal improvements, use of positive train control, and rail simulations, Metro North identified faster routing patterns. The railroad was able to shave 10 minutes off its schedule between Union Station in New Haven and Grand Central Terminal in New York.

Effective with the timetable that took effect Sunday, March 30, the regional rail line offers two weekday peak hour trains in each direction that stop only in Bridgeport and Stamford. These runs make the 72-mile trip in as little as 88 minutes at an average speed of 49.09 miles per hour. The fastest Acela schedule is 1:34.

Further time reductions are in store. In 2021 Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont announced “Time for CT,” a vision to cut 25 minutes off New York – New Haven schedules by 2035. Through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, The Nutmeg State was awarded almost $2 billion to cover most of the cost for 10 rail improvement projects.

New Haven line projects include:

· Replacing the WALK bridge over the Norwalk River and the Saugatuck River bridge in Westport.

· Stabilizing and eventually replacing the Devon bridge over the Housatonic River.

· Replacing two signal substations, two balancing substations, and power apparatus at three supply substations.

· Track improvement and mobility enhancements such as rebuilding seven overpasses, upgrading track to FRA Class 6 (110 mph) standards, a new interlocking, replacing catenary system components, and improving railbed drainage.

· Upgrading security infrastructure at stations and the Cos Cob bridge over the Mianus River.

In addition, MTA and CTDOT are preparing to replace current rolling stock and locomotives. Many of the EMUs and locomotive-hauled coaches date to the 1980s. The first Siemens SC-42DM Charger locomotives are on the property. These units operate in diesel-electric mode or from power drawn from the third rail. They will replace the turn of the century GE P32AC-DM units that power Metro North diesel trains east of the Hudson fleet.

The New Haven Line, which includes branches to New Canaan, Danbury, and Waterbury, is probably the busiest regional route in the country. Prior to the pandemic it was carrying 40 million riders annually. While in 2024 just 30.3 million passengers used the line, that is around double the number who rode in 2020, when the COVID-19 threat virtually shut down the country.

The line traces its roots to the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad. With backing from J.P. Morgan, the New Haven built a four-track, grade-separated, electrified mainline between its eponymous hub and the Bronx. It merged onto New York Central’s Harlem Line in the northern Bronx to gain entry to Manhattan.

A steady stream of passenger trains – both local and intercity – flowed across its tracks to destinations throughout New England. The New Haven’s reliable and frequent service helped southern Westchester and Fairfield Counties become swanky bedroom communities for New York City high earners.

But Morgan saddled the New Haven with excessive debt and it went bankrupt in 1935 and, again, in 1961. With most of the cash flow going to investors, maintenance suffered and by the 1960s the railroad had deteriorated to a point where trains frequently ran late or were cancelled.

In 1969, Penn Central, the railroad formed one year earlier by the merger of the New York Central System and Pennsylvania Railroad, acquired the New Haven. That proved to be like jumping from the frying pan into the fire since PC filed for bankruptcy in 1970 and the New Haven lines declined even further.

Penn Central offloaded its intercity service onto Amtrak, a new railroad created in 1971 by the federal government to run passenger trains the freight railroads no longer wanted. However, it still ran commuter trains in New York and other cities.

Congress created another new railroad, Conrail, to acquire Penn Central and five other bankrupt lines. It also provided grants to enable the company to fix the rail lines it kept and out of service locomotives and freight cars. With the aid of Uncle Sam, Conrail would become profitable and the government would sell its holdings – 85 percent of the shares.

However, Congress also required Conrail to operate those money-losing commuter trains, a business it didn’t want to be in. The Northeast Rail Service Act of 1981 authorized Conrail to transfer the commuter lines to state or metropolitan transit authorities.

New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority established Metro North in 1983 to run the New Haven, Harlem and Hudson Lines. It was also authorized to subsidize and provide oversight for routes west of the Hudson that NJ transit operates in New York State.

In its early years Metro North made investments in infrastructure the previous operators could not afford. This included repairing, renovating, or replacing track, stations and rolling stock. By the mid-1990s the railroad was a much-improved property that provided safe, reliable, and frequent service over the lines it ran. It boasts an enviable 98.3 percent on-time rate east of the Hudson for 2024.

Connecticut, which owns the track in that state and contracts with Metro North to provide service, is not the only state working on the railroad. Several improvements are being planned or underway in New York.

The Penn Station Access program, which will provide a one-sear ride from the New Haven line to Midtown West, is well into the construction phase. Project elements include four new accessible stations in the East Bronx as well as track and signal upgrades.

In addition, Metro North will purchase 13 battery-electric locomotive in the Siemens Charger series to power trains along the new route. When the project is finished it could cut as much as 50 minutes on the trip from the East Bronx to Manhattan.

In January, Gov. Cathy Hochul proposed new initiatives to reduce delays and speed trains on Metro North’s Hudson Line, which Amtrak’s Empire Service also uses. The projects could cut 15 minutes off running time between Poughkeepsie and Grand Central, enabling trains to make the run in as little as 90 minutes. It would also sharply reduce bottlenecks and track conflicts between Metro North and Amtrak.

The proposals include a larger storage yard in Poughkeepsie, redesigned signals in Yonkers, signal and track work near Croton-Harmon, and climate-related upgrades at critical locations to protect the line from flooding during heavy storms. Some of the enhancements are included in MTA’s 2025 – 2029 $68 billion capital plan.

West of the Hudson the Metro North story is different. Service has deteriorated to a level where even MTA CEO Jarro Lieber says it “stinks.” However, since NJ Transit runs the trains, and Norfolk Southern owns the track in New York MTA has no control over the operation.

Because of inadequate service, many commuters from Orange and Rockland Counties drive to Manhattan where, since January, they pay a $9 congestion toll. On-time performance in 2024 for the two lines west of the Hudson, Port Jervis and Pascack Valley, was five points lower than those east of the river. In addition, since trains run to Hoboken, passengers much change trains in Secaucus to reach Penn Station.

The service disparity between trains on the east and west sides of the Hudson is regrettable. However, shifting blame accomplishes nothing. Acquiring the Port Jervis line from Norfolk Southern could solve part of the dilemma. The railroad operates limited freight service over the route; much less than when it was part of the Erie Lackawanna mainline to Chicago. But there still is NJ Transit to contend with. Oh, well.

Taking next week off to prepare for the holidays. Happy Passover and Happy Easter.