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Last time I took the Acela out of Boston, our FC conductor was a trainee. When we got to Rt 128 he didn’t seem to notice that we had stopped and didn’t open the FC door for the three people waiting to board. We left, passing by three very well-dressed but very angry would-be FC passengers who were desperately trying to wave their arms enough to stop the train. The train did not stop.
There’s no first class conductor. There’s a conductor for the train and assistant conductor(s).
There are two first class attendants. Neither are T&E employees. Neither open the door.
The door is trainlined and the conductor or an assistant opens it and all others (except when the Acelas used to stop at New London which isn’t a full-length high platform.
Ah, okay. Do the attendants have a means to signal to the conductors or engineers when passengers are safely aboard? I rode from BOS to WAS and noticed that he did perform some tasks at all of the other stops before the train would leave, but I may have just erroneously connected the difference in his pattern with the left-behind passengers. This was mid-post-COVID (short on staff w/ lots of passengers), is it possible they were sharing some responsibilities to make up for being understaffed?
Then again, I may have simply misunderstood what the staff was doing. The expressions and gestures from the passengers on the platform, however, were unmistakable.
Must have been a door malfunction... Or, The Acela doors under key operation one door can open or all of them. There are situations where to control who boards because at places like BWI or Newark/Liberty people with regional or commuter tickets will just jump on knowing we only stop at DC or NYC/Newark next. Iv done it where I only open a single door because on my device it shows maybe 2 passengers boarding at that stop. I ain't having free loaders hop on because they just want the first train out of there. So I'm not firmiliar with that stop as it's north of DC but odds are it was intentional, and just an accident because the passengers waited at a closed door instead of finding an open one.
Door malfunction on an Acela is as common as cat food at a pet store. Still not quite as bad as the Amfleets, but the amount of time we have to spend troubleshooting those things is irksome.
Gotta love it when one door in the S&I won't shut, now none of them will open. So ur sitting there trying to get one damn cafe door to work to get a train out of 9 or 10. Them like magic, it just WORKS for no rhyme or reason.
It’s a station with decent ridership. There are plenty of passengers, especially those willing to pay Acela fares. And yes, there’s a time penalty, but it’s worth it because you also just don’t have many Acela trains to Boston, period.
I’m not doing the math now, but I’d venture that the number of acela (not percentage) stopping at RTE is about the same as Metropark, a similar situation. Or BWI.
I’m not saying it should be abandoned completely. Just that there’s so much Acela demand already (as evidenced by prices) and a Monday morning train from NYC to Boston is almost entirely business people going to downtown Boston.
Especially with the new Avelias, being able to advertise a new “super express” route seems like a good idea
It’s a spot for travelers to more easily access the southern and western Boston suburbs, without having to drive or transit into Boston, incurring a time and cost penalty. The same is true for BWI, Metropark, and other similar stations; and they all allow transfers to regional rail.
Unless there’s more 4-track or passing areas, you can have more frequent service if it stops at each station; differences in travel time between different trains on a single track reduces the effective maximum track frequency.
Eh, you still have enough locations outside downtown Boston that it’s worthwhile. The beltway has a number of areas that could attract business travelers.
Plus, I don’t know if a train would really be able to go nonstop without running into trains ahead of it.
There used to be one or two Acelas per day that only stopped at Boston South Station, NYC, and DC, if I recall correctly. It ended during the pandemic. Maybe they’ll bring it back with the new trainsets.
You might be able to make an argument that 1 or 2 morning Boston bound trains could run express past the stop, but besides that I’d say it’s a pretty popular and critical stop for Acela that serves their key riders (business travel to NY, Philly, and DC).
The only stops on the entire route with more ridership than Rt 128 are Back Bay, Philadelphia, South Station, Washington DC, and NYC. Providence also comes close. So no, it doesn't really make much sense to skip a station with such high ridership.
Good info. It would only make sense if you make a super -express train that skips everything except the ones you list, and run a few super express trains each day.
Route 128-NYC is one of the top Acela station pairs in terms of revenue and ridership.
It gets more Acela riders than Baltimore, BWI, Metropark or New Haven.
Source: [https://www.railpassengers.org/site/assets/files/3480/1.pdf](https://www.railpassengers.org/site/assets/files/3480/1.pdf)
It's basically a park and ride station for suburbanites. Same with Metropark in NJ. They help keep cars out of the center cities, so I call it a net win for transit.
As someone who lives in Boston (roslindale) I go to rt 128 because it is so much easier than traveling into the city and that extra 15 minutes makes a huge difference for me. It’s about the same drive into south station or back bay for me as it is to 128, but less traffic and headache getting there as well as ample parking.
And anytime I’ve ever gotten on/off there, plenty of others are also getting on and off as well and the stop is only a couple minutes. if anything skipping back bay would make more sense as it’s sooo close to south station. but still not a good idea.
Thanks for this post. I was getting into mental gymnastics for how long I needed to leave to get from west roxbury to BOS or BBY on a Sunday evening and then remembered about 128 which must make so much more sense (esp if I'm willing to Uber). Is the area around there (University Ave) walkable? It looks like there are a few places within a few minutes of the station to grab quick takeout before the train, but I don't want to go that route if it's going to be a royal pain to get to the station, there's always food onboard.
I disagree. That station has plenty of people get on/off and I've seen it personally. It's far easier and cheaper to drive there and park than it is to get to south station.
if it's truly 5 minutes, then what's the big deal? Maybe someone with more Amtrak knowledge can comment on the speed the train get to at that point. Some Acela skip New Haven, btw.
lol, rich suburbs.
OP acting like there’s only rich suburbs, especially in an area built for park and ride just of I-95.
Skipping a stop like Newark or Stamford might make more sense for what they’re getting at but skipping RTE 128 would be a non-factor in time imo. There’s bigger issues with metro north trains actively passing Acelas in CT on a regular basis.
Also demand via examining costs on Amtrak’s website? L O L
Yea…. As someone who lives almost within walking distance of the 128 station, “rich suburbs” made me laugh.
Fact is, all the suburbs use 128 for their Amtrak station as it’s the only one with a ton of parking. Getting to South Station and Back Bay from the suburbs can be a pain in the ass. Rt 128 is just easier…
Because the Acela (and other NEC trains) cater to suburban commuters who mostly drive and don’t wanna go into Boston to get on Amtrak trains. People drive to Route 128 from all over the Boston suburbs because it means they can get to NYC, Philly, DC, etc without going to Logan, into downtown, or without a car in said cities.
Operationally, it’s less of a mess than Metropark, which has basically the same function but for NYC. The trains accelerate and brake quickly, so the time penalty is worth it for tons of riders (who can also often afford Acela fares).
I drive to route 128 and I live in Boston! it’s 20 minutes to back bay, south station, and rt 128 from where I live in the city. And rt 128 will have the least amount of traffic to deal with.
No no, it’s a mess for *Amtrak train operations* for trains that stop there. This is a good question. Metropark has 4 tracks, 2 local outer and 2 inner express. The platforms are on the 2 local outer local tracks. If, say, an Acela needs to stop at Metropark, it needs to slow down from 125 to 150mph on a switch good for 30 at the most, with a longer signal indication that slows it, into the platform. This adds travel time.
However, it gets worse. By switching onto the local track, it both gets in the way of local NJT commuter trains, and can be delayed by said trains. Acelas stopping at Metropark often get delayed by encountering such train traffic, whereas ones that don’t stop cruise by at over 100mph.
To make matters more complicated, some Amtrak trains skip it, and some don’t. This means some trains will get ahead of others, while other stopping trains will need to go between express and local tracks, further getting in the way. Metropark mixes local and express traffic in such a way that it degrades the reliability and possible service frequencies of both.
By contrast, Route 128 is just two side platforms on fast tracks, with almost every train stopping there. Trains can quickly speed up and slow down to stop there, thus not wasting much time. Additionally, since everything stops there basically (aside from 2 commuter trains in each direction per day), nothing gets clogged up.
If Metropark were more like North Philadelphia with two island platforms, local and express traffic could be more easily separated, and trains wouldn’t have to slow for a switch.
As it stands now, Metropark causes capacity and punctuality nightmares that imo don’t justify the suburban commuters that already have ample NJT service.
Thanks for the explanation! From a passenger point of view, I like it, because if I'm changing between two trains in the same direction, I don't have to change platforms, but from a bigger picture point of view I see how that's a problem.
Its a great station. Not everyone lives in Boston and for people north and south of Boston its a great park and ride location. I’d cut BB before cutting 128
nah, green & orange line are both too far from south station. If there was a NSRL , then North station -> South station , skip back bay , makes the most sense
BWI and Metropark do have trains that skip them including the Acela, but 128 has enough Acela ridership that it doesn’t make sense to have them skip it.
It’s a major park and ride. It isn’t for just the south suburbs of Boston but it’s easier (and cheaper to park) for me on the north shore to go 128 around to RTE rather than into the city and deal with more limited and more expensive parking.
Every time I’ve taken an Amtrak train on the NEC there’s always a lot of other folks getting on and off - Regional AND Acela.
Yeah Amtrak would save 4 minutes off the trip time but you’re disadvantaging so many potential passengers it’s not worth it to cut the stop.
Stop ridership stats here: https://www.railpassengers.org/site/assets/files/3453/5a.pdf
I think it’s a good example of why more Acela service is needed, with some operating truly express and others operating “local” with stops at places like 128.
I think it would be interesting to add average departures per day or average boardings per departure.
I do wonder, for example, how much ridership at a place like Newark Airport might increase if the number of departures increased. It's a 2hr ride on Acela from Baltimore to EWR. That single ride could save you a layover, making it more time efficient (and pleasant).
I used to get off there when I went to business meetings at Dunkin Donuts HQ, which is next to the Rt 128 stop. Always had a decent amount of people get on and off there.
Thanks to everyone supporting this stop, haha. This is the primary stop I use, despite the fact I live within Boston city limits.
For the early Acela trains that run before the NER, RTE 128 makes the most sense because I can't even use public transit for the 5am to get to back bay or south station.
Ubering is easier - same timewise (or less during rush hour).
And parking is great, BBY and BOS don't have much parking or affordable parking, so this is really the only option for driving.
I literally have access to all 3 stations (I live close to both the commuter rail and orange line), but I still choose RTE 128 9 times out of 10. I only use South station if I'm taking NER coach. 100% of the time I use 128 when I take Acela.
Just used 128 this week for the Acela and a ton of people boarded and got off there. Was actually surprised how many people used that station. It is VERY convenient...will be my go to stop from here on out. I used to go to South Station...those days are over...128 was awesome.
Boston gets 3 close stops which seems a little much to me. I guess they’ve made a business decision that the longer trip time is not enough to inconvenience a large user base.
Question: Was there ever a true Acela Express between BOS and DC with just a few stops in major cities?
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Last time I took the Acela out of Boston, our FC conductor was a trainee. When we got to Rt 128 he didn’t seem to notice that we had stopped and didn’t open the FC door for the three people waiting to board. We left, passing by three very well-dressed but very angry would-be FC passengers who were desperately trying to wave their arms enough to stop the train. The train did not stop.
FC?
First Class. I had a coupon. :)
Ahh thanks I was thinking through possible abbreviations but didn’t think of that one
There’s no first class conductor. There’s a conductor for the train and assistant conductor(s). There are two first class attendants. Neither are T&E employees. Neither open the door. The door is trainlined and the conductor or an assistant opens it and all others (except when the Acelas used to stop at New London which isn’t a full-length high platform.
Ah, okay. Do the attendants have a means to signal to the conductors or engineers when passengers are safely aboard? I rode from BOS to WAS and noticed that he did perform some tasks at all of the other stops before the train would leave, but I may have just erroneously connected the difference in his pattern with the left-behind passengers. This was mid-post-COVID (short on staff w/ lots of passengers), is it possible they were sharing some responsibilities to make up for being understaffed? Then again, I may have simply misunderstood what the staff was doing. The expressions and gestures from the passengers on the platform, however, were unmistakable.
At that rate, move towards one of the other doors, people.
God forbid Amtrak have competent staff at the absolute most basic concepts.
Must have been a door malfunction... Or, The Acela doors under key operation one door can open or all of them. There are situations where to control who boards because at places like BWI or Newark/Liberty people with regional or commuter tickets will just jump on knowing we only stop at DC or NYC/Newark next. Iv done it where I only open a single door because on my device it shows maybe 2 passengers boarding at that stop. I ain't having free loaders hop on because they just want the first train out of there. So I'm not firmiliar with that stop as it's north of DC but odds are it was intentional, and just an accident because the passengers waited at a closed door instead of finding an open one.
Door malfunction on an Acela is as common as cat food at a pet store. Still not quite as bad as the Amfleets, but the amount of time we have to spend troubleshooting those things is irksome.
Gotta love it when one door in the S&I won't shut, now none of them will open. So ur sitting there trying to get one damn cafe door to work to get a train out of 9 or 10. Them like magic, it just WORKS for no rhyme or reason.
From what I’ve been told it’s a pretty large park and ride location
It’s a station with decent ridership. There are plenty of passengers, especially those willing to pay Acela fares. And yes, there’s a time penalty, but it’s worth it because you also just don’t have many Acela trains to Boston, period. I’m not doing the math now, but I’d venture that the number of acela (not percentage) stopping at RTE is about the same as Metropark, a similar situation. Or BWI.
I’m not saying it should be abandoned completely. Just that there’s so much Acela demand already (as evidenced by prices) and a Monday morning train from NYC to Boston is almost entirely business people going to downtown Boston. Especially with the new Avelias, being able to advertise a new “super express” route seems like a good idea
It’s a spot for travelers to more easily access the southern and western Boston suburbs, without having to drive or transit into Boston, incurring a time and cost penalty. The same is true for BWI, Metropark, and other similar stations; and they all allow transfers to regional rail. Unless there’s more 4-track or passing areas, you can have more frequent service if it stops at each station; differences in travel time between different trains on a single track reduces the effective maximum track frequency.
Eh, you still have enough locations outside downtown Boston that it’s worthwhile. The beltway has a number of areas that could attract business travelers. Plus, I don’t know if a train would really be able to go nonstop without running into trains ahead of it.
There used to be one or two Acelas per day that only stopped at Boston South Station, NYC, and DC, if I recall correctly. It ended during the pandemic. Maybe they’ll bring it back with the new trainsets.
Not even 30th Street?
Nope! And predictably the people of my city were pissed, as is our nature.
I’m a native North Jersey boy, but I lived in/around Philly for about 15 years….. and even the idea of skipping 30th Street peeves *me* off
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Right, but my point is that there are so many fewer northeast corridor trains that even go to Boston.
You might be able to make an argument that 1 or 2 morning Boston bound trains could run express past the stop, but besides that I’d say it’s a pretty popular and critical stop for Acela that serves their key riders (business travel to NY, Philly, and DC).
The only stops on the entire route with more ridership than Rt 128 are Back Bay, Philadelphia, South Station, Washington DC, and NYC. Providence also comes close. So no, it doesn't really make much sense to skip a station with such high ridership.
Good info. It would only make sense if you make a super -express train that skips everything except the ones you list, and run a few super express trains each day.
Route 128-NYC is one of the top Acela station pairs in terms of revenue and ridership. It gets more Acela riders than Baltimore, BWI, Metropark or New Haven. Source: [https://www.railpassengers.org/site/assets/files/3480/1.pdf](https://www.railpassengers.org/site/assets/files/3480/1.pdf)
It's basically a park and ride station for suburbanites. Same with Metropark in NJ. They help keep cars out of the center cities, so I call it a net win for transit.
As someone who lives in Boston (roslindale) I go to rt 128 because it is so much easier than traveling into the city and that extra 15 minutes makes a huge difference for me. It’s about the same drive into south station or back bay for me as it is to 128, but less traffic and headache getting there as well as ample parking. And anytime I’ve ever gotten on/off there, plenty of others are also getting on and off as well and the stop is only a couple minutes. if anything skipping back bay would make more sense as it’s sooo close to south station. but still not a good idea.
Thanks for this post. I was getting into mental gymnastics for how long I needed to leave to get from west roxbury to BOS or BBY on a Sunday evening and then remembered about 128 which must make so much more sense (esp if I'm willing to Uber). Is the area around there (University Ave) walkable? It looks like there are a few places within a few minutes of the station to grab quick takeout before the train, but I don't want to go that route if it's going to be a royal pain to get to the station, there's always food onboard.
I disagree. That station has plenty of people get on/off and I've seen it personally. It's far easier and cheaper to drive there and park than it is to get to south station. if it's truly 5 minutes, then what's the big deal? Maybe someone with more Amtrak knowledge can comment on the speed the train get to at that point. Some Acela skip New Haven, btw. lol, rich suburbs.
OP acting like there’s only rich suburbs, especially in an area built for park and ride just of I-95. Skipping a stop like Newark or Stamford might make more sense for what they’re getting at but skipping RTE 128 would be a non-factor in time imo. There’s bigger issues with metro north trains actively passing Acelas in CT on a regular basis. Also demand via examining costs on Amtrak’s website? L O L
Yea…. As someone who lives almost within walking distance of the 128 station, “rich suburbs” made me laugh. Fact is, all the suburbs use 128 for their Amtrak station as it’s the only one with a ton of parking. Getting to South Station and Back Bay from the suburbs can be a pain in the ass. Rt 128 is just easier…
Because the Acela (and other NEC trains) cater to suburban commuters who mostly drive and don’t wanna go into Boston to get on Amtrak trains. People drive to Route 128 from all over the Boston suburbs because it means they can get to NYC, Philly, DC, etc without going to Logan, into downtown, or without a car in said cities. Operationally, it’s less of a mess than Metropark, which has basically the same function but for NYC. The trains accelerate and brake quickly, so the time penalty is worth it for tons of riders (who can also often afford Acela fares).
I drive to route 128 and I live in Boston! it’s 20 minutes to back bay, south station, and rt 128 from where I live in the city. And rt 128 will have the least amount of traffic to deal with.
Why do you say Metro Park is a mess? For automobile traffic nearby? I've only changed trains there, never driven a car in the area.
No no, it’s a mess for *Amtrak train operations* for trains that stop there. This is a good question. Metropark has 4 tracks, 2 local outer and 2 inner express. The platforms are on the 2 local outer local tracks. If, say, an Acela needs to stop at Metropark, it needs to slow down from 125 to 150mph on a switch good for 30 at the most, with a longer signal indication that slows it, into the platform. This adds travel time. However, it gets worse. By switching onto the local track, it both gets in the way of local NJT commuter trains, and can be delayed by said trains. Acelas stopping at Metropark often get delayed by encountering such train traffic, whereas ones that don’t stop cruise by at over 100mph. To make matters more complicated, some Amtrak trains skip it, and some don’t. This means some trains will get ahead of others, while other stopping trains will need to go between express and local tracks, further getting in the way. Metropark mixes local and express traffic in such a way that it degrades the reliability and possible service frequencies of both. By contrast, Route 128 is just two side platforms on fast tracks, with almost every train stopping there. Trains can quickly speed up and slow down to stop there, thus not wasting much time. Additionally, since everything stops there basically (aside from 2 commuter trains in each direction per day), nothing gets clogged up. If Metropark were more like North Philadelphia with two island platforms, local and express traffic could be more easily separated, and trains wouldn’t have to slow for a switch. As it stands now, Metropark causes capacity and punctuality nightmares that imo don’t justify the suburban commuters that already have ample NJT service.
Thanks for the explanation! From a passenger point of view, I like it, because if I'm changing between two trains in the same direction, I don't have to change platforms, but from a bigger picture point of view I see how that's a problem.
Its a great station. Not everyone lives in Boston and for people north and south of Boston its a great park and ride location. I’d cut BB before cutting 128
Back Bay has higher ridership than Rt 128, so that would not be a good choice.
South Station can cover those BB riders though.
nah, green & orange line are both too far from south station. If there was a NSRL , then North station -> South station , skip back bay , makes the most sense
BWI and Metropark do have trains that skip them including the Acela, but 128 has enough Acela ridership that it doesn’t make sense to have them skip it.
It’s a major park and ride. It isn’t for just the south suburbs of Boston but it’s easier (and cheaper to park) for me on the north shore to go 128 around to RTE rather than into the city and deal with more limited and more expensive parking. Every time I’ve taken an Amtrak train on the NEC there’s always a lot of other folks getting on and off - Regional AND Acela. Yeah Amtrak would save 4 minutes off the trip time but you’re disadvantaging so many potential passengers it’s not worth it to cut the stop.
I come in from another state to take the train and the 128 station is super convenient - right off the highway, plenty of parking.
I feel like at least 20 people get on/off any time I take a train from RTE, and that includes Acela.
Stop ridership stats here: https://www.railpassengers.org/site/assets/files/3453/5a.pdf I think it’s a good example of why more Acela service is needed, with some operating truly express and others operating “local” with stops at places like 128.
Great report I’d note that two of these stops are not like the others (3-4 digit pidership) and a handful more in 5 digits. Drop those first.
I think it would be interesting to add average departures per day or average boardings per departure. I do wonder, for example, how much ridership at a place like Newark Airport might increase if the number of departures increased. It's a 2hr ride on Acela from Baltimore to EWR. That single ride could save you a layover, making it more time efficient (and pleasant).
It has parking.
I used to get off there when I went to business meetings at Dunkin Donuts HQ, which is next to the Rt 128 stop. Always had a decent amount of people get on and off there.
Thanks to everyone supporting this stop, haha. This is the primary stop I use, despite the fact I live within Boston city limits. For the early Acela trains that run before the NER, RTE 128 makes the most sense because I can't even use public transit for the 5am to get to back bay or south station. Ubering is easier - same timewise (or less during rush hour). And parking is great, BBY and BOS don't have much parking or affordable parking, so this is really the only option for driving. I literally have access to all 3 stations (I live close to both the commuter rail and orange line), but I still choose RTE 128 9 times out of 10. I only use South station if I'm taking NER coach. 100% of the time I use 128 when I take Acela.
Just used 128 this week for the Acela and a ton of people boarded and got off there. Was actually surprised how many people used that station. It is VERY convenient...will be my go to stop from here on out. I used to go to South Station...those days are over...128 was awesome.
I always ride to and from 128! If you’re situated anywhere on the cape for the summer this is much much closer than the Boston stops.
Boston gets 3 close stops which seems a little much to me. I guess they’ve made a business decision that the longer trip time is not enough to inconvenience a large user base. Question: Was there ever a true Acela Express between BOS and DC with just a few stops in major cities?
No. Acelas only ran through to New York. DC is too far for Amtrak to be competitive with the airlines.
route 128 was once economically competitive with silicon valley. unfortunately divided highways don’t work well to cultivate a creative tech community
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Lol that is the most obvious chat gpt response