Atlantic City Express Service

Atlantic City Express Service

Overview
Service type	Inter-city rail
Status	Discontinued
Locale	New Jersey, New York City
Predecessor	Atlantic City Express (Amtrak)
First service	February 6, 2009
Last service	September 18, 2011
Current operator(s)	New Jersey Transit Rail Operations
Route
Start	New York Penn Station
Stops	1
End	Atlantic City Rail Terminal
Average journey time	2 hours, 40 minutes
Service frequency	Friday to Sunday only
On-board services
Class(es)	Coach, first class
Disabled access	Yes
Seating arrangements	Reserved
Catering facilities	Food and beverage kiosks
Entertainment facilities	Private lounge rental available
Baggage facilities	Luggage racks
Technical
Rolling stock	GE Genesis P40DC ALP-44 Bombardier MultiLevel Coach
Track owner(s)	Amtrak, NJ Transit

The Atlantic City Express Service (ACES) was an inter-city train service offered by the Borgata, Caesars Atlantic City, and Harrah's Entertainment, operating from February 2009 until September 2011. It was operated by New Jersey Transit under contract, and funded by the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority. The train provided summer seasonal service between New York City and Atlantic City three days a week, operating along the Northeast Corridor and Atlantic City Line. The train was formally discontinued on March 9, 2012.

Background

With the success of NJT's commuter service to Atlantic City, talks about direct service to New York were discussed. In June 2006, the board of New Jersey Transit accepted a plan for an express service between Atlantic City, New Jersey and Pennsylvania Station in Midtown Manhattan, for a three-year trial initially slated to begin in 2007 (Newark Penn was not initially intended as a stop, but it would be added during the planning stages). Because of delays in acquiring the cars and preparing the needed motive power (the 8 cars for this service are part of a larger 329-car order, and the four diesel locomotives were acquired from Amtrak), the service did not begin until February 2009.

The fleet was composed of eight bilevel rail cars carrying both ACES and NJ Transit markings, with service funded by the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority and three casinos, Caesars, Harrah's, and the Borgata. Each train contained 300 seats with 4 cars per train. The multi-level cars' interior was customized for the ACES service, adding first class seating sections and lounge facilities. The cars were dedicated to ACES service and are never used for regular passenger service by NJ Transit.

In January 2011, service was suspended until May, citing low ridership and a $6 million loss in the first year of operations. Service resumed May 13, 2011 and ended September 18, 2011. The formal discontinuation of the route was announced on March 9, 2012.

The ACES passenger cars are scheduled to be converted to regular NJT cars by Bombardier in 2013-2014.

ACES fares

Tickets for the ACES service were priced on a dynamic pricing scale, with tickets varying between $29 and $69 for one-way coach travel, first class service available for a $20 upgrade from the coach fare, and lounge rental available for a $200 to $300 upgrade from the coach fare.

Route

Trains picked up passengers at New York Penn Station and Newark Penn Station, then ran non-stop to/from the Atlantic City Rail Terminal in about two-and-a-half to three hours.

Trains departed New York pushed by an ALP-44 electric locomotive and led by a dormant GE P40DC diesel locomotive until Frankford Junction in North Philadelphia. At this junction in North Philadelphia, the train reversed direction and was pushed by the P40DC along the Atlantic City Line. Northbound, the P40DC pulled the train to Frankford Junction, and then the ALP-44 pulled the train up the Northeast Corridor to New York. Sometimes, trains would switch between electric and diesel power at Newark, depending on operational conditions.

Station listing

ACES trains made the following station stops:

City	Station	Connections
New York City	Penn Station	Amtrak: Acela Express, Adirondack, Cardinal, Carolinian, Crescent, Empire Service, Ethan Allen Express, Keystone Service, Lake Shore Limited, Maple Leaf, Palmetto, Pennsylvanian, Northeast Regional, Silver Meteor, Silver Star, Vermonter LIRR: Main Line, Port Washington Branch NJ Transit: North Jersey Coast Line, Northeast Corridor Line, Gladstone Branch, Montclair-Boonton Line, Morristown Line NYC Subway: 1 2 3 A C E trains NYC Transit buses: M4, M7, M20, M34 / M34A Select Bus Service, Q32
Newark	Penn Station	Amtrak: Acela Express, Cardinal, Carolinian, Keystone Service, Northeast Regional, Pennsylvanian, Silver Meteor, Silver Star, Vermonter Newark Light Rail NJ Transit: North Jersey Coast Line, Northeast Corridor Line, Raritan Valley Line PATH: NWK-WTC NJT Bus: 1, 5, 11, 21, 25, 25, 28, 29, 30 (evenings and weekends only), 34, 39, 40, 62, 67, 70, 71, 73, 75, 76, 78, 79, 108, 308, 319, 361, 375, 378 ONE Bus: 24, 31, 44
Atlantic City	Rail Terminal	At the station: ACJA: 4, Casino shuttles, Atlantic City Line to 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, PA At the Atlantic City Bus Terminal (2 blocks east of the station): NJT Bus: 319, 501, 502, 504, 505, 507, 508, 509, 551, 552, 553, 554, 559

See also

• Atlantic City Express (Amtrak)
• Blue Comet
• Pennsylvania–Reading Seashore Lines