Northeast Corridor

Sections owned by Amtrak are in red; sections with commuter service are highlighted in blue.

Most of what is now called the Northeast Corridor was built, piece by piece, by several railroads, from 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 the New Haven Railroad entered New York State from Connecticut. The former terminated at New Jersey ferry slips across the Hudson River from Manhattan.[8] The latter extended to the Bronx, whence 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 the New Haven at New Rochelle.[9]

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 in New Jersey (including Manhattan Transfer station and a new Pennsylvania Station), the New York Connecting Railroad and the Hell Gate Bridge. Combined, these creations were a stretch that started just above 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 connecting stretch and thus the Northeast Corridor itself were 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, on May 1, 1971, by the subsequently-created Amtrak.

• Boston–Providence: Boston and Providence Railroad opened 1835, partially realigned in 1847 and in 1899. Became part of the Old Colony Railroad in 1888.[10]
• Providence–Stonington: New York, Providence and Boston Railroad opened 1837; partially realigned 1848.
• Stonington–New Haven: New Haven, New London and Stonington Railroad opened 1852–1889, realigned in New Haven, 1894.
• New Haven–New Rochelle: New York and New Haven Railroad opened 1849.
• New Rochelle–Port Morris (Bronx): Harlem River and Port Chester Railroad opened 1873.

• Newark–Trenton: United New Jersey Railroad and Canal Company opened 1834–1839, 1841; partially realigned 1863 and 1870.
• Trenton–Frankford Junction: Philadelphia and Trenton Railroad opened 1834; partially realigned 1911.
• Frankford Junction–Zoo Tower: Connecting Railway opened 1867.
• Zoo Tower–Grays Ferry Bridge: Junction Railroad opened 1863–1866.
• Grays Ferry–Bayview: Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad opened 1837–1838,[11] 1866, 1906.
• Bayview Yard–Baltimore Union Station: Union Railroad opened 1873.[12]
• Baltimore Union Station–Landover: Baltimore and Potomac Rail Road opened 1872.[13]
• Landover–Washington, D.C.: Magruder Branch opened 1907[14]

Annotated map of projects that the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New Haven Railroad undertook between 1903 and 1917, connecting their lines and effectively completing the Northeast Corridor. From left to right:

• Manhattan Transfer station
• New York Tunnel Extension
• Pennsylvania Station
• New York Connecting Railroad
• Hell Gate Bridge

• Manhattan Transfer station (just above Newark), opened 1910[15]
• New York Tunnel Extension, opened 1910[15]
• Pennsylvania Station (1910–1963), completed 1910[15]
• New York Connecting Railroad, completed 1917[16]
• Hell Gate Bridge (connected to Harlem River and Port Chester Railroad), opened 1917[16]

In 1899, William J. Wilgus, the New York Central Railroad (NYC)'s chief engineer, proposed electrifying 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.[17] 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; the resulting outcry led to a push for electric operation in Manhattan.[18][19][20]

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 the Hudson Line;[21]^: 97[22] regular service began on December 11.[23][24] Electric locomotives began serving Grand Central on February 15, 1907,[21]^: 115 and all NYC passenger service into Grand Central was electrified on July 1, 1907.[24][25] NH electrification began in July to New Rochelle, August to Port Chester and October the rest of the way to Stamford.[26] Steam trains last operated into Grand Central on June 30, 1908: the deadline after which steam trains were banned in Manhattan.[21]^: 55–56 Subsequently, all NH passenger trains into Manhattan were electrified. In June 1914, the NH electrification was extended to New Haven, which was the terminus of electrified service for over 80 years.[27]

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,[28][29] and in June 1910 on the branch to Long Island City: part of the main line to Penn Station.[29] Penn Station opened on September 8, 1910, for LIRR trains[30] and November 27 for the PRR;[31] 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: a suburban branch that would become a main line with the completion of the New York Connecting Railroad and its Hell Gate Bridge.[32][33] The bridge opened on March 9, 1917,[16] 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 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.

"K" Tower, north of Washington Union Station, is the only remaining interlocking tower on the Northeast Corridor south of Philadelphia

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.[34] Electric service began in September 1915, with multiple unit trains west to Paoli on the PRR Main Line (now the Keystone Corridor).[35] 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 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 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.[36] The tunnels at Baltimore were rebuilt as part of the project. Electric service between New York and Washington began on February 10, 1935.[37] On April 7, the electrification of passenger trains was complete, with 639 daily trains: 191 hauled by locomotives and 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 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.[38] The ACSES will enable Amtrak to implement positive train control to comply with the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008.

Pennsylvania Railroad's Congressional west of the North River Tunnels on its way to Washington, D.C.

In December 1967, 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.[39]

In February 1968, PRR merged with its rival New York Central Railroad to form the Penn Central (PC).[40] Penn Central was required to absorb the New Haven in 1969 as a condition of the merger.[41]

On September 21, 1970, all New York–Boston trains except the Turboservice were rerouted into Penn Station from Grand Central; the Turboservice moved on February 1, 1971, for cross-platform transfers to the Metroliners.[42]

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 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.[42]

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 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.[43]

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 the U.S. Railway Association.[44]

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 the Metro-North Railroad, which has hindered the establishment of high-speed service.[45][46]

Northeast Corridor Improvement Project track work in April 1979

In 1976, Congress authorized an overhaul of the system between Washington and Boston.[47] 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 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.[48] These goals were not met because of the low level of funding provided by the Reagan Administration and Congress in the 1980s.[49]

Electrification between New Haven and Boston was to be included in the 1976 Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act.[47]

The last grade crossings between New York and Washington were closed about 1985; eleven grade crossings remain in Connecticut.

Amtrak Acela Express crosses the Susquehanna River in Maryland on a bridge built by the PRR in 1906.

In the 1990s, Amtrak upgraded the NEC north of New Haven, CT to get it ready for the high-speed Acela Express trains.[49] Dubbed 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.[50]

In 1996, Amtrak began installing electrification gear along the 157 miles (253 kilometres) of track between New Haven and Boston. The infrastructure included 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.[51]

View along the Northeast Corridor tracks between Hamilton and Trenton in central New Jersey

Service with electric locomotives between New Haven and Boston began on January 31, 2000.[52] 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 the new Acela trainsets and the Bombardier–Alstom HHP-8 locomotives.[53]

On December 11, 2000, Amtrak began operating its higher-speed Acela Express service.[54] 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.[55]

In 2005, there was talk in Congress of splitting the Northeast Corridor, which 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."[56]

With the passage of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008, the Congress established the Northeast Corridor Commission (NEC Commission) in 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 August 2011 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 the purchase of new equipment, up to 186 miles per hour (299 km/h).[57] In September 2012, speed tests were conducted using Acela train sets, achieving a speed of 165 miles per hour (266 km/h).[58][59] The improvements were scheduled to be completed in 2016, but, due to delays, the project had not been completed until 2020.[60][61]

NTSB officials inspect the derailed locomotive 601

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 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.[62][63]

This was the deadliest crash on 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.[64] 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 the 541 on board.[65]

Constant-tension catenary on Amtrak's 60 Hz system

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 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, 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.[66] Railroad officials blamed Amtrak's funding woes for the deterioration of the track and power supply system, which in places is almost a hundred years old. These problems have decreased in recent years after tracks and power systems were repaired and improved.[67]

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.[68]

30th Street Station in Philadelphia, Amtrak's third busiest train station in the nation, July 2016

There are 109 active stations on 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, Pennsylvania 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.

• Amtrak corridor: A (Acela), KS (Keystone Service), NR (Northeast Regional), PA (Pennsylvanian), VT (Vermonter)
• Amtrak long distance: CD (Cardinal), CL (Carolinian), CS (Crescent), PL (Palmetto), SM (Silver Meteor), SS (Silver Star)
• MBTA Commuter Rail: P/S (Providence/Stoughton Line), NE (Needham Line), FR (Franklin/Foxboro Line)
• CTrail: SLE (Shore Line East)
• Metro-North Railroad: NHV (New Haven Line)
• NJ Transit Rail: NEC (Northeast Corridor Line), NJC (North Jersey Coast Line), RV (Raritan Valley Line)
• SEPTA Regional Rail: CHW (Chestnut Hill West Line), NWK (Wilmington/Newark Line), TRE (Trenton Line)
• MARC Train: PEN (Penn Line)

Station listing

State	Distance from NYP	City	Station	Amtrak corridor services					Amtrak long-distance services						Commuter services			Additional rail services/connections
MA	228.7 mi (368.1 km)	Boston	South Station	A	NR										P/S	NE	FR	Amtrak: Lake Shore Limited MBTA Commuter Rail: Fairmount, Framingham/Worcester, Greenbush, Old Colony Lines MBTA subway:  Red Line   Silver Line
	227.6 mi (366.3 km)		Back Bay	A	NR										P/S	NE	FR	Amtrak: Lake Shore Limited MBTA Commuter Rail: Framingham/Worcester Line MBTA subway:  Orange Line
	226.5 mi (364.5 km)		Ruggles												P/S	NE	FR	MBTA subway:  Orange Line
	223.7 mi (360.0 km)		Forest Hills												P/S	NE	FR	MBTA subway:  Orange Line
	220.6 mi (355.0 km)		Hyde Park												P/S		FR
	219.2 mi (352.8 km)		Readville														FR	MBTA Commuter Rail: Fairmount Line
	217.3 mi (349.7 km)	Westwood	Route 128	A	NR										P/S
	213.9 mi (344.2 km)	Canton	Canton Junction												P/S
	210.8 mi (339.2 km)	Sharon	Sharon												P/S
	204.0 mi (328.3 km)	Mansfield	Mansfield												P/S
	196.9 mi (316.9 km)	Attleboro	Attleboro												P/S
	191.9 mi (308.8 km)		South Attleboro												P/S
RI	189.3 mi (304.6 km)	Pawtucket	Pawtucket/​Central Falls												P/S
	185.1 mi (297.9 km)	Providence	Providence	A	NR										P/S
	177.3 mi (285.3 km)	Warwick	T. F. Green Airport												P/S
	165.8 mi (266.8 km)	North Kingstown	Wickford Junction												P/S
	158.1 mi (254.4 km)	West Kingston	Kingston		NR
	141.3 mi (227.4 km)	Westerly	Westerly		NR
CT	132.3 mi (212.9 km)	Mystic	Mystic		NR
	122.9 mi (197.8 km)	New London	New London		NR										SLE
	105.1 mi (169.1 km)	Old Saybrook	Old Saybrook		NR										SLE
	101.2 mi (162.9 km)	Westbrook	Westbrook												SLE
	96.8 mi (155.8 km)	Clinton	Clinton												SLE
	93.1 mi (149.8 km)	Madison	Madison												SLE
	88.8 mi (142.9 km)	Guilford	Guilford												SLE
	81.4 mi (131.0 km)	Branford	Branford												SLE
	72.7 mi (117.0 km)	New Haven	New Haven State Street												SLE	NHV		Amtrak: Hartford Line CTrail: Hartford Line
	72.3 mi (116.4 km)		New Haven Union Station	A	NR	VT									SLE	NHV		Amtrak: Hartford Line CTrail: Hartford Line
	69.4 mi (111.7 km)	West Haven	West Haven												SLE	NHV
	63.3 mi (101.9 km)	Milford	Milford												SLE	NHV
	59.0 mi (95.0 km)	Stratford	Stratford												SLE	NHV		Metro-North: ■ Waterbury Branch
	55.4 mi (89.2 km)	Bridgeport	Bridgeport		NR	VT									SLE	NHV		Metro-North: ■ Waterbury Branch
	52.3 mi (84.2 km)	Fairfield	Fairfield Metro													NHV
	50.6 mi (81.4 km)		Fairfield													NHV
	48.9 mi (78.7 km)		Southport													NHV
	47.2 mi (76.0 km)	Westport	Green's Farms													NHV
	44.2 mi (71.1 km)		Westport													NHV
	42.1 mi (67.8 km)	Norwalk	East Norwalk													NHV
	41.0 mi (66.0 km)		South Norwalk													NHV		Metro-North: ■ Danbury Branch
	39.2 mi (63.1 km)		Rowayton													NHV
	37.7 mi (60.7 km)	Darien	Darien													NHV
	36.2 mi (58.3 km)		Noroton Heights													NHV
	33.1 mi (53.3 km)	Stamford	Stamford	A	NR	VT									SLE	NHV		Metro-North: ■ Danbury Branch, ■ New Canaan Branch
	31.3 mi (50.4 km)	Greenwich	Old Greenwich													NHV
	30.3 mi (48.8 km)		Riverside													NHV
	29.6 mi (47.6 km)		Cos Cob													NHV
	28.1 mi (45.2 km)		Greenwich													NHV
NY	25.7 mi (41.4 km)	Port Chester	Port Chester													NHV
	24.1 mi (38.8 km)	Rye	Rye													NHV
	22.2 mi (35.7 km)	Harrison	Harrison													NHV
	20.5 mi (33.0 km)	Mamaroneck	Mamaroneck													NHV
	18.7 mi (30.1 km)	Larchmont	Larchmont													NHV
	16.6 mi (26.7 km)	New Rochelle	New Rochelle		NR											NHV
	0.0 mi (0 km)	New York	Penn Station	A	NR	VT	KS	PA	CD	CL	CS	PL	SM	SS	RV	NEC	NJC	Amtrak: Adirondack, Berkshire Flyer, Ethan Allen Express, Empire Service, Lake Shore Limited, Maple Leaf LIRR: ■ Main Line, ■ Port Washington Branch NJ Transit: ■ Gladstone Branch, ■ Montclair-Boonton Line, ■ Morristown Line NYC Subway: ​​​​ PATH: HOB-33 JSQ-33 JSQ-33 (via HOB)
NJ	5.0 mi (8.0 km)	Secaucus	Secaucus Junction												RV	NEC	NJC	NJ Transit: ■ Bergen, ■ Gladstone, ■ Main, ■ Montclair-Boonton, ■ Morristown, ■ Pascack Valley Metro-North: ■ Port Jervis Line
	10.0 mi (16.1 km)	Newark	Penn Station	A	NR	VT	KS	PA	CD	CL	CS	PL	SM	SS	RV	NEC	NJC	Newark Light Rail PATH: NWK-WTC
	12.6 mi (20.3 km)		Newark Airport		NR		KS									NEC	NJC	AirTrain Newark
	14.4 mi (23.2 km)	Elizabeth	North Elizabeth													NEC	NJC
	15.4 mi (24.8 km)		Elizabeth													NEC	NJC
	18.6 mi (29.9 km)	Linden	Linden													NEC	NJC
	20.7 mi (33.3 km)	Rahway	Rahway													NEC	NJC	Transfer point between service to Trenton and Bay Head
	24.6 mi (39.6 km)	Woodbridge	Metropark	A	NR	VT	KS				CS					NEC
	27.1 mi (43.6 km)	Metuchen	Metuchen													NEC
	30.3 mi (48.8 km)	Edison	Edison													NEC
	32.7 mi (52.6 km)	New Brunswick	New Brunswick		NR		KS									NEC
	34.4 mi (55.4 km)		Jersey Avenue													NEC
	48.8 mi (78.5 km)	Princeton Junction	Princeton Junction		NR		KS									NEC		NJ Transit: ■ Princeton Branch
	54.4 mi (87.5 km)	Hamilton Twp.	Hamilton													NEC
	58.1 mi (93.5 km)	Trenton	Trenton		NR	VT	KS	PA	CD	CL	CS	PL	SM	SS	TRE	NEC		NJ Transit: ■ River Line
PA	64.7 mi (104.1 km)	Tullytown	Levittown												TRE
	67.8 mi (109.1 km)	Bristol	Bristol												TRE
	70.7 mi (113.8 km)	Croydon	Croydon												TRE
	72.4 mi (116.5 km)	Eddington	Eddington												TRE
	73.7 mi (118.6 km)	Cornwells Heights	Cornwells Heights				KS								TRE
	75.8 mi (122.0 km)	Philadelphia	Torresdale												TRE
	78.3 mi (126.0 km)		Holmesburg Junction												TRE
	79.3 mi (127.6 km)		Tacony												TRE
	81.2 mi (130.7 km)		Bridesburg												TRE
	86.0 mi (138.4 km)		North Philadelphia				KS								TRE		CHW
	90.5 mi (145.6 km)		30th Street Station	A	NR	VT	KS	PA	CD	CL	CS	PL	SM	SS	TRE	NWK	CHW	SEPTA Regional Rail: all lines NJ Transit: ■ Atlantic City Line SEPTA City Transit: Market-Frankford Subway-Surface
	94.8 mi (152.6 km)	Darby	Darby													NWK
	95.5 mi (153.7 km)	Sharon Hill	Curtis Park													NWK
	96.2 mi (154.8 km)		Sharon Hill													NWK
	96.7 mi (155.6 km)	Folcroft	Folcroft													NWK
	97.3 mi (156.6 km)	Glenolden	Glenolden													NWK
	98.0 mi (157.7 km)	Norwood	Norwood													NWK
	98.7 mi (158.8 km)	Prospect Park	Prospect Park													NWK
	99.4 mi (160.0 km)	Ridley Park	Ridley Park													NWK
	100.1 mi (161.1 km)		Crum Lynne													NWK
	101.3 mi (163.0 km)	Eddystone	Eddystone													NWK
	102.4 mi (164.8 km)	Chester	Chester T.C.													NWK
	104.5 mi (168.2 km)		Highland Avenue													NWK
	105.7 mi (170.1 km)	Marcus Hook	Marcus Hook													NWK
DE	108.6 mi (174.8 km)	Claymont	Claymont													NWK
	115.8 mi (186.4 km)	Wilmington	Wilmington	A	NR	VT			CD	CL	CS	PL	SM	SS		NWK
	121.5 mi (195.5 km)		Churchmans Crossing													NWK
	127.7 mi (205.5 km)	Newark	Newark		NR											NWK
MD	148.5 mi (239.0 km)	Perryville	Perryville												PEN
	154.5 mi (248.6 km)	Aberdeen	Aberdeen		NR										PEN
	164.1 mi (264.1 km)	Edgewood	Edgewood												PEN
	173.0 mi (278.4 km)	Middle River	Martin State Airport												PEN
	184.7 mi (297.2 km)	Baltimore	Penn Station	A	NR	VT			CD	CL	CS	PL	SM	SS	PEN			MTA Maryland: Light RailLink
	187.5 mi (301.8 km)		West Baltimore												PEN
	192.3 mi (309.5 km)	Halethorpe	Halethorpe												PEN
	195.3 mi (314.3 km)	Linthicum Heights	BWI Airport	A	NR	VT					CS	PL			PEN
	202.6 mi (326.1 km)	Odenton	Odenton												PEN
	208.4 mi (335.4 km)	Bowie	Bowie State												PEN
	213.7 mi (343.9 km)	Seabrook	Seabrook												PEN
	216.0 mi (347.6 km)	New Carrollton	New Carrollton		NR	VT						PL			PEN			Washington Metro: Orange Line
DC	224.7 mi (361.6 km)	Washington	Union Station	A	NR	VT			CD	CL	CS	PL	SM	SS	PEN			Amtrak: Capitol Limited MARC: ■ Brunswick Line, ■ Camden Line VRE: ■ Fredericksburg Line, ■ Manassas Line Washington Metro: Red Line

Passengers crossing the State Street crossing in New London after departing a northbound train

A Northeast Regional train crosses Miner Lane in Waterford, the site of a fatal accident in 2005

The entire Northeast Corridor has 11 grade crossings, all in southeastern New London County, Connecticut. The remaining grade crossings are along a part of the line that hugs the shore of Long Island Sound. Without these crossings many waterfront communities and businesses would be inaccessible from land. Six of the grade crossings have four-quadrant gates with induction loop sensors, which allow vehicles stopped on 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.[69]

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.[70]

The New York to New Haven line has long been completely grade-separated, and the last grade crossings between Washington and New York were eliminated in the 1980s. In 1994, during planning for electrification and high-speed Acela Express service between New Haven and Boston, a law was passed requiring USDOT to plan for the elimination of all remaining crossings (unless impractical or unnecessary) by 1997.[71] Some lightly used crossings were simply closed, while most were converted into bridges or underpasses. Only thirteen remained by 1999, of which lightly used crossings in Old Lyme, Connecticut, and Exeter, Rhode Island, were soon closed.[72]

Despite six nonfatal accidents in the previous sixteen years, there was substantial local opposition to closing the remaining 11 crossings. Outright closing the crossing would eliminate the sole access points to several of the places they served, while grade separation would be expensive and require land takings.[72] Instead, the crossings were supplied with additional protections. In 1998, School Street in Groton was the first four-quadrant gate installation in the country with vehicle detection sensors tied into the line's signal system.[73] It cost $1 million rather than the $4 million for a bridge.[74] Seven more crossings received similar installations in 1999 and 2000; only the three in New London (which are on a tight curve with speed limits under 30 miles per hour (48 km/h)) did not.[75]

On September 28, 2005, a southbound Acela Express struck a car at Miner Lane in Waterford, Connecticut, the first such incident since the additional protections were implemented.[76] The train was approaching the crossing at approximately 70 miles per hour (110 km/h) when the car reportedly rolled under the lowered crossing gate arms too late for the sensor system to fully stop the train. The driver and one passenger were killed on impact; the other passenger died nine days later from injuries sustained in the crash. The gates were later inspected and declared to have been functioning properly at the time of the incident.[77] The incident drew public criticism about the remaining grade crossings along the busy line.[78]

Crossing are listed east to west.[69]