Bring back the Clocker

While more people take the train (13%) than fly in the Northeast Corridor (2%), far more people drive (81%) instead. Bringing back the Clocker could boost rail’s modeshare.  

Background

Amtrak has two intercity services on the Northeast Corridor. The high-speed Acela Express is targeted at business and first-class passengers and is Amtrak’s most profitable train. The slower Northeast Regional targets economy passengers and carries more passengers than any other service. However, Amtrak has a profit mandate and as a result, fares are high for both services. Furthermore, the company makes more money carrying passengers to more distant points than New York to Philadelphia or Washington to Philadelphia.  

Amtrak uses locomotive-hauled trainsets with single-level cars for the Northeast Regional which typically hod 422 passengers (7 cars) to 638 passengers (10 cars). Due to high demand, the company is short on railcars which limits trainset length. Similarly, the Acela trainsets seat up to 304 people and are often full. Limited capacity is another reason for high fares.

Source Amtrak's Clocker in 1975

Conceived by the Pennsylvania Railroad, the original Clocker used to run between New York City and Philadelphia on the hour. Amtrak took over the service in 1971 but stopped the trains in 2005. Some of the service from New York City to Trenton has been replicated by New Jersey Transit. However, there is no dedicated service for the largest intercity rail market in the country and as a result, rail has just 18% of the 14.6 million passenger market, far less than auto's 80%.

Source

Solution

Why not boost modeshare by bringing back the Clocker with far more frequency, high capacity trainsets, and to more stations. Done right, the Clocker could double rail’s modeshare to 33% and attract an additional 12 million passengers. 

Amtrak runs 2-4 trains per hour between New York City and Philadelphia, about 51 daily roundtrips, with about two-thirds continuing to Washington while the other trains go to Harrisburg or Pittsburgh. New Jersey Transit runs 47 daily roundtrips between New York City and Trenton while SEPTA runs 30 daily roundtrips between Trenton and Philadelphia. Initially, the Clocker should run 2 trains per hour and eventually build to up 4 per hour which is light rail frequency. While Amtrak trains make 2-4 stops between New York City and Philadelphia, the Clocker will make more stops. A proposed schedule is forthcoming and works around existing constraints such as Penn Station at rush hour. 

Amtrak’s current services use Philadelphia's 30^th Street Station which requires a transfer to another train, trolley, or subway to get to the City Centre. The Clocker would use the City Centre Commuter Tunnel serve downtown Philadelphia without requiring a transfer. To return to the Northeast Corridor, the trains could initially reverse at Wayne Junction. Later, a six mile track from the West Trenton Line to New Jersey Transit’s Morrisville yard could be electrified to allow trains to loop back, saving time and providing direct connections to New York City from Philadelphia’s northern suburbs. 

While the Clocker could just serve New York City's Penn Station, extending it to New Haven and Jamaica would reach far more potential riders, especially where current services do not. Jamaica has connections to almost all Long Island Railroad trains, three subway lines, and JFK Airport. The New Haven Line is the busiest commuter line in the country but has no through service south of New York except for about 21 Amtrak roundtrips. The Clocker would almost double that to 36 roundtrips. 

The Clocker would use a bilevel, electric multiple unit trainset like NJT just ordered from Bombardier. While Amtrak’s trainsets are locomotive-hauled, the electric multiple units' better acceleration would help the Clocker make more stops without losing significant travel time. While the NJT coaches carry as many 142 passengers, Clocker coaches would seat up to 121 passengers (60 on lower level, 59 on upper level, and 2 on midlevel plus 1 accessible seat). The midlevels would have large luggage racks and two bathrooms. While Amtrak trainsets have a dedicated food service car, Clocker’s short trips and fast turnarounds will not likely warrant food service. Similarly, business class would not be offered as demand would likely be low for a short trip. A six-car Clocker trainset would carry 736 passengers, more than double a Northeast Regional trainset, and have cabs at both ends, allowing for quick turns in congested stations. About 25 trainsets of 6 cars each would be sufficient for a four train per hour schedule (175 railcars). 

One of the reasons for rail's low modeshare is high fares. Combining a high capacity trainset without offering expensive services such as food and business class should result in low operating costs as just two staff would be required, a conductor and an engineer. Seats could be reserved ahead of time or be bought onboard for a surcharge. Commuter fares could be offered too. While some trains may be profitable, the goal of the service is to shift people out of cars so a subsidy may be required. 

The largest markets would see immediate increases in rail's modeshare. Even some of the smaller markets where the Clocker would serve indirectly such as Connecticut to Long Island would still provide new, one transfer connections at Penn Station instead of a multi-station, multi-subway transfer today. Instead proposing billions in infrastructure upgrades for the Northeast Corridor, why not try running more service? Bringing back the Clocker would dramatically boost rail's modeshare and better connect our country's largest travel markets.