how fast are Acela trains allowed to go when passing through stations?

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sleepybobcat

Train Attendant
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Jun 2, 2010
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how fast are Acela trains allowed to go when passing through stations?

I've only taken the Acela a few times because I don't live near any of

the cities it serves. :(

The last time I rode from Boston all the way to Philly. It seemed to me

that the train didnt' really slow down that much when it was passing

through a station.(a station that it wasn't going to stop at)

isn't this kind of dangerous for people who might be standing on the

platform? do they sound some kind of warning as an Acela train is

coming?

As long as I'm asking.... was I only supposed to be served just one free

meal in first class if I rode from Bosto to Philly? I saw someone getting

a meal between Boston and New York... and people who boarded at

New York got meals served between NYP and Philly.... just curious....

not that I was hungry or anything... :D
 
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No, they don't slow down. Yes, most stations have warnings or make announcements. Yes, it's a bit of a rush to stand near the edge of the platform when one blows past.
 
No, they don't slow down. Yes, most stations have warnings or make announcements. Yes, it's a bit of a rush to stand near the edge of the platform when one blows past.

oh wow.... next time I'll take a trip to one of these stations just to see what it's like... :) any suggestions on which station on Acela's route is best for this?

Obviously I want to be able to leave the station as well... so what's the safest minimum distance that I should stand away?

THANKS! :)
 
No, they don't slow down. Yes, most stations have warnings or make announcements. Yes, it's a bit of a rush to stand near the edge of the platform when one blows past.

oh wow.... next time I'll take a trip to one of these stations just to see what it's like... :) any suggestions on which station on Acela's route is best for this?

Obviously I want to be able to leave the station as well... so what's the safest minimum distance that I should stand away?

THANKS! :)
I've only seen the Acela speed through the Kingston, RI station, but I know that section of track is some of the fastest (and straightest) on the corridor.
 
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how fast are Acela trains allowed to go when passing through stations?
I've only taken the Acela a few times because I don't live near any of

the cities it serves. :(

The last time I rode from Boston all the way to Philly. It seemed to me

that the train didn't' really slow down that much when it was passing

through a station.(a station that it wasn't going to stop at)

isn't this kind of dangerous for people who might be standing on the

platform? do they sound some kind of warning as an Acela train is

coming?

As long as I'm asking.... was I only supposed to be served just one free

meal in first class if I rode from Boston to Philly? I saw someone getting

a meal between Boston and New York... and people who boarded at

New York got meals served between NYP and Philly.... just curious....

not that I was hungry or anything... :D
The MBTA stations in Massachusetts ,that share the main line with Amtrak Acela ,have automatic "Train approaching, stand behind yellow line!"

warning announcements and red LED signs on the platforms.It is still dangerous ,however , for first timers on the platforms who don't realize that some trains will be passing at high speed instead of stopping.At the Mansfield,MA, station two people have been hit and killed trying to take a short cut over the fence between the tracks.A crosser at Canton Junction,MA, survived being hit and gave an interview from the hospital.I have recorded GPS speeds through Canton Junction and Sharon MBTA stations of 115 mph.Stations at Mansfield and Attleboro,MA, have been passed through at 145-150 mph on my GPS.I can email a short 5 second video of an Acela passing Mansfield at speed taken from the platform. Send a PM if interested.

The Acela doesn't stop at these above MBTA stations. You would have to take a MBTA commuter train .

Yes, you should have been offered a second meal out of NYP.
 
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Kingston is the fastest station you pass through. I took this screen cap of my GPS.

892138243_brLad-M.jpg
 
so what's the safest minimum distance that I should stand away?

As far as possible, you never know if something is hanging of side of a train.

I have seen tree limbs stuck in handrails sticking out 3 feet from train.

3 feet of tree limb @ 150mph is probably more than enough to slice a grown man's arm off.... or worse! :(

I just found a ton of videos on YouTube... all featuring Acela trains passing through Kingston station at around 150mph!
 
when I was on temporary assignment in Wilmington DE, I drove down to Newark and watched them go through there at 120mph. It was a thrill to say the least.
 
As long as I'm asking.... was I only supposed to be served just one freemeal in first class if I rode from Bosto to Philly? I saw someone getting

a meal between Boston and New York... and people who boarded at

New York got meals served between NYP and Philly.... just curious....

not that I was hungry or anything... :D
You should get two meals between Boston and Philly as there is one meal served between Boston and NYP and a second meal served between NYP and washington. HOWEVER, if both meals are lunch and/or dinner, you might have to ask to get the second meal out of NYP when going southbound. The best idea is to try to grab the attendant and place your order just before arriving in NYP so that they can get you your meal first when they start preparing them on the way out of NYP.

The only time I have done that routing in first class I did NOT get a second meal out of NYP. The attendent said to me "You already had dinner" and just walked away. I probably could have insisted on an item, but it wasn't worth it. My H had traveled the same route earlier that day (we were meeting in Philly as I had to work later that day) and he got two meals.
 
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No, they don't slow down. Yes, most stations have warnings or make announcements. Yes, it's a bit of a rush to stand near the edge of the platform when one blows past.
oh wow.... next time I'll take a trip to one of these stations just to see what it's like... :) any suggestions on which station on Acela's route is best for this?

Obviously I want to be able to leave the station as well... so what's the safest minimum distance that I should stand away?! :)
I've only seen the Acela speed through the Kingston, RI station, but I know that section of track is some of the fastest (and straightest) on the corridor.
Not to brag :lol: but Kingston is my home station, and AE regularly comes thru at 140-150 MPH! (It may pass "slow" at 130 MPH! :D ) They do announce (as said) "Train approaching ...", but it is something to be a few feet from it when it passes!
 
3 feet of tree limb @ 150mph is probably more than enough to slice a grown man's arm off.... or worse!
My MythBusters sense is tingling. Wouldn't any tree limb that's likely to be stuck in or on an Acela train be pressed up against the frame by the 150MPH wind? Unless we're talking about a seriously thick "limb" but I somewhat doubt that's likely to become attached unnoticed. I mean, where would a limb thick enough to withstand 150MPH winds come from and how would it get lodged into an Acela consist in the first place? Now, if you were the sick, sadistic type I suppose you could screw a metal chain or something to the side of a parked Acela train and when that thing got going it would be bouncing all over the place and causing serious injuries. But a arm-hacking tree limb seems a little implausible to me.
 
3 feet of tree limb @ 150mph is probably more than enough to slice a grown man's arm off.... or worse!
My MythBusters sense is tingling. Wouldn't any tree limb that's likely to be stuck in or on an Acela train be pressed up against the frame by the 150MPH wind? Unless we're talking about a seriously thick "limb" but I somewhat doubt that's likely to become attached unnoticed. I mean, where would a limb thick enough to withstand 150MPH winds come from and how would it get lodged into an Acela consist in the first place? Now, if you were the sick, sadistic type I suppose you could screw a metal chain or something to the side of a parked Acela train and when that thing got going it would be bouncing all over the place and causing serious injuries. But a arm-hacking tree limb seems a little implausible to me.

Dutchrailnut didn't say a tree limb was sticking out the side of an Amtrak train traveling at 150mph. I assumed he was referring to a much slower moving freight train.
 
Dutchrailnut didn't say a tree limb was sticking out the side of an Amtrak train traveling at 150mph. I assumed he was referring to a much slower moving freight train.
Not Acela but a 80 mph Commuter train I was operating, some passengers accused me of trying to kill them.

Apparently the air wave of train released the limb from a tree, it fell against side and got wedged in a handrail.

again never stand to close to a train, give it at least a 3 foot clearance and watch the train as it goes by.

Specially Freight, where anything might stick out like a piece of wood or a strand of broken banding wire.

Railroaders as part of safety training are told to stay at least 5 foot clear and always face the moving train.
 
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A year or two ago (IIRC), a CSX freight train had a loose boxcar door fly off and damage part of a station in Metro-North territory. Luckily, nobody was on the platform when that happened (may have been the middle of the night, I don't recall). Earlier this year, something similar occurred, except that it damaged a passing Amtrak train (Silver Star or Silver Meteor).

Bottom line, as noted previously, there's no need to stand so close to a moving train.
 
A year or two ago (IIRC), a CSX freight train had a loose boxcar door fly off and damage part of a station in Metro-North territory. Luckily, nobody was on the platform when that happened (may have been the middle of the night, I don't recall). Earlier this year, something similar occurred, except that it damaged a passing Amtrak train (Silver Star or Silver Meteor).
Bottom line, as noted previously, there's no need to stand so close to a moving train.
"No risk, No reward.........."

But don't try to stick your head too close in, like Patrick Swayze did at a subway, in the movie "Ghost".
 
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