Originally Posted by
Often1
This is an age old debate which gets resurrected in a new thread every so often.
1. Yes, Acela prices are high. Why? Because people pay them. Tons of people don't look at prices, they simply have their assistant book the 9:00 AM Acela or whatever. If you ask what the ticket costs, they can look at their ticket and tell you. Otherwise, they don't know and don't care.
2. Time for WAS-NYP or BOS-NYP is not the only factor many people consider. It is productive time. Taking the WAS-NYP vs. DCA-LGA comparison, it is 2:50 on the Acela from city center to city center. Of that 2:50, 2:40 is productive time when one can work, relax, or sleep. Even if the comparable city center to city center for DCA-LGA is 2:50, there is about 20-25 minutes of productive time. I happen to prefer the Shuttle to LGA in the AM and the Acela back at night, but that is me. The rest of the stuff here is all about which type of ice cream is better, chocolate or vanilla.
230 miles from Boston South to NY Penn - averaging about 3:45 time duration. Average of 61.3 miles per hour.
226 miles from NY Penn to Washington - averaging about 3:00 time duration. Average of 75.3 miles per hour.
The run from BOS to NYP is a lot more tricky than from NYP to WAS. Typically only double track for a large portion of the journey and a need to run rather slow in parts - near Mystic and New London. Plus some at grade crossings in that area.
Obviously, many in the business crowd prefer the Acela for the downtown-downtown experience, but those who are wedded to the Shuttle will obviously grit their teeth and bear the commute from LGA into the City.
Lets also remember that there is a rather large percentage of New York that is not Manhattan (don't tell that to folks who live in Manhattan)....