Atlantic City train will stop in Newark, N.J.

NEWARK, N.J. - Express weekend train service from New York City to Atlantic City will stop in Newark.

Though details about price and start date are still to be determined, a consortium of casinos has announced the New Jersey stop on the 21/2-hour train.

The Atlantic City Express Service is expected to begin in the second half of this year and will offer two grades of seats, first-class and coach, with leather seating, food and beverage kiosks and space for luggage, said Maureen Garrity, a spokeswoman for the express train.

Last week, NJ Transit's board approved a contract with the manufacturer of the trains, Bombardier Inc., to modify the interiors of the multilevel cars.

Referred to as "ACES," the trains will be owned by a consortium of three casino-hotels - the Borgata, Caesars and Harrah's Resort Atlantic City. NJ Transit will operate the service at no extra cost to the agency.

It's unclear how many trains will run on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, and the consortium doesn't yet have rider projections.

ACES will depart from New York City's Penn Station.

After stopping at Newark Penn Station, the trains will travel through Trenton, following Amtrak's Northeast Corridor line, crossing the Delaware River and continuing north of Philadelphia, where they'll merge onto NJ Transit's Atlantic City Line.

"It's a service that will support one of New Jersey's largest tourist destinations," said Dan Stessel, a spokesman for NJ Transit.

The casinos will pay nearly $15 million to buy and modify eight new multilevel rail cars, according to the consortium.

The Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, a state agency that provides money for economic development, will pay $4.5 million to NJ Transit toward the purchase of four diesel locomotives from Amtrak.

The trains need electric and diesel cars to accommodate the types of power used on the Northeast Corridor and Atlantic City lines.