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Amtrak skips Philly with new non-stop Acela train from New York to Washington

The trains should make the trip in about two hours and 35 minutes, cutting about 25 minutes off the current travel time.

An Acela train approaches Boston South Station. A new non-stop Acela service is launching between New York and Washington
An Acela train approaches Boston South Station. A new non-stop Acela service is launching between New York and WashingtonRead moreAP

Starting Sept. 23, Amtrak will offer non-stop Acela service between Washington and New York City, the passenger railroad announced Thursday.

By bypassing Philadelphia, Baltimore, Newark, N.J., and Wilmington, the train is expected to make the trip in two hours and 35 minutes, compared with the nearly three hours it takes for current Acela Express trains.

The weekday service will be launched with one southbound train leaving New York at 6:35 a.m. and one northbound train departing Washington at 4:30 p.m., Amtrak said in a statement.

Amtrak is preparing to test the next generation of Acela trains, which are expected to offer direct service between Washington and New York and New York and Boston starting in 2021. Washington and New York are Amtrak’s busiest stations.

The railroad said it “will be weighing potential expansion [of nonstop service] in terms of location and frequency” in the future.

» READ MORE: Amtrak’s Acela: More cannonball than bullet

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