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Crescent

TheCrescent crossing a stream nearCooks Springs, Alabama, in March 2015
Overview
Service type	Inter-city rail
Locale	Eastern United States
Current operator	Amtrak
Former operator	Southern Railway (1970–1979)
Annual ridership	316,213 (FY 25)  4.3%[a][1]
Route
Termini	New York City, New York New Orleans, Louisiana
Stops	33
Distance travelled	1,377 miles (2,216 km)
Average journey time	30 hours, 47 minutes (southbound) 32 hours, 36 minutes (northbound)
Service frequency	Daily
Train numbers	19 (southbound) 20 (northbound)
On-board services
Classes	Coach Class First Class Sleeper Service
Disabled access	All train cars, most stations
Sleeping arrangements	Roomette (2 beds) Bedroom (2 beds) Bedroom Suite (4 beds) Accessible Bedroom (2 beds)
Catering facilities	Dining car,Café
Baggage facilities	Overhead racks, checked baggage available at selected stations
Technical
Rolling stock	Amfleet · Viewliner
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)standard gauge
Operating speed	43.4 mph (69.8 km/h) (avg.) 125 mph (201 km/h) (top)
Track owners	Amtrak,CSX,NS
Route map Show interactive map Legend 0mi New York City Hudson River NY NJ North River Tunnels 10 mi 16 km Newark Penn 24 mi 39 km Metropark § 58 mi 93 km Trenton NJ PA Delaware River 91 mi 146 km Philadelphia–30th Street PA DE 116 mi 187 km Wilmington DE MD 185 mi 298 km Baltimore 196 mi 315 km BWI Airport § MD DC 225 mi 362 km Washington, D.C. DC VA Potomac River 233 mi 375 km Alexandria 258 mi 415 km Manassas 293 mi 472 km Culpeper 337 mi 542 km Charlottesville 398 mi 641 km Lynchburg 461 mi 742 km Danville VA NC 509 mi 819 km Greensboro 524 mi 843 km High Point 559 mi 900 km Salisbury 601 mi 967 km Charlotte 623 mi 1003 km Gastonia NC SC 678 mi 1091 km Spartanburg 709 mi 1141 km Greenville 739 mi 1189 km Clemson SC GA Tugaloo River 773 mi 1244 km Toccoa 810 mi 1304 km Gainesville 859 mi 1382 km Atlanta GA AL Eastern Time Central Time 959 mi 1543 km Anniston 1023 mi 1646 km Birmingham 1078 mi 1735 km Tuscaloosa AL MS 1175 mi 1891 km Meridian 1231 mi 1981 km Laurel 1260 mi 2028 km Hattiesburg 1324 mi 2131 km Picayune MS LA 1342 mi 2160 km Slidell City of New Orleans toChicago 1377 mi 2216 km New Orleans 1377 mi 2216 km Proposed section toFort Worth 1377 mi 2216 km Proposed section toFort Worth 1377 mi 2216 km City of New Orleans toNew Orleans Jackson City of New Orleans toChicago Vicksburg MS LA Monroe Ruston Shreveport LA TX Texas Eagle toChicago Marshall Longview Mineola Dallas Heartland Flyer toOklahoma City Fort Worth Texas Eagle toSan Antonio orLos Angeles = flag stop § = only served by train 20 This diagram: view talk edit Show route diagram map

TheCrescent is a dailylong-distancepassenger train operated byAmtrak betweenNew York City andNew Orleans (the "Crescent City"). The 1,377-mile (2,216 km) route connects theNortheast to theGulf Coast via theAppalachian Piedmont, with major stops inCharlotte, North Carolina;Atlanta, Georgia; andBirmingham, Alabama.

Most of the route of theCrescent is on theNorfolk Southern Railway. It is the successor to theSouthern Crescent, introduced in 1970 by Norfolk Southern's predecessor, theSouthern Railway.

Today'sCrescent is a direct descendant of theSoutherner, a streamlined passenger train operated by theSouthern Railway from 1941 to 1970. The daily train followed essentially the same route as the modernCrescent, providing sleeper service between New York and New Orleans via Washington, Atlanta, and Birmingham.

Since its inception, the sister train of theSoutherner was a second New York–New Orleans sleeper, the Southern Railway'sCrescent. The two trains shared generally the same route between New York andAtlanta, but diverged between Atlanta and New Orleans. TheCrescent took a more coastal route, operating viaMobile andMontgomery overAtlanta and West Point Railroad,Western Railway of Alabama, andLouisville & Nashville Railroad trackage. TheSoutherner stayed inland to run exclusively on Southern Railway trackage through Birmingham.

In 1970, amid a push by its partners to discontinue passenger operations, the Southern Railway merged theSoutherner and theCrescent into one service: theSouthern Crescent. The new train used the route of theSoutherner, operating via Birmingham instead of Mobile. Although the Birmingham route was slightly longer, it was fully owned by the Southern Railway and therefore more reliable. TheSouthern Crescent was numbered 1 southbound and 2 northbound.Penn Central carried it between Washington and New York along theNortheast Corridor, inheriting the longstanding haulage agreement from the Pennsylvania Railroad.

For most of the 1970s, theSouthern Crescent was supplemented by thePiedmont, a former New York–New Orleans train that had been cut back to a regional Atlanta–Washington (later Charlotte–Washington andSalisbury–Washington) service running along the middle leg of theSouthern Crescent route.^{[citation needed]}

Amtrak took over most inter-city passenger trains in the United States on May 1, 1971, but the Southern Railway initially opted out. Amtrak did inherit most of Penn Central's passenger services, including the haulage agreement for theSouthern Crescent. For a portion of the mid-1970s, theSouthern Crescent only operated tri-weekly between Atlanta and New Orleans, and carried a run-through Amtrak 10-6 sleeper on those days to connect to theSunset Limited. On occasion, when the Southern deemed an Amtrak car to be short of its standards, it substituted a Southern sleeper in the consist. Additionally, one of the two dome coaches in the Southern car fleet was added for the leg south of Atlanta.^{[citation needed]}

TheSouthern Crescent was one of the last two privately operated long-distance passenger services in the United States, the other being theRio Grande Zephyr. However, mounting revenue losses and equipment-replacement expenses forced Southern Railway to leave the passenger business.

The Southern Railway turned over full operation of theSouthern Crescent to Amtrak on February 1, 1979. Amtrak simplified the name to theCrescent and renumbered it 19 southbound and 20 northbound, though for several years the Southern assigned it operating numbers 819 and 820.^[2][3] The train began using rebuiltHeritage Fleet equipment in 1981.^[4]: 78

On October 28, 1989, Amtrak added a section of theCrescent between Birmingham andMobile, Alabama, known as theGulf Breeze. It ran until April 1, 1995, when it was cancelled due to budget issues. A replacementAmtrak Thruway bus ran until October 16, 1997. The Atlanta–New Orleans portion of theCrescent was reduced to tri-weekly operation from April 2, 1995, to November 11, 1996 (quad-weekly from November 1995 to February 1996).^[5]

WhenHurricane Katrina struckLouisiana,Mississippi, andAlabama in August 2005, theCrescent was temporarily truncated to Atlanta. Service was restored first as far asMeridian, Mississippi, while Norfolk Southern crews worked to repair the damage to their lines serving the Gulf Coast. Amtrak restoredCrescent andCity of New Orleans service to New Orleans on October 9, 2005.^[6]

From July 10 to September 1, 2017, the train terminated at Washington, D.C. instead of New York City due to track work at Penn Station.^[7] Starting October 1, 2019, traditional dining car services were removed and replaced with a reduced menu of 'Flexible Dining' options. As a result, the dining car serves as a lounge car for use exclusively by sleeping car passengers.^[8]

As part of Amtrak's Network Growth Strategy (NGS), adding a section fromMeridian, Mississippi toFort Worth, Texas has been discussed since the early 2000s, with the route supposed to be up and running by 2002. The plan fell through when Amtrak abandoned the NGS.^[9] However, in March 2023, Amtrak announced that it is seeking federal funding to once again study this proposal. Due toKansas City Southern Railway's (KCS) continued opposition to hosting this train on theMeridian Speedway, the study was dependent on aproposed merger between the KCS andCanadian Pacific Railway being approved by the United StatesSurface Transportation Board.^[10] This merger was approved on March 15, 2023,^[11] and officially went into effect on April 14, 2023, allowing this proposal to move forward.^[12][13] In June 2023, Amtrak applied for funding to begin the project to extend service from Mississippi to Texas along theI-20 corridor.^[14]

In July 2024, theUnited States Department of Justice filed a lawsuit againstNorfolk Southern Railway, alleging that they did not give priority to Amtrak'sCrescent on about 1,140 miles of Norfolk Southern-owned tracks as required by federal law. According to the lawsuit and audits conducted by Amtrak, about one out of every four southboundCrescent services arrived at their destinationon-time in 2023. A spokesman for Norfolk Southern said that delays on the route had been reduced in recent months and that they were "committed to complying with the law, working together, and honoring our commitments."^[15][16]

The tracks used were once part of thePennsylvania Railroad;Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad;Southern Railway andNorth Carolina Railroad systems; they are now owned byAmtrak,CSX Transportation, andNorfolk Southern Railway, respectively. The following lines are used:^{[citation needed]}

• New York City toWashington, D.C.:Northeast Corridor, ex-Pennsylvania Railroad, now Amtrak
• Washington toAlexandria, Virginia:Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad, now CSX
• Alexandria toDanville, Virginia:Virginia Midland Railway (ex-Southern Railway), now Norfolk Southern
• Danville toGreensboro, North Carolina:Piedmont Air-Line Railway (ex-Southern Railway), now NS
• Greensboro toCharlotte, North Carolina:North Carolina Railroad (formerly leased by Southern Railway), track managed by NS
• Charlotte toAtlanta, Georgia:Atlanta and Charlotte Air-Line Railway (ex-Southern Railway), now NS
• Atlanta toBirmingham, Alabama:Georgia Pacific Railway (ex-Southern Railway), now NS
• Station and adjacent tracks in Birmingham:Louisville and Nashville Railroad, now CSX
• Birmingham toMeridian, Mississippi:Alabama Great Southern Railroad (ex-Southern Railway), now NS
• Meridian toNew Orleans, Louisiana:New Orleans and Northeastern Railroad (ex-Southern Railway), now NS

As of 2024^[update], a usualconsist on theCrescent included:^[17][18]

• 2GE P42DC orSiemens ALC-42 diesel locomotives^[19] (1Siemens ACS-64 electric locomotive north of Washington, D.C.)
• 3Amfleet IIcoaches
• 1 Amfleet II café car
• 2Viewlinersleeping cars
• 1 Viewliner II baggage-dorm
• 1 Viewliner II diner^[20]

By March 2025, the train only had one sleeping car, but the second was planned to be re-added in May 2025.^[21] Amtrak plans to replace the Amfleet cars withnew long-distance cars by 2032.^[22][23]

State	Town/city	Station	Connections
New York	New York City	New York Penn Station	Amtrak (long-distance):Cardinal,Lake Shore Limited,Palmetto,Silver Meteor Amtrak (intercity):Acela,Adirondack,Berkshire Flyer,Carolinian,Empire Service,Ethan Allen Express,Keystone Service,Maple Leaf,Northeast Regional,Pennsylvanian,Vermonter LIRR:■ City Terminal Zone,■ Port Washington Branch NJ Transit:■ North Jersey Coast Line,■ Northeast Corridor Line,■ Gladstone Branch,■ Montclair–Boonton Line,■ Morristown Line NYC Subway:​​​​ PATH:HOB-33JSQ-33JSQ-33 (via HOB) NYC Transit Bus
New Jersey	Newark	Newark Penn Station	Amtrak:Acela,Carolinian,Cardinal,Keystone Service,Northeast Regional,Pennsylvanian,Silver Meteor,Vermonter NJ Transit:■ North Jersey Coast Line,■ Northeast Corridor Line,■ Raritan Valley Line PATH:NWK-WTC Newark Light Rail NJ Transit Bus
	Iselin	Metropark	Amtrak:Acela,Keystone Service,Northeast Regional,Palmetto,Vermonter NJ Transit Rail:■ Northeast Corridor Line Local bus:NJ Transit Bus
	Trenton	Trenton	Amtrak:Carolinian,Cardinal,Keystone Service,Northeast Regional,Pennsylvanian,Silver Meteor,Vermonter NJ Transit:■ Northeast Corridor Line,■ River Line SEPTA Regional Rail:■ Trenton Line NJ Transit Bus,SEPTA Suburban Bus
Pennsylvania	Philadelphia	30th Street Station	Amtrak:Acela,Carolinian,Cardinal,Keystone Service,Northeast Regional,Palmetto,Pennsylvanian,Silver Meteor,Vermonter SEPTA Regional Rail:all routes NJ Transit:■ Atlantic City Line SEPTA Metro: SEPTA City Bus,SEPTA Suburban Bus
Delaware	Wilmington	Wilmington	Amtrak:Acela,Carolinian,Cardinal,Palmetto,Northeast Regional,Silver Meteor,Vermonter SEPTA Regional Rail:■ Wilmington/​Newark Line DART First State Greyhound Lines
Maryland	Baltimore	Baltimore	Amtrak:Acela,Carolinian,Cardinal,Palmetto,Northeast Regional,Silver Meteor,Vermonter MARC:■ Penn Line Light RailLink MTA Maryland,Charm City Circulator
	Hanover	BWI Airport	Amtrak:Acela,Northeast Regional,Palmetto,Vermonter MARC:■ Penn Line Shuttle toBaltimore/Washington International Airport MTA Maryland,UMBC Transit
District of Columbia	Washington	Washington Union Station	Amtrak:Acela,Carolinian,Cardinal,Floridian,Palmetto,Northeast Regional,Silver Meteor,Vermonter MARC:■ Brunswick Line,■ Camden Line,■ Penn Line VRE:■ Manassas Line,■ Fredericksburg Line Metro:Red Line DC Streetcar:H Street/Benning Road Line Metrobus,MTA Maryland,Loudoun County Transit,OmniRide Intercity bus:Greyhound,Megabus,BestBus,Peter Pan,OurBus
Virginia	Alexandria	Alexandria	Amtrak:Carolinian,Cardinal,Floridian,Northeast Regional,Silver Meteor VRE:■ Fredericksburg Line,■ Manassas Line Metro:Blue Line,Yellow Line Metrobus,DASH
	Manassas	Manassas	Amtrak:Cardinal,Northeast Regional VRE:■ Manassas Line PRTC
	Culpeper	Culpeper	Amtrak:Cardinal,Northeast Regional
	Charlottesville	Charlottesville	Amtrak:Cardinal,Northeast Regional,Amtrak Thruway toRichmond,Washington, D.C. Charlottesville Area Transit Greyhound Lines
	Lynchburg	Lynchburg	Amtrak:Northeast Regional Greater Lynchburg Transit Company Greyhound Lines
	Danville	Danville
North Carolina	Greensboro	Greensboro	Amtrak:Carolinian,Piedmont Greensboro Transit Authority,Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation Greyhound Lines
	High Point	High Point	Amtrak:Carolinian,Piedmont,Amtrak Thruway toWinston-Salem, North Carolina Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation
	Salisbury	Salisbury	Amtrak:Carolinian,Piedmont
	Charlotte	Charlotte	Amtrak:Carolinian,Piedmont Charlotte Area Transit System
	Gastonia	Gastonia
South Carolina	Spartanburg	Spartanburg
	Greenville	Greenville	Greenlink
	Clemson	Clemson	Clemson Area Transit
Georgia	Toccoa	Toccoa
	Gainesville	Gainesville	Red Rabbit Bus
	Atlanta	Peachtree	MARTA Bus
Alabama	Anniston	Anniston	ACTS Greyhound
	Birmingham	Birmingham	BJCTA MAX Bus Greyhound
	Tuscaloosa	Tuscaloosa	Tuscaloosa Transit Authority
Mississippi	Meridian	Meridian Union Station	Greyhound
	Laurel	Laurel
	Hattiesburg	Hattiesburg	Hub City Transit
	Picayune	Picayune
Louisiana	Slidell	Slidell
	New Orleans	New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal	Amtrak:City of New Orleans,Mardi Gras Service,Sunset Limited Streetcar: 46 Rampart–Loyola RTA Bus Greyhound

• Stout, Greg (2005).Southern Railway Through Passenger Service in Color (1st ed.). Morning Sun Books.ISBN 978-1582481661.
• Schafer, Mike. "Amtrak's Atlas,"Trains, June 1991.

Media related toCrescent (train) at Wikimedia Commons

• Crescent – Amtrak

• Amtrak routes
• Passenger trains of the Southern Railway (U.S.)
• Passenger rail transportation in Alabama
• Passenger rail transportation in Georgia (U.S. state)
• Passenger rail transportation in Louisiana
• Passenger rail transportation in Mississippi
• Passenger rail transportation in North Carolina
• Passenger rail transportation in South Carolina
• Passenger rail transportation in Virginia
• Transportation in New Orleans
• Night trains of the United States
• Railway services introduced in 1979
• 1979 establishments in the United States
• Long-distance Amtrak routes
• North American streamliner trains

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