locomotive and Amfleet I cars in
Acela Regional branding at
South Station in
Boston, in March 2002 The services along the line, as inherited from
Penn Central, once had their own names, such as the "
Yankee Clipper" and the "
Federal"; typically a name applied to at most one train and its "twin" in the opposite direction. Electrification ended at
New Haven, Connecticut, requiring an engine change. On October 28, 1995, Amtrak introduced the "
NortheastDirect"
brand for all trains on the
Northeast Corridor (and its extension to
Newport News, Virginia) except for the express and hourly services. The November 10, 1996, timetable restored the old names in addition to the
NortheastDirect brand. The names (except the ) were dropped with the May 16, 1999, schedule. In 2000, Amtrak completed
electrifying the route from New Haven to Boston in preparation for the introduction of the
Acela Express, thereby eliminating the engine change at New Haven. The first two all-electric round-trips to and from Boston were branded
Acela Regional and equipped with refurbished
Amfleet cars painted in the Acela-like "
Phase V" livery. All-electric service began on January 31, 2000. The
NortheastDirect branding continued to be used for trains which changed from electric to diesel traction in New Haven. Due to customer confusion with the
Acela Express, the name was changed again on March 17, 2003, to simply "
Regional." As part of rebranding and service improvements, the name was changed to "
Northeast Regional" on June 23, 2008 (though it also appeared on schedules several months beforehand). On May 12, 2015,
Northeast Regional Train 188, traveling from Washington, D.C., to New York City,
derailed at
Frankford Junction near the
Port Richmond neighborhood of Philadelphia, killing eight people and injuring more than 200 people. The train derailed along a curve and was determined to have been traveling at a speed of about 100 mph, exceeding the limit of 50 mph on that curve. This speed limit was not posted; engineers on that route are expected to rely on memory to control the speed of the train. Additionally, the train was suspected to have been hit by a projectile, as was a commuter train in the area shortly before the derailment. Private sleeping rooms on overnight trains 65/66/67, last available in 2004 on the
Federal, were made available effective April 5, 2021. The overnight trains were temporarily cancelled in January 2022; they resumed in July 2022 without sleepers.
Virginia service near
Lynchburg, Virginia, in April 2011 Some
Northeast Regional trains continue into
Virginia, serving three branches to
Norfolk,
Newport News, and
Roanoke, and serving points in between. These tracks are not electrified and are partially owned by both freight railroads and the Commonwealth of Virginia. Virginia and Amtrak partnered in 2009 under the brand
Amtrak Virginia to expand passenger rail service within the Commonwealth, making Virginia the 15th state to fund state services in addition to federally funded routes. One daily
Northeast Regional round trip was extended to from Washington to
Lynchburg via
Manassas and
Charlottesville on October 1, 2009, supplementing the existing
Crescent service. Service was extended from Lynchburg to Roanoke starting October 31, 2017. A second daily Roanoke round trip was added on July 11, 2022. Additionally, an
infill station in
Bedford, Virginia has been proposed. On July 20, 2010, Amtrak added an additional
Northeast Regional frequency from Washington to
Richmond Staples Mill Road station, increasing the Washington-Richmond corridor to eight daily round trips with hourly northbound morning service. One round trip was extended from Richmond to Norfolk starting December 12, 2012. A second daily Norfolk round trip on weekdays was added on March 4, 2019. One round trip was extended from Staples Mill to Main Street in September 2021. Service changes on July 11, 2022, added an additional Norfolk weekday round trip (making three round trips on weekdays and two on weekends). After reviewing multiple sites such as
Dublin,
Pulaski, and
Merrimac, Amtrak Virginia and the
Norfolk Southern Railway eventually agreed in 2024 to construct the station at Cambria Yard in Christiansburg, reactivating the
original station last used in the 1970s. On April 22, 2025, construction on Christiansburg station officially commenced, with a
groundbreaking ceremony attended by
Governor Glenn Youngkin being held at the site. Service is anticipated to open in 2027.
Long Island In spring 2021, Amtrak proposed extending three
Northeast Regional round trips from New York Penn Station to
Ronkonkoma station along the
Main Line of the
Long Island Rail Road, with stops at , , , and . The move would enable one-seat rides between Long Island and points south on the Northeast Corridor, provide express train service within Long Island, and connect
JFK International Airport to the Amtrak network. In December 2023, the
Federal Railroad Administration accepted the project into its
Corridor Identification and Development Program, granting $500,000 toward service planning and prioritizing the route for future federal funding. In January 2025, Suffolk County Executive Edward Romaine, along with
Amtrak officials, officially announced the proposed extension. It was reported that work was expected to begin in 2026, and that Amtrak service was anticipated to commence in 2028, at the earliest. Trains would operate using diesel on Long Island. Required infrastructure upgrades for the service would likely include an additional platform and track at Ronkonkoma. Romaine said that Amtrak wanted the extension, in part, due to Ronkonkoma's location next to
Long Island MacArthur Airport. ==Operation==