Crescent (train)

The Crescent is a daily long-distance passenger train operated by Amtrak between New York City and New Orleans (the "Crescent City"). The Template:Convert route connects the Northeast to the Gulf Coast via the Appalachian Piedmont, with major stops in Charlotte, North Carolina; Atlanta, Georgia; and Birmingham, Alabama.

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

History

Southerner

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} Today's Crescent is a direct descendant of the Southerner, a streamlined passenger train operated by the Southern Railway from 1941 to 1970. The daily train followed essentially the same route as the modern Crescent, providing sleeper service between New York and New Orleans via Washington, Atlanta, and Birmingham.

Southern Crescent

Since its inception, the sister train of the Southerner was a second New York–New Orleans sleeper, the Southern Railway's Crescent. The two trains shared generally the same route between New York and Atlanta, but diverged between Atlanta and New Orleans. The Crescent took a more coastal route, operating via Mobile and Montgomery over Atlanta and West Point Railroad, Western Railway of Alabama, and Louisville & Nashville Railroad trackage. The Southerner stayed inland to run exclusively on Southern Railway trackage through Birmingham.

File:Southern Railway E8A 2926 with Train 1, the Southern Crescent at Peachtree Station, Atlanta, GA on January 21, 1971 (26556781514).jpg

Southern Railway's Southern Crescent at Peachtree station on January 21, 1971

In 1970, amid a push by its partners to discontinue passenger operations, the Southern Railway merged the Southerner and the Crescent into one service: the Southern Crescent. The new train used the route of the Southerner, 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. The Southern Crescent was numbered 1 southbound and 2 northbound. Penn Central carried it between Washington and New York along the Northeast Corridor, inheriting the longstanding haulage agreement from the Pennsylvania Railroad.

For most of the 1970s, the Southern Crescent was supplemented by the Piedmont, a former New York–New Orleans train that had been cut back to a regional Atlanta–Washington (later Charlotte–Washington and Salisbury–Washington) service running along the middle leg of the Southern Crescent route.Template: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 the Southern Crescent. For a portion of the mid-1970s, the Southern 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 the Sunset 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.Template:Citation needed

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

Amtrak era

The Southern Railway turned over full operation of the Southern Crescent to Amtrak on February 1, 1979. Amtrak simplified the name to the Crescent and renumbered it 19 southbound and 20 northbound, though for several years the Southern assigned it operating numbers 819 and 820.<ref>Amtrak Colors for Crescent Railway Age January 5, 1979, page 25</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The train began using rebuilt Heritage Fleet equipment in 1981.<ref name=allaboard>Template:All Aboard Amtrak</ref>Template:Rp

File:The dining car of the Amtrak Crescent as it rolls through Greenville, South Carolina, in 2019.jpg

The Amtrak Crescent dining car in 2019

On October 28, 1989, Amtrak added a section of the Crescent between Birmingham and Mobile, Alabama, known as the Gulf Breeze. It ran until April 1, 1995, when it was cancelled due to budget issues. A replacement Amtrak Thruway bus ran until October 16, 1997. The Atlanta–New Orleans portion of the Crescent was reduced to tri-weekly operation from April 2, 1995, to November 11, 1996 (quad-weekly from November 1995 to February 1996).<ref name=50years>Template:Fifty Years of Amtrak Trains</ref>

When Hurricane Katrina struck Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama in August 2005, the Crescent was temporarily truncated to Atlanta. Service was restored first as far as Meridian, Mississippi, while Norfolk Southern crews worked to repair the damage to their lines serving the Gulf Coast. Amtrak restored Crescent and City of New Orleans service to New Orleans on October 9, 2005.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>

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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>

Proposed expansion

As part of Amtrak's Network Growth Strategy (NGS), adding a section from Meridian, Mississippi to Fort Worth, Texas has been discussed since the early 2000s, with the route having supposed to been up and running by 2002. The plan fell through when Amtrak abandoned the NGS.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> However, in March 2023, Amtrak announced that it is seeking federal funding to once again study this proposal. Due to Kansas City Southern Railway's (KCS) continued opposition to hosting this train on the Meridian Speedway, the study was dependent on a proposed merger between the KCS and Canadian Pacific Railway being approved by the United States Surface Transportation Board.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> This merger was approved on March 15, 2023,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and officially went into effect on April 14, 2023, allowing this proposal to move forward.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In June 2023, Amtrak applied for funding to begin the project to extend service from Mississippi to Texas along the I-20 corridor.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Federal lawsuit

In July 2024 the United States Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Norfolk Southern Railway, alleging that they did not give priority to Amtrak's Crescent 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 southbound Crescent services arrived at their destination on-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."<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Route

File:Crescent - Amtrak train route.svg

Route map of the Crescent

The tracks used were once part of the Pennsylvania Railroad; Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad; Southern Railway and North Carolina Railroad systems; they are now owned by Amtrak, CSX Transportation, and Norfolk Southern Railway, respectively. The following lines are used:Template:Citation needed

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

Rolling stock

Template:As of, a usual consist on the Crescent included:<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=2024capacity>Template:Cite news</ref>

• 2 GE P42DC or Siemens ALC-42 diesel locomotives<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref> (1 Siemens ACS-64 electric locomotive north of Washington, D.C.)

• 3 Amfleet II coaches
• 1 Amfleet II café car
• 2 Viewliner sleeping cars
• 1 Viewliner II baggage-dorm
• 1 Viewliner II diner<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

By March 2025, the train only had one sleeping car, but the second was planned to be re-added in May 2025.<ref name=march2025>Template:Cite news</ref> Amtrak plans to replace the Amfleet cars with new long-distance cars by 2032.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Station stops

State	Town/city	Station	Connections
New York	New York City	New York Penn Station	Template:Rint Amtrak (long-distance): Template:Lnl, Lake Shore Limited, Template:Lnl, Silver Meteor Template:Rint Amtrak (intercity): Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl, Ethan Allen Express, Keystone Service, Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl Template:Rint LIRR: Template:Rcb, Template:Rcb Template:Rint NJ Transit: Template:Rcb, Template:Rcb, Template:Rcb, Template:Rcb, Template:Rcb Template:Rint NYC Subway: Template:NYCS Broadway-Seventh{{#ifeq:{{{exclude}}}|A	Template:NYCS time 2Template:NYCS br}}​{{#ifeq:{{{exclude}}}|C	Template:NYCS time 2Template:NYCS br}}​{{#ifeq:{{{exclude}}}|E	Template:NYCS time 2}} Template:Rint PATH: Template:Rcb Template:Rcb Template:Rcb Template:Rint NYC Transit Bus
New Jersey	Newark	Newark Penn Station	Template:Rint Amtrak: Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl Template:Rint NJ Transit: Template:Rcb, Template:Rcb, Template:Rcb Template:Rint PATH: Template:Rcb Template:Rint Newark Light Rail Template:Rint NJ Transit Bus
	Iselin	Template:Amtk	Template:Rint Amtrak: Acela, Keystone Service, Northeast Regional, Palmetto, Vermonter Template:Rint NJ Transit Rail: Template:Rcb Template:Rint Local bus: NJ Transit Bus
	Trenton	Template:Amtk	Template:Rint Amtrak: Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl Template:Rint NJ Transit: Template:Rcb, Template:Rcb Template:Rint SEPTA Regional Rail: Template:Rcb Template:Rint NJ Transit Bus, SEPTA Suburban Bus
Pennsylvania	Philadelphia	30th Street Station	Template:Rint Amtrak: Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl Template:Rint SEPTA Regional Rail: all routes Template:Rint NJ Transit: Template:Rcb Template:Ric: Template:Ric Template:Ric Template:Rint SEPTA City Bus, SEPTA Suburban Bus
Delaware	Wilmington	Template:Amtk	Template:Rint Amtrak: Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl Template:Rint SEPTA Regional Rail: Template:Rcb Template:Rint DART First State Template:Rint Greyhound Lines
Maryland	Baltimore	Template:Amtk	Template:Rint Amtrak: Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl Template:Rint MARC: Template:Rcb Template:Rint Light RailLink Template:Rint MTA Maryland, Charm City Circulator
	Hanover	Template:Marc	Template:Rail-interchange Amtrak: Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl Template:Rint Shuttle to Template:Rint Baltimore/Washington International Airport Template:Rint MTA Maryland, UMBC Transit
District of Columbia	Washington	Washington Union Station	Template:Rint Amtrak: Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl Template:Rint MARC: Template:Rcb, Template:Rcb, Template:Rcb Template:Rint VRE: Template:Rcb, Template:Rcb Template:Rint Metro: Template:Rint Red Line Template:Rint DC Streetcar: H Street/Benning Road Line Template:Rint Metrobus, MTA Maryland, Loudoun County Transit, OmniRide Template:Rint Intercity bus: Template:Rint Greyhound, Template:Rint Megabus, BoltBus, BestBus, Peter Pan, OurBus
Virginia	Alexandria	Template:Amtk	Template:Rint Amtrak: Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl Template:Rint VRE: Template:Rcb, Template:Rcb Template:Rint Metro: Template:Rint Blue Line, Template:Rint Yellow Line Template:Rint Metrobus, DASH
	Manassas	Template:Amtk	Template:Rint Amtrak: Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl Template:Rint VRE: Template:Rcb Template:Rint PRTC
	Culpeper	Template:Amtk	Template:Rint Amtrak: Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl
	Charlottesville	Template:Amtk	Template:Rint Amtrak: Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl, Amtrak Thruway to Richmond, Washington, D.C. Template:Rint Charlottesville Area Transit Template:Rint Greyhound Lines
	Lynchburg	Template:Amtk	Template:Rint Amtrak: Template:Lnl Template:Rint Greater Lynchburg Transit Company Template:Rint Greyhound Lines
	Danville	Template:Amtk
North Carolina	Greensboro	Template:Amtk	Template:Rint Amtrak: Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl Template:Rint Greensboro Transit Authority, Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation Template:Rint Greyhound Lines
	High Point	Template:Amtk	Template:Rint Amtrak: Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl, Amtrak Thruway to Winston-Salem, North Carolina Template:Rint Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation
	Salisbury	Template:Amtk	Template:Rint Amtrak: Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl
	Charlotte	Template:Amtk	Template:Rint Amtrak: Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl Template:Rint Charlotte Area Transit System
	Gastonia	Template:Amtk
South Carolina	Spartanburg	Template:Amtk
	Greenville	Template:Amtk	Template:Rint Greenlink
	Clemson	Template:Amtk	Template:Rint Clemson Area Transit
Georgia	Toccoa	Template:Amtk
	Gainesville	Template:Amtk	Template:Rint Red Rabbit Bus
	Atlanta	Template:Amtk	Template:Rint MARTA Bus
Alabama	Anniston	Template:Amtk	Template:Rint ACTS Template:Rint Greyhound
	Birmingham	Template:Amtk	Template:Rint BJCTA MAX Bus Template:Rint Greyhound
	Tuscaloosa	Template:Amtk	Template:Rint Tuscaloosa Transit Authority
Mississippi	Meridian	Meridian Union Station	Template:Rint Greyhound
	Laurel	Template:Amtk
	Hattiesburg	Template:Amtk	Template:Rint Hub City Transit
	Picayune	Template:Amtk
Louisiana	Slidell	Template:Amtk
	New Orleans	New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal	Template:Rint Amtrak: Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl Template:Rint Streetcar: Template:RouteBox Rampart–Loyola, Template:RouteBox Loyola–Riverfront Template:Rint RTA Bus Template:Rint Greyhound

Further reading

• Template:Cite book
• Schafer, Mike. "Amtrak's Atlas," Trains, June 1991.

External links

• Template:Amtrak web