The Northeast Corridor, is New Jersey Transit’s most frequent rail service, with 2 electrified trains per hour (or better) running between Trenton and New York City 7 days a week. Service unfortunately does not follow a half-hourly clockface frequency because of the complexity of slot restrictions into New York-Penn Station where NJT commuter trains must contend with Amtrak Acela Express, Northeast Regional, Keystone service and other long-distance Amtrak trains along the ultra-congested section of the corridor between Newark and New York-Penn Station where the number of tracks go down to two over the Portal Lift Bridge and through the North River Tunnels. The line rest of the from Newark Penn Station south all the way to Trenton and across the Delaware River into Pennsylvania (which most Trenton-bound trains cross to reach their Morrisville Yard) is a 4 track, completely grade-separated high speed rail line. Most Northeast Corridor trains pass through 3 states, but only stop carry passengers in 2. In New York City, many Northeast Corridor Line trains also cross under the East River out of service to reach Sunnyside Yard in Queens, although some trains reverse while sitting in Penn Station. Amtrak trains provide much more expensive ultra-express service between destinations like Trenton and New York (I remember once riding a Keystone service train out of New York with a number of businessmen who all got off in Trenton), since all Amtrak service through New Jersey follows the entirety of the Northeast Corridor.

The Northeast Corridor’s high speed and less frequent stations allow for relatively fast service even on all trains. Rush hour expresses reaching speeds up to 125mph are scheduled to take as little as one hour and 6 minutes on the 58 mile journey between Trenton and New York, averaging 52 mph, with an average speed of 61 miles per hour between Trenton and Newark (stopping in Hamilton and Princeton Junction) where trains reach speeds as high as 125 miles per hour. These Trenton super expresses are the descendants of Amtrak’s Clocker trains that once operated in the 1950s hourly between Philadelphia and New York. By the 1990s these trains became a rush hour only service and New Jersey transit contracted with Amtrak to have the Clockers accept NJT Monthly ticket holders and purchased the slots for these trains and took over operations on October 28, 2005, with commuters unhappy that they now had regular New Jersey Transit Comet push-pull equipment instead of the more comfortable Amtrak Amfleet trains. Regular one-way tickets are now valid on these trains as well. Local trains are also respectably fast and Trenton to New York journey in an hour and 38 minutes, averaging 35 miles per hour.

The high-speed characteristics of the line, relatively high fares, and service to major destinations means that the Northeast Corridor Line operations-wise (separate from capital costs) is a nearly profitable commuter rail route. In 2015 the farebox recovery ratio was 88% (the lowest for NJ Transit rail was the Atlantic City Line at 19%).