Chesapeake
Demonstration run of the Chesapeake on April 30, 1978, the day before regular service began
Overview
Service typeCommuter rail
StatusDiscontinued
LocaleMid-Atlantic states
First serviceMay 1, 1978
Last serviceOctober 29, 1983
SuccessorSEPTA
MARC Train
Former operator(s)Amtrak
Route
TerminiWashington, DC
Philadelphia
Distance travelled134 miles (216 km)
Average journey time2 hour 18 minutes
Service frequencyMonday through Friday
Train number(s)420, 421
On-board services
Class(es)Unreserved coach
Technical
Rolling stockArrow
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Electrification11.5 kV 25 Hz AC Overhead catenary
Track owner(s)Amtrak
Route map
 Philadelphia–Suburban
SEPTA Subway–Surface Trolley Lines Market–Frankford Line Broad Street Line PATCO
Philadelphia
SEPTA Subway–Surface Trolley Lines Market–Frankford Line NJ Transit
Chester
PA
DE
 Wilmington
 Newark, Delaware
DE
MD
 Elkton
 Perryville
 Aberdeen
 Edgewood
 Baltimore
Edmondson
Baltimore Airport
Baltimore–Washington International Airport
Odenton
Bowie
Capital Beltway
MD
DC
 Washington, D.C.

The Chesapeake was a daily passenger train operated by Amtrak along the Northeast Corridor between Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from 1978 to 1983. It was one of the few commuter trains operated by Amtrak.

History

Elkton station is the only former Chesapeake station not currently served by Amtrak, MARC, or SEPTA.

Service began on May 1, 1978, with funding from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the State of Maryland; a demonstration trip ran from Philadelphia to Bowie on April 30.[1][2] It was the first service at Elkton since 1967.[3] BWI Rail Station was added to the service when it opened in October 1980.[4] From February 4, 1980, to October 25, 1981, the Chesapeake was extended from 30th Street to Suburban Station.[5]

The train primarily served higher-ranking business executives and government officials on the southbound trip in the morning, as it arrived too late for most civil servants. The northbound trip primarily served the latter group, as it departed too early to serve the morning riders for their return trip.[6]

On January 1, 1983, Conrail was relieved of its obligation to run commuter service. Commuter service in Pennsylvania was merged into SEPTA Regional Rail, and MDOT contracted with Amtrak to run other Washington–Baltimore commuter trips. The Chesapeake was discontinued on October 30, 1983 and replaced by an unnamed Washington–Baltimore train.[5] Commuter rail service is now provided over the former route of the Chesapeake – excepting the segment between Perryville and Newark – by the SEPTA Wilmington/Newark Line and MARC Penn Line.

Equipment

The Chesapeake operated with leased Arrow electric multiple units.[7]

Station stops

The following station stops were made by Chesapeake trains during the October 1980 to October 1981 period:

State City Station Notes
Pennsylvania Philadelphia Suburban Station Now a Wilmington/Newark Line stop
30th Street Station Now an Amtrak and Wilmington/Newark Line stop
Chester Chester Transportation Center Now a Wilmington/Newark Line stop
Delaware Wilmington French Street Station Now an Amtrak and Wilmington/Newark Line stop
Newark Newark Rail Station Now an Amtrak and Wilmington/Newark Line stop
Maryland Elkton Elkton
Perryville Perryville Now a Penn Line stop
Aberdeen Aberdeen Now a Penn Line and Amtrak stop
Edgewood Edgewood Now a Penn Line stop
Baltimore Pennsylvania Station Now a Penn Line and Amtrak stop
Edmondson Its replacement, West Baltimore station, is now a Penn Line stop
Linthicum Baltimore Airport Now a Penn Line and Amtrak stop
Odenton Odenton Now a Penn Line stop
Bowie Bowie Its 1989 replacement, Bowie State station, is now a Penn Line stop
Lanham Capital Beltway Its 1983 replacement, New Carrollton station, is now an Amtrak and Penn Line stop
Washington, D.C. Union Station Now Penn Line and Amtrak stop

See also

References

  1. ↑ Chesapeake Timetable; April 30, 1978 (Museum of Railway Timetables.org)
  2. ↑ Baer, Christopher T. (April 2015). "A GENERAL CHRONOLOGY OF THE SUCCESSORS OF THE PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD COMPANY AND THEIR HISTORICAL CONTEXT: 1978" (PDF). Pennsylvania Railroad Technical and Historical Society.
  3. ↑ "All Aboard at the Elkton Railroad Station". Window on Cecil County's Past. July 25, 2008. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  4. ↑ Chesapeake Timetable; October 26, 1980 (Museum of Railway Timetables.org)
  5. 1 2 Baer, Christopher T. (April 2015). "A GENERAL CHRONOLOGY OF THE SUCCESSORS OF THE PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD COMPANY AND THEIR HISTORICAL CONTEXT: 1980-89" (PDF). Pennsylvania Railroad Technical and Historical Society.
  6. ↑ Meyer, Eugene L. (February 12, 1980). "A Commuter Train With a Split Personality: Commuter Train Shows A Changing Personality". Washington Post. ProQuest 147130600.
  7. ↑ "Trivia Quiz". On Track. 1 (1): 15, 25. June 1981.
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