Following article is from the Courier News for Jan. 4, 2011.
Atlantic City Express train to stop weekend runs - temporarily
By LUCAS K. MURRAY • STAFF WRITER • January 4, 2011
ATLANTIC CITY — A fast rail service that transports gamblers between New York City and Atlantic City will suspend operations for the season this weekend.
The Atlantic City Express Service -- operated under a contract by NJ Transit and funded by a consortium of casinos -- makes its last three-hour run from Penn Station Sunday morning.
Amtrak, which facilitates ticket sales for the line, is not taking reservations past Jan. 9.
The line is expected to be in service again by Memorial Day weekend.
ACES service currently runs only on weekends, with two trains Friday and Saturday and one on Sunday to Atlantic City. The reverse trip consists of one train Friday, three Saturday and two Sunday.
That's 11 trips per weekend -- down from 18 when the line was first implemented in February of 2009.
In the first year alone, officials said the line operated at a loss of $6 million.
The first departure from New York City on an ACES train on a Friday puts a rider on the beach by happy hour at a minimum cost of $29. First-class seats on the two-level trains cost an additional $20.
Prices were slashed early in the line's existence to attract more customers.
The ride lasts about 2 hours, 40 minutes and makes a single stop at Newark Penn Station.
The train skips making a stop in Philadelphia despite having to snake across the state line through Trenton to access the former line to the shore operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad.
NJ Transit runs a revenue service of its own between Philadelphia and Atlantic City, with 14 round trips per day out of 30th Street Station. Tickets for that line are $10 each way and the train makes six South Jersey stops on the 90-minute trip, including Cherry Hill.
Matthew Mitchell, president of the Delaware Valley Association of Rail Passengers, called ACES "a chic way for people to get down to Atlantic City."
"The success of that service very much mirrors the success of the casino industry, whereas the regular NJ Transit trains are much more diverse," Mitchell said.
"There's little here that threatens the service now from Philadelphia and Cherry Hill to Atlantic City."
Atlantic City casinos had nearly $4 billion in revenue in 2009, welcoming more than 30 million visitors. ACES is marketed heavily to young Manhattanites, featuring hip cocktails and gourmet snacks on each train.
NJ Transit, which is contracted to run the line through February 2012, operates eight train cars owned in a joint venture by the Borgata, Caesars Atlantic City and Harrah's Atlantic City.
Jim Kehoe, chairman of the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, said initially the CRDA invested $4.5 million over three years to aid in the purchase of the cars as well. An additional $2 million went to the ACES line from the CRDA for operations in 2009.
At the time, officials said ridership during peak hours was usually at 80 percent capacity.
Kehoe said the mission for the city goes beyond trains right now.
Pending legislation in Trenton, some of which would allow for smaller, boutique casinos along with the completion of the Revel casino project, would help make a train more relevant and useful to visitors, he said.
"Once that happens, the train could take off with a renewed interest to come back to Atlantic City.
"We need to make this town welcoming and clean and safe."