Crescent (Amtrak)

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The Crescent is a passenger train operated by Amtrak in the eastern part of the United States. It runs 1377 miles (2216 km) daily from Pennsylvania Station in New York City to New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal in New Orleans, Louisiana as train 19 and returns on the same route as train 20. Most of the route of the Crescent is on the Norfolk Southern Railway.

Before Amtrak took over the route, a train called the Southern Crescent was operated by the Southern Railway, a predecessor of Norfolk Southern, from Washington, DC's Union Station south to New Orleans. The Southern Railway did not join Amtrak when it was created in 1971, but continued to operate the Southern Crescent independently. The Southern Crescent became the last privately operated long-distance passenger service in the United States. On February 1, 1979, Southern left the passenger business and turned over operation of the train to Amtrak, which renamed it and extended it north to New York. The train was also rerouted southwest of Atlanta, Georgia, following what had been the route of the Southerner rather than the Southern Crescent (which used Atlanta and West Point Railroad, Western Railway of Alabama and Louisville and Nashville Railroad trackage past Atlanta, running via Mobile, Alabama). [1]

When Hurricane Katrina struck Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama in August 2005, the Crescent was temporarily truncated to Atlanta. It has since been re-extended to Meridian, Mississippi. On October 6, 2005, Amtrak announced that service to New Orleans is scheduled to be restored on October 9 with the northbound Crescent's 7:20 AM departure; the first southbound arrival is expected later that afternoon. [2]

The tracks used were once part of the Pennsylvania Railroad, Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad and Southern Railway systems, and are now owned by Amtrak, CSX and Norfolk Southern. The following lines are used:

See Northeast Corridor for the PRR lines north of Washington, DC, now owned by Amtrak
Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad, Washington to Alexandria, Virginia, now CSX
Virginia Midland Railway (SOU), Alexandria to Danville, Virginia, now NS
Piedmont Air-Line Railway (SOU), Danville to Greensboro, North Carolina, now NS
North Carolina Railroad (SOU), Greensboro to Charlotte, North Carolina, now NS
Atlanta and Charlotte Air-Line Railway (SOU), Charlotte to Atlanta, Georgia, now NS
Georgia Pacific Railway (SOU), Atlanta to Birmingham, Alabama, now NS
Alabama Great Southern Railroad (SOU), Birmingham to Meridian, Mississippi, now NS
New Orleans and Northeastern Railroad (SOU), Meridian to New Orleans, Louisiana, now NS

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Station stops

The Crescent runs as train #19 southbound and #20 northbound, making the following station stops:

New York

New York

New Jersey

Pennsylvania

Philadelphia

Delaware

Wilmington

Maryland

Baltimore

District of Columbia

Washington

Virginia

North Carolina

South Carolina

Georgia

Alabama

Mississippi

Meridian (Current southern terminus)
Laurel
Hattiesburg
Picayune

Louisiana

Amtrak routes
Northeast Acela Express - Adirondack - Auto Train - Capitol Limited - Cardinal - Carolinian - Crescent - Downeaster - Empire Service - Ethan Allen Express - Keystone Service - Lake Shore Limited - Maple Leaf - Metroliner - Palmetto - Pennsylvanian - Regional - Silver Meteor - Silver Star - Vermonter
South Auto Train - Carolinian - City of New Orleans - Crescent* - Palmetto - Piedmont - Heartland Flyer - Silver Meteor - Silver Star - Sunset Limited - Texas Eagle*