New York-to-A.C. trains start Feb. 6

The long-planned direct train service between New York and Atlantic City is slated to start on Feb. 6, with introductory one-way ticket prices set at $50 for coach seats and $75 for first class.

The weekend-only trips will take about 2 1/2 hours. They are aimed at affluent young New Yorkers who want to avoid the traffic congestion that often delays bus and auto travelers.

Newly remodeled, double-decker cars will carry as many as 300 passengers per four-car train. The trains will feature leather seats, a lounge, and food and beverage kiosks. First-class passengers will get to ride in wider seats on the cars' upper levels, attended by food and drink servers.

The new Atlantic City Express Services is a joint venture among the Borgata, Harrah's Atlantic City, Caesars Atlantic City, and the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority. The casinos spent $15 million to buy and refurbish eight cars, and the development authority leased four locomotives for $4.5 million for three years.

The joint venture will pay NJ Transit $3.8 million a year to operate the trains for three years.

The only station stop between New York's Penn Station and Atlantic City is Newark, N.J.

The trains will make the 143-mile run Friday, Saturday and Sunday with two trains on Friday, three on Saturday and four on Sunday.

Currently, the only way to travel by train between New York and Atlantic City is through Philadelphia. NJ Transit operates 14 trains daily from Philadelphia to Atlantic City, charging $8 for the 1 1/2-hour trip.

Ridership on that Atlantic City line was up 27 percent in the last four years, rising to 1.27 million passengers in fiscal 2007.

With Atlantic City's casinos facing business declines because of the recession and competition from slots parlors in Pennsylvania and Delaware, the new train service is seen as a way to attract more New Yorkers.

"The New York market has always been a leading market for Atlantic City and we see the launch of ACES as an opportunity to penetrate the market further," Dan Nita, senior vice president and general manager of Caesars Atlantic City, said in a statement. "This direct service will make it easier for our current customers to get to Atlantic City and will give new customers yet another reason to visit."

The casinos hope the train service will appeal to New Yorkers unwilling to take a bus or car on the weekends, when the normal 2 1/4-hour drive can turn into a 3 1/2-hour slog.

The new rail service will take about as long as New York-to-Atlantic City trains did in the halcyon days of steam locomotives.

Seventy years ago, the Pennsylvania Railroad's daily "Nellie Bly" made the trip in 2 3/4 hours, and that train stopped at three stations. The Jersey Central's daily "Blue Comet" made the trip in three hours, with four stops.

The leisurely pace of the modern service (average speed, 54 m.p.h.) is due to several factors. Atlantic City Express Service trains will have to share the tracks with Amtrak and NJ Transit trains. And the express-service train will stop briefly in Northeast Philadelphia to allow the engineer to walk from an electric locomotive (used on the main Northeast Corridor) on one end of the train, to a diesel locomotive (used on the Atlantic City line) on the other end.

Tickets for the new service will go on sale Jan. 15. Passengers will be able to make reservations and get additional information at www.acestrain.com