Lake Shore Limited

Lake Shore Limited
Lake Shore Limited entering Croton–Harmon station
Overview
Service typeInter-city rail
LocaleMidwest and Northeast United States
PredecessorLake Shore
First serviceOctober 31, 1975
Current operator(s)Amtrak
Ridership351,049 (FY23) Increase 10.0%[a][1]
Route
TerminiChicago, Illinois
New York City
Boston, Massachusetts
Stops20 (Chicago–New York)
22 (Chicago–Boston)
Distance travelled959 miles (1,543 km) (Chicago–New York)
1,017 miles (1,637 km) (Chicago–Boston)
Average journey time
  • 19 hours, 10 minutes (New York–Chicago)
  • 20 hours, 12 minutes (Chicago–New York)
  • 21 hours, 30 minutes (Chicago–Boston)
  • 22 hours, 0 minutes (Boston–Chicago)[2]
Service frequencyDaily
Train number(s)48/448 (eastbound), 49/449 (westbound)
On-board services
Class(es)Coach Class
Sleeper Service
Disabled accessAll train cars, most stations
Sleeping arrangements
  • Roomette (2 beds)
  • Bedroom (2 beds)
  • Bedroom Suite (4 beds)
  • Accessible Bedroom (2 beds)
Catering facilitiesDining car, Café
Baggage facilitiesOverhead racks, checked baggage available at selected stations
Technical
Rolling stockAmfleet
Viewliner
GE Genesis
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
ElectrificationThird rail, 750 V DC (New York area)
Operating speed110 mph (180 km/h) (top)
Track owner(s)MNRR, CSX, NS, MBTA, Amtrak
Route map
Map
0 mi
0 km
Chicago
Metra
16 mi
26 km
Hammond–Whiting
Bypassed
2003
84 mi
135 km
South Bend
102 mi
164 km
Elkhart
155 mi
249 km
Waterloo
180 mi
290 km
Bryan
234 mi
377 km
Toledo
281 mi
452 km
Sandusky
316 mi
509 km
Elyria
341 mi
549 km
Cleveland
Waterfront Line
435 mi
700 km
Erie
483 mi
777 km
Dunkirk
Proposed
 
528 mi
850 km
Buffalo–Depew
589 mi
948 km
Rochester
668 mi
1075 km
Syracuse
722 mi
1162 km
Utica
Adirondack Railroad
800 mi
1287 km
Schenectady
818 mi
1316 km
Albany–Rensselaer
Train divides
845 mi
1360 km
Hudson
Bypassed
2009
871 mi
1402 km
Rhinecliff
886 mi
1426 km
Poughkeepsie
927 mi
1492 km
Croton–Harmon
959 mi
1543 km
New York enlarge…
NJ Transit
867 mi
1395 km
Pittsfield
919 mi
1479 km
Springfield enlarge…
Hartford Line
973 mi
1566 km
Worcester
996 mi
1603 km
Framingham
1016 mi
1635 km
Boston Back Bay
Orange Line (MBTA)
1017 mi
1637 km
Boston South
Red Line (MBTA) Silver Line (MBTA)

The Lake Shore Limited is an overnight passenger train operated by Amtrak between Chicago and the Northeastern United States, with sections to New York City and Boston. The central segment of the route runs along the southern shore of Lake Erie.

The train is descended from the New York Central Railroad's train of the same name, which operated on nearly the same route from 1897 to 1956. Amtrak briefly revived the train as the Lake Shore from 1971–72 before initiating the modern Lake Shore Limited in 1975.

East from Chicago, the Lake Shore Limited follows the former main line of the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway to South Bend, Toledo, Cleveland, and Buffalo. From here the train takes the Empire Corridor through Rochester and Syracuse to Albany–Rensselaer station in Rensselaer, New York. At that station, the train divides, with one section continuing to Springfield and Boston in Massachusetts, with the other continuing along the Empire Corridor to New York City. The roughly 1,000-mile (1,600 km) route takes around 21 hours to complete.

During fiscal year 2023, Lake Shore Limited carried 351,049 passengers, a 10% increase from FY2022.[3]


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  1. ^ "Amtrak Fiscal Year 2023 Ridership" (PDF). Amtrak. November 27, 2023. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  2. ^ "Amtrak Timetable Results". Washington: Amtrak. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
  3. ^ "Amtrak FY23 Ridership" (PDF).