The ''Twilight Shoreliner'' was a

passenger train A passenger train is a train used to transport people along a railroad line. These trains may consist of unpowered passenger railroad cars (also known as coaches or carriages) hauled by one or more locomotives, or may be self-propelled; self p ...

operated by

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada. ...

on the

Northeast Corridor The Northeast Corridor (NEC) is an electrified railroad line in the Northeast megalopolis of the United States. Owned primarily by Amtrak, it runs from Boston through Providence, New Haven, Stamford, New York City, Philadelphia, Wilmington, ...

between Boston, Massachusetts, and

Newport News, Virginia Newport News () is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 186,247. Located in the Hampton Roads region, it is the 5th most populous city in Virginia and 140th most populous city in the U ...

, via

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and Washington, D.C. Amtrak introduced it in 1997 to replace the '' Night Owl''. It was discontinued in 2003 in favor of the ''Federal''.

History

The ''Twilight Shoreliner'' replaced the '' Night Owl'' as Amtrak's dedicated overnight service on the

. Amtrak equipped the train with a Viewliner

sleeping car The sleeping car or sleeper (often ) is a railway passenger car that can accommodate all passengers in beds of one kind or another, for the purpose of sleeping. George Pullman was the American innovator of the sleeper car. The first such cars ...

, replacing the Heritage Fleet equipment used by the ''Night Owl''. The new train also featured a Custom-class coach and the specially-branded "Twilight Café," which served hot meals and was restricted to sleeper- and custom-class passengers. Finally, Amtrak extended the southern terminus from Washington, D.C., to

, and moved the departure time from Boston from 10 PM to 8 PM. The ''Twilight Shoreliner'' provided a second daily frequency between the Northeast and Newport News, supplementing the ''Old Dominion.'' Amtrak launched the ''Twilight Shoreliner'' on July 10, 1997. The cover of its Summer 1997 Northeast timetable called the train "An Unexpected Departure from the Northeast"; a full-page inset touted the many amenities available, including showers and in-room first-run movies for sleeping car passengers and the two cafe cars. By October, ridership was up 28%. Amtrak discontinued the ''Twilight Shoreliner'' on April 28, 2003, replacing it with the ''Federal'', which ran from Boston to Washington, D.C. Ridership from Newport News had declined in 2002–2003, and eliminating the Virginian portion of the route Amtrak could offer a better schedule to travelers on the Northeast Corridor. A southbound connection from the ''Federal'' to a Newport News-bound ''Regional'' was available at Washington, but northbound trips required a three-hour layover. The ''Federal'' was merged into the ''Regional'' brand on April 26, 2004. Amtrak re-extended overnight trains 66 and 67 (now part of the ''

Northeast Regional The ''Northeast Regional'' is an intercity rail service operated by Amtrak in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic United States. In the past it has been known as the ''NortheastDirect'', ''Acela Regional'', or ''Regional''. It is Amtrak's busi ...

'' brand) to Newport News on November 1, 2004; however, they do not include the sleeping car and lounge car. Private sleeping rooms were restored to the unnamed overnight ''Northeast Regional'' trains 65/66/67 on April 5, 2021. However, these sleeping cars removed by 2022. On July 11, 2022 Amtrak shifted the southern terminus of numbers 66/67 from Newport News to Roanoke, Virginia.

Equipment

The ''Twilight Shoreliner'' operated with a mix of

Heritage Heritage may refer to: History and society * A heritage asset is a preexisting thing of value today ** Cultural heritage is created by humans ** Natural heritage is not * Heritage language Biology * Heredity, biological inheritance of physical c ...

, Amfleet, and Viewliner equipment. A Heritage Fleet baggage car handled checked baggage for passengers and, beginning in 2001, bicycles. The train carried a Viewliner sleeping car except for a brief period in 2002 when Amtrak had to withdraw it because of equipment shortages elsewhere. The train carried four Amfleet coaches, two of which were configured for " Custom Class" seating. The train featured a first class-only lounge car, the "Twilight Lounge", for sleeper and Custom Class passengers. A second standard cafe car served regular coach passengers.

References

{{Former Amtrak routes Former Amtrak routes Night trains of the United States Rail transportation in Massachusetts Rail transportation in Rhode Island Rail transportation in Connecticut Rail transportation in New York (state) Rail transportation in New Jersey Rail transportation in Delaware Rail transportation in Maryland Rail transportation in Virginia Railway services introduced in 1997 Railway services discontinued in 2003