Status Discontinued Predecessor Mountaineer Average journey time 26 hours 35 minutes Start Boston Former operator Amtrak Stops 34 | Locale Eastern United States Distance travelled 1,674 miles (2,694 km) Service frequency Daily End Catlettsburg Service type Inter-city rail | |
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Track owners Amtrak, Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad, Norfolk and Western Railway | ||
The Hilltopper was a passenger train operated by Amtrak in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It ran daily from South Station in Boston, Massachusetts to Catlettsburg, Kentucky. The 1,674 mi (2,694 km) run made 34 stops in 11 states and the District of Columbia.
History
The Hilltopper replaced the discontinued Mountaineer on June 1, 1977. Initially it terminated at Washington, D.C., but on January 8, 1978 was combined with the Night Owl and extended to Boston.
The Hilltopper had warm supporters in West Virginian congressman Harley Staggers and Robert C. Byrd, but it was "cited by critics as an example of everything that was wrong with Amtrak". The train averaged 33 passengers per trip in 1978, dropping to between 2 and 15 per trip in 1979, and its average speed of 37.1 miles per hour (59.7 km/h) was the lowest on the long-distance system. Farebox recovery was a dismal 25%, with the train losing $200,000 per year.
The Hilltopper was one of five routes cut on October 1, 1979 as part of a reorganization by the Carter Administration, and the only of the five where no federal injunctions were obtained to keep service running. Many of the train's riders were former N&W employees with lifetime passes. The Night Owl continued to be run after the cut.
Service has not returned many of its stops in Southwest Virginia and West Virginia, although one daily Northeast Regional round trip will be extended from Lynchburg to Roanoke in late 2017.