Was train travel from New Haven, Connecticut, to New York City faster 100 years ago than it is today? Here are two pages from the public timetable of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad from September 1914:
If someone took the “Banker’s Express” from New Haven at 8:00a.m. he (and in that day and age it was always a “he”) would get to New York City at 9:44a.m.
How does that compare to today?
The closest comparable train to the Banker’s Express would be today’s Amtrak Acela Express Train 2153 which as of this date 12-Feb-2017 departs New Haven on weekdays at 8:14 AM and arrives in New York at 9:45 AM for a transit time of 1 hour and 31 minutes. Of course, back in 1914, the Banker’s Express would have arrived at Grand Central Terminal, while today’s Amtrak Acela and Northeast Regional service runs through Pennsylvania Station. The quickest Amtrak Acela Express timing on the run is 1 hour and 30 minutes, while the longest Amtrak Northeast Regional timing is 1 hour and 51 minutes. By contrast, Metro-North Commuter Railroad trains by virtue of their many intervening stops take anywhere from 1 hour and 46 minutes to 2 hours and 4 minutes for the run from New Haven Union Station to New York Grand Central Terminal.
Terrific comment, Paul! Thanks for that information!