Electric Shore Line East. It was not all that long ago that EMD F40s exclusively ruled the Northeast Corridor Line from New Haven, Connecticut to Boston, Massachusetts. It would have been then hard to imagine all of the changes that have occurred, such as Amtrak Acela high speed direct service from Washington D.C. to Boston, Massachusetts. Prior to the electrification of this portion of the line, Shore Line East service began in 1990 as a temporary measure to relieve congestion during a period of construction on Interstate 95 with equipment purchased from the recently discontinued PATrain. Since then, newer equipment has been purchased and service has substantially increased. In yet another service improvement, MTA Metro-North Railroad M8s 9105-9104-9365-9364 (Kawasaki, 2009-2015) operate as the training train just ahead of the imminent use of electric MUs on this line, seen at the New London, Connecticut Station Wednesday, May 18, 2022. Beginning on Tuesday, May 24, 2022, these cars will be the exclusive fleet for the Amtrak operated Shore Line East service using 4-car trains on the present schedule with minor adjustments, which will eventually become 6-car trains with planned direct service to Grand Central Terminal. The existing fleet of diesel engines and coaches will allow for changes in the Hartford Line roster.
