The High Speed Ground Transportation Act of 1965 started a U.S. Government effort to develop a high speed train for Northeast Corridor service.
The U.S. Department of Transportation worked with the Pennsylvania Railroad, Budd Company, General Electric and Westinghouse to develop an electric multiple unit high speed passenger train.
An initial order of 50 Budd Metroliner cars was placed on May 6, 1966, with a target service date of October 1967.
Service was to operate at 110 mph (180 km/h) with later increases to 150 mph (240 km/h), with hourly New York - Washington service and half-hourly New York - Philadelphia service.
The Johnson Administration saw the new service as political capital and pushed for an aggressive schedule.

The new cars were primarily intended for high-level platforms for faster boarding; the PRR constructed high-level island platforms at Wilmington, Baltimore, and Washington in 1967 and 1968.
On June 13, 1967, the PRR announced plans for a suburban New Jersey station directly off the Garden State Parkway.
The same month, the PRR decided on the "Metroliner" name for the vehicles and service, and announced that the trains would have higher fares than conventional service.

The first cars were delivered in September 1967, but soon proved to have numerous electric issues.
Start of service was delayed to January 1968, then postponed indefinitely in March 1968.
The PRR folded into Penn Central on February 1, 1968.
SEPTA refused its 11 Metroliners, intended for Philadelphia-Harrisburg service, in August; Penn Central eventually leased them, increasing its fleet to 61.
In October 1968, testing proved that the cars could operate the desired sub-3-hour trip time, and substation modifications by Westinghouse increased electrical reliability.
Penn Central and Budd reached a settlement on their legal fight in November; on December 20, Penn Central announced that service would begin on January 16, 1969.

A Washington-New York round trip for VIPs was operated on January 15, 1969.
Metroliner service finally started on January 16, 1969, with a single daily round trip leaving New York in the morning and Washington in the afternoon.
A second round trip on a corresponding reversed schedule was added on February 10th.
A non-stop round trip on a 2.5 hour schedule was added on April 2, 1969.
However, problems with the cars persisted; maximum speeds temporarily dropped from 120 mph (190 km/h) to 110 mph (180 km/h) soon after.

Despite difficulties, the service proved overwhelmingly popular and fairly reliable, with 90% on-time performance by May 1.
Penn Central added a computerized ticketing system in August 1969, and doubled service to six daily round trips on October 27.
On March 16, 1970, Capital Beltway station opened to serve the Metroliners, and all trips were scheduled for under three hours.
A seventh round trip was added that August.
Beginning on February 1, 1971, a cross-platform transfer to Turboservice trains to Boston was offered at Penn Station.
However, top speed was soon reduced again to 100 mph (160 km/h), making the Metroliners scarcely faster than conventional trains.
The High Speed Ground Transportation Act of 1965 started a U.S. Government effort to develop a high speed train for Northeast Corridor service. The U.S. Department of Transportation worked with the Pennsylvania Railroad, Budd Company, General Electric and Westinghouse to develop an electric multiple unit high speed passenger train. An initial order of 50 Budd Metroliner cars was placed on May 6, 1966, with a target service date of October 1967. Service was to operate at 110 mph (180 km/h) with later increases to 150 mph (240 km/h), with hourly New York - Washington service and half-hourly New York - Philadelphia service. The Johnson Administration saw the new service as political capital and pushed for an aggressive schedule.
The new cars were primarily intended for high-level platforms for faster boarding; the PRR constructed high-level island platforms at Wilmington, Baltimore, and Washington in 1967 and 1968. On June 13, 1967, the PRR announced plans for a suburban New Jersey station directly off the Garden State Parkway. The same month, the PRR decided on the "Metroliner" name for the vehicles and service, and announced that the trains would have higher fares than conventional service.
The first cars were delivered in September 1967, but soon proved to have numerous electric issues. Start of service was delayed to January 1968, then postponed indefinitely in March 1968. The PRR folded into Penn Central on February 1, 1968. SEPTA refused its 11 Metroliners, intended for Philadelphia-Harrisburg service, in August; Penn Central eventually leased them, increasing its fleet to 61. In October 1968, testing proved that the cars could operate the desired sub-3-hour trip time, and substation modifications by Westinghouse increased electrical reliability. Penn Central and Budd reached a settlement on their legal fight in November; on December 20, Penn Central announced that service would begin on January 16, 1969. 
A Washington-New York round trip for VIPs was operated on January 15, 1969. Metroliner service finally started on January 16, 1969, with a single daily round trip leaving New York in the morning and Washington in the afternoon. A second round trip on a corresponding reversed schedule was added on February 10th. A non-stop round trip on a 2.5 hour schedule was added on April 2, 1969. However, problems with the cars persisted; maximum speeds temporarily dropped from 120 mph (190 km/h) to 110 mph (180 km/h) soon after.
Despite difficulties, the service proved overwhelmingly popular and fairly reliable, with 90% on-time performance by May 1. Penn Central added a computerized ticketing system in August 1969, and doubled service to six daily round trips on October 27. On March 16, 1970, Capital Beltway station opened to serve the Metroliners, and all trips were scheduled for under three hours. A seventh round trip was added that August. Beginning on February 1, 1971, a cross-platform transfer to Turboservice trains to Boston was offered at Penn Station. However, top speed was soon reduced again to 100 mph (160 km/h), making the Metroliners scarcely faster than conventional trains.
Metroliner (train)