The Metroliner was able to travel from New York to Washington in just 2.5 hours because it did not make any intermediate stops, Metroliner Timetable, Penn Central, 26 October 1969, The Metroliners this travel time beats the Contemporary (2015) Acela on the same route, though the latter makes intermediate stops In a 1967 competition with a GE powered Metroliner on Penn Central's mainline, the United Aircraft Corporation TurboTrain set a record of 275 kmph .