Luxury New York-Atlantic City Train Canceled

Atlantic City's "renaissance" has been dealt another setback: The express ACES train, which was set up to bring gamblers from New York City to Atlantic City, has been canceled after just three years. According to the Associated Press, the three casinos that paid for the service said they are ending it for good.

The service was started in February 2009 by three casinos—Harrah's Resort Atlantic City, Caesars Atlantic City and the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa—with the goal of luring New Yorkers who didn't want to ride a bus or sit in three hours of car traffic on the Garden State Parkway.

The three casinos invested $19 million to get the service started, but it never turned a profit. The Casino Reinvestment Development Authority pumped $2 million into it the first year to help cover the $5.9 million in loses.

Each train had four double-decker cars with a bar at one end of each car that served beer, wine and liquor, as well as sandwiches and snacks. The upper levels of the cars, for first-class customers, offered waitress service. Both levels had leather seats that were wider and had more leg room than conventional train cars, plus additional space for luggage.

Ridership was good during peak times, including Friday evenings, averaging 90 percent of capacity. On holidays and special occasions, such as the Dave Matthews Band concerts last summer, the train was sold out. Each train had 300 seats.