Serving New York or Boston, Albany, Buffalo, Cleveland, Toledo, Chicago and intermediate points
Amtrak train numbers: 48 and 49; Boston section 448 and 449
Predecessor railroad train numbers: New York Central 19 and 22
When Amtrak took over most passenger trains in the United States on May 1, 1971, they provided service between New York and Chicago only over the former Pennsylvania Railroad route through Pittsburgh using the Broadway Limited name. However, 10 days later, Amtrak began its first experimental state-supported train operation, running between New York and Chicago on the former New York Central route through Buffalo and Cleveland.
With Amtrak's first timetable change on November 14, 1971, that train was given the name Lake Shore. However, the experiment ended on January 4, 1972, and the Lake Shore was discontinued.
On October 31, 1975, a train returned to the route, now renamed the Lake Shore Limited, this time fully paid for by Amtrak, and with both a New York and a Boston section, split and combined in Albany. Although Amtrak chooses to trace the train's heritage back to the New York Central's flagship 20th Century Limited, its service is actually closer to that provided by its namesake, which had been a secondary train along the route, with both a Boston and New York section, with sleeping cars and coaches, and making more stops than the Century.
The Lake Shore Limited tends to be subject to delays caused by freight trains on its route more often than any of Amtrak's other Eastern trains; as such, it has earned the sobriquet "Late Shore Limited."
Condensed historical timetables:
READ DOWN READ UP
(1956) (1975) (1987) (2002) (2002) (1987) (1975) (1956)
3:25P 2:40P 5:20P 1:45P Dp Boston Ar 6:35P 3:40P 4:20P 3:30P
5:45P 6:15P 7:35P 4:35P New York 3:00P 1:40P 12:15P 12:40P
9:22P 9:25P 10:58P 7:50P Albany 12:15P 10:40A 9:35A 10:10A
2:57A 2:55A 3:54A 1:19A Buffalo 6:21A 5:15A 3:45A 4:09A
6:28A 7:30A 7:10A 5:05A Cleveland 3:18A 2:04A 11:20P -----
8:42A 10:00A 9:33A 7:19A Toledo 12:50A 11:31P 8:50P 11:05P
12:40P 2:40P 1:10P 11:10A Ar Chicago Dp 7:10P 6:25P 2:15P 6:00P
The Amtrak Train Names Project