Freight priorities on rail don't apply in the Northeast Corridor, almost the entire stretch is owned by Amtrak (unlike the rest of the US). Acela and NE Regiona

Freight priorities on rail don't apply in the Northeast Corridor, almost the entire stretch is owned by Amtrak (unlike the rest of the US). Acela and NE Regional have the right of way up here (with preference given to Acela). The reason it's slow is because the tracks are old and aren't rated for high speeds. They were constructed with sharp(ish) turns during an era of much slower trains which entirely precludes Acela from going 300km/h (like TGV), and only allow for ~240km/h on a tiny stretch between Boston and Providence, and a handful of small stretches between NYC and DC.