Washington DC is roughly 136 miles or 219 kilometres from Philadelphia. You will be able to catch the train straight from Philadelphia to Washington; the train takes one hour 45 minutes from station to station. This is based on leaving Philadelphia from 30th Street Train Station and arriving at Washington Union Train Station. The train is the Acela Express train number 2121 and stops in four locations, including the city of Baltimore, and runs directly meaning you will not need to change transport during your journey. The US rail service company Amtrak recommend arriving at the station 30 minutes before the scheduled departure time to ensure that your journey runs smoothly. The quoted distance and duration is based on the journey from the specific train stations above and the journey may take longer, or travel a further distance, if you are traveling from a different station in Philadelphia. The same can be said for your arrival in Washington, with distances based on arriving into Washington Union Train Station. This also does not account for any maintenance work on the line when you travel. All the latest information on potential delays or rail works can be found on the Amtrak delays website. The link to this site can be found on Amtrak.com. You can also use Amtrak.com to search for the timetable of your train, selecting the best time for your arrival in Washington. It is worth noting that the train will be considerably less busy during off peak hours. The term 'off peak' refers to the times outside of 'business hours' when commuters will not be using the route, therefore making your journey more comfortable as less passengers will be traveling. You may find that there is less likelihood of delay during these hours too.
