require land takings. Instead, the crossings were supplied with additional protections. In 1998, School Street in Groton was the first four-quadrant gate installation in the country with vehicle detection sensors tied into the line's signal system. It cost $1 million rather than the $4 million for a bridge. Seven more crossings received similar installations in 1999 and 2000; only the three in New London (which are on a tight curve with speed limits under ) did not. On September 28, 2005, a southbound Acela Express struck a car at Miner Lane in Waterford, Connecticut, the first such incident since the additional protections were implemented. The train was approaching the crossing at approximately when the car reportedly rolled under the lowered crossing gate arms too late for the sensor system to fully stop the train. The driver and one passenger were killed on impact; the other passenger died nine days later from injuries sustained in the crash. The gates were later inspected and declared to have been functioning properly at the time of the incident. The incident drew public criticism about the remaining grade crossings along the busy line. Crossing list Crossing are listed east to west. Passenger ridership Current rail service Intercity passenger services In 2003, Amtrak accounted for about 14% of intercity trips between the cities served by the NEC and its branches (the rest were taken by airline, automobile, or bus). A 2011 study estimated that in 2010 Amtrak carried 6% of the Boston–Washington traffic, compared to 80% for automobiles, 8–9% for intercity bus, and 5% for airlines. Amtrak's share of the air or rail passenger traffic between New York City and Boston has grown from 20 percent to 54 percent since 2001, and 75 percent between New York City and Washington, D.C. These Amtrak trains serve NEC stations and run at least partially on the corridor: Acela Express: high-speed rail Boston–Washington, D.C. Cardinal: New York–Chicago via Washington, D.C. (Wednesdays, Fridays, & Sundays only) Carolinian: New York–Charlotte, North Carolina Crescent: New York–New Orleans Keystone Service: higher-speed rail Harrisburg, Pennsylvania–New York Northeast Regional: higher-speed rail Boston/Springfield/New York–Washington D.C./Richmond/Newport News/Norfolk/Roanoke, Virginia Palmetto: Savannah, Georgia–New York Pennsylvanian: Pittsburgh–New York via NEC and Philadelphia to Harrisburg Main Line Silver Meteor: Miami, Florida–New York Silver Star: Miami/Tampa, Florida–New York Vermonter: St. Albans, Vermont–Washington, D.C. via NEC and New Haven–Springfield Line Eight other Amtrak trains terminate at NEC stations, but do not use any