Amtrak’s Acela Announces Next-Generation High Speed Rails By 2021
New train sets to enter the services in 2021 by upgrading ride quality among infrastructure. Amtrak is contracting with Alstom to produce 23 Next-Generation high-speed rails that will replace the equipment used to provide Amtrak’s premium Acela Express service.
As per the announcement made by the Vice President Joe Biden, the contract is a part of $2.5 billion federal loan that will be invested on heavily travelled Northeast Corridor (NEC) as a part of expanding the Acela Express Service.
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The new trainsets will have one-third of more passenger seats while preserving the spacious and high-end comfort of current Acela Train. Each trainset will have modern facilities that are upgraded as per the customer’s preferences evolve.
They include improved WiFi access, USB ports, personal outlets, reading lights at every seat, enhanced food service and smooth and reliable ride. The 28 new trains will be built entirely by France’s Alstom to replace the current set of 20 trains, first introduced in 1999 built jointly by Alstom and Canada’s Bombardier.
Amtrak Acela trains could travel 186 miles per hour, a vast improvement over the current 165mph top speed of current Acela trains. However, as per the sources, those speeds are only theoretical. In practice, the trains will go slow due to regulations and track infrastructure.
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“As more people rely on Amtrak, we need modernized equipment and infrastructure to keep the region moving,” said Chairman of the Amtrak’s Board of Directors Anthony Coscia. “These train sets will build on the popularity and demand of the current Acela Express and move this company into the future as a leader in providing world-class transportation.”
The first prototype trains are scheduled to deliver in 2018, and the first revenue service is going to start in 2021. Current Acela services reach a top speed of 150mph between Boston and New York and a speed of 135mph between New York and Washington. The new trains are expected to reach initially 160mph.