90 replies to this topic

[KevinKorell]

Forget 2022.   Now it's Fall 2023.
 
From The Points Guy, via MSN, 4/1/22:
 

 

    Amtrak’s new Acela trains delayed until fall 2023  

 
 
It could be close to a year and a half before Amtrak’s new, state-of-the-art Acela Express trains begin service, an Amtrak representative told TPG on Friday. It’s a timeline that falls far short of previous projections by the rail operator that the new trainsets would be serving the northeast U.S. by 2021. The new timeline calls for the trains to hit the tracks by fall 2023.

 

 
Story

[CNJRoss]

Railway Age,  5/23/22

 

First Look: Amtrak/Alstom Acela II

 

•  

 

On May 23, Railway Age Publisher Jon Chalon and Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono toured Amtrak’s new Alstom-built Acela II high-speed Northeast Corridor trainset at Philadelphia 30th Street Station. Three of the 28-unit order are on the property.

 

The TGV-based “Avelia Liberty” articulated transits are expected to enter NEC revenue service in early 2023. They have two compact power cars eight articulated intermediate trailer coaches and one centrally located non-articulated café car Certified for operations at up to 186 mph (300 kph), they will operate at a maximum speed of 160 mph on the NEC. Railway Age has covered the trainsets’ manufacturing at Alstom’s Hornell, N.Y. plant and toured an interior mockup in previous articles; this was the first time we’ve seen a completed unit. Suffice to say the overall design and amenities are a vast improvement over the existing Acela trainsets.

 

Alstom trainset project manager Noah Heulitt, one of Railway Age’s 2018 “10 Under 40” honorees. Heulitt, previously General Manager of NJ Transit’s Bombardier-operated RiverLINE light rail in 2015, came to Alstom as part of the company’s acquisition of Bombardier.

 

Jon Chalon tries out the First Class section facing tables. Each spot has an individual fold-down section. Tables in Business Class are of the same design.

 

 

Continue photo essay here.

[KevinKorell]

Another slippage of target date for startup.  Now it's Fall 2023 for half the fleet with the rest by the end 2024.  From CBS Philadelphia,  6/15/22:

 

 

    Amtrak Will Unveil New Line Of Acela Trains In 2023  

 

 

The future of train travel is coming to Philadelphia. Amtrak is getting ready to unveil a new line of Acela trains that will transport passengers all along the northeast corridor.

 

Update

[CNJRoss]

The Washington Post via MSN.com, 9/22/22

Inside the plant building the fastest passenger trains in America

 

 

 

HORNELL, N.Y. — In a sprawling complex surrounded by hills, hundreds of yellow-vested workers are building the nation’s fastest trains — resembling the European-style rail cars that have largely been absent from American tracks.

 

The buzz of activity fills the Alstom manufacturing plant in this small western New York town, where concrete floors shine and the whizzing of drills echoes to the high ceilings. In every direction, Amtrak’s most advanced rail cars sit in various stages of construction.

 

The new Acela trains will roll through the nation’s busiest rail stations beginning next year, representing a significant step toward America’s aspirations for modern, faster and more reliable intercity train service. The trains will overhaul passenger service in the busy Northeast Corridor, aiming to improve safety, reliability, rider comfort and capacity.

 

SNIP

 

Three years after manufacturing began, Train 15 was the latest to reach the end of the production line late this summer inside the 137-year-old shop. Alstom, a French train manufacturer, expanded the complex into a massive operation, so far delivering four train sets that will carry passengers in fall 2023.

 

 

 

More here with photos.

 

[CNJRoss]

The Washington Post via MSN.com, 5/27/23

 

Testing ‘difficulties’ delay launch of faster Acela trains, Amtrak says

 

 

Amtrak’s plan to roll out higher-speed trains in the Northeast Corridor this year has been derailed amid complications in completing testing of the new train sets along the route’s decrepit infrastructure.

 

New Acela trains scheduled to debut this fall need more analysis to ensure they can safely operate on the curvy and aging tracks between Washington and Boston, railroad officials said, saying the new trains are now slated to enter service in 2024, at least three years behind schedule.

 

 

Continue here.  

[KevinKorell]

USA Today,   5/30/23:

 

 

     Train status: Delayed. Amtrak's new Acela fleet not ready for service just yet.  

 

Amtrak’s new Acela trains are already years late.

 

The new trains were supposed to enter service in 2021, and the railroad says the delay is because testing isn’t going smoothly.

 

More

[KevinKorell]

Today  5/30/23, when passing the yard outside of Philadelphia's 30th Street Station, five new trainsets were observed.  20230530_093520.jpg   265.64KB   0 downloads

[CNJRoss]

Jalopnik, 9/6/23

 

Amtrak’s New Trains Can’t Hit Full Speed On Its Ancient Track

 

The new trains will enter service in 2024, but will be limited to about half the speed that high speed rail reaches in other countries.

 

 

America’s railways are rapidly falling behind the rest of the world. Trains are slower, tracks are older and stations are becoming fewer and farther between. Now, rail operator Amtrak is working to change things with a fleet of new high-speed trains, but there’s a problem: the tracks are too old for them to run at full speed.

 

Amtrak has ordered a fleet of 28 high speed trains that it plans to put into service as early as 2024. When they roll out onto America’s railways, the new trains will cover the Boston to Washington route, where they promise much faster speeds and an improved service. In Europe and the rest of the developed world, high speed rail regularly hits speeds of up to 200mph.

 

However, when the tech reaches America, it will be limited to “slower than 110 mph in most segments,” according to a new report from Scientific American, and the trains have been designed to only hit a top speed of 160mph. According to the site, this is because the 450-mile route does not currently use modern tracks that can handle the high speeds of the new trains.

 

 

Continue here.

[KevinKorell]

WCVB-TV, Channel 5 in Boston, MA, 9/26/23:

 

 

  Amtrak's new next-generation Acela high-speed train visits Mass.    

 

 

Amtrak's next-generation Acela trains, which were originally scheduled to enter service two years ago, took a test run through Massachusetts and the Northeast Corridor on Tuesday afternoon.

 

Story

[KevinKorell]

NBC Washington, 10/3/23:

 

 

  Already 3 years behind schedule, new Acela trains have some serious defects: report      

 

 

Amtrak was supposed to have brand new high-speed Acela trains on the tracks years ago — but a new report from Amtrak's inspector general isn’t painting a positive picture.

 

Update