The first five of Amtrak’s long-awaited, Alstom-built higher-speed trainset, the “NextGen Acela” (but also called “Acela II,” “America’s high-speed train,” and “Avelia Liberty” by the builder), are set to debut on the Washington, D.C.-New York City-Boston Northeast Corridor on Aug. 28, following roughly four years of delays attributed to problems encountered during testing on portions of the NEC infrastructure. Passengers can now see which trains they’re assigned to when booking tickets on line.
The 28 TGV-based trainsets will be phased into service through 2027, sharing duties with their now 25-year-old predecessor, the first-generation Acela trainsets, nicknamed “The Fast Pig” in some railroading circles because of their high power car axle loads and numerous problems encountered during testing and their first years of service. The NextGen Acela is articulated, offers axle loads much lower than the first-generation equipment, and is equipped with Alstom’s Tiltronix active-tilt system. It also offers 27% higher passenger capacity. Each trainset has two power cars, eight articulated intermediate trailer coaches and one centrally located non-articulated café car. The power cars are constructed of carbon steel; the coaches of aluminum. The trainsets meet FRA Tier III “Passenger Equipment Safety Standards; Standards for Alternative Compliance and High-Speed Trainsets.” Certified for operations at up to 186 mph (300 kph), they will operate at a maximum speed of 160 mph on the NEC.
Amtrak says it will be offering expanded weekday and weekend schedules. On Aug. 20, Amtrak announced that new trainsets “are marked with a unique ‘NextGen tag’ on Amtrak.com and in the Amtrak app making them easy to identify when booking.“
As of Aug. 20, the following train numbers were scheduled to use NextGen Acela equipment:
Sundays: Trains 2248, 2258, 2259, and 2271
Weekdays: Trains 2153, 2154, 2170, and 2173
Saturdays: Trains 2250 and 2251
“The new NextGen Acela offers an elevated experience, with features and amenities that today’s savvy travelers expect, plus everything they need to be productive along the way: free high-speed 5G-enabled Wi-Fi, as well as individual power outlets and reading lights,” Amtrak noted. The fleet is being assembled at Alstom’s Hornell, N.Y. facility “by skilled Machinists Union workers, using components from more than 180 suppliers across 29 states, creating approximately 15,000 U.S. jobs,” Amtrak added.
As well, Amtrak noted, the NextGen Acela “is a key component of our broader fleet modernization plan,” which includes new Siemens-built Amtrak Airo equipment debuting on the Amtrak Cascades, Northeast Regional and East Coast routes; new Siemens ALC-42 locomotives on Long-Distance routes, and upgraded interiors in coaches, dining cars, sleeper, and Sightseer Lounges “featuring new seat cushions, upholstery, lighting and finishes.”
The NextGen Acela was experiencing “complications in completing testing … along the [NEC’s] decrepit infrastructure,” wrote Washington Post reporter Luz Lazo in May 2023. They “need more analysis to ensure they can safely operate on the curvy and aging tracks between Washington and Boston.” Numerous delays have been attributable to “unforeseen complexities in testing and computer simulation processes required by the Federal Railroad Administration. Amtrak and … Alstom have cited some compatibility hiccups between the high-tech train, modeled after those in operation across Europe, and infrastructure that dates back 190 years in some areas. The latest hurdle, officials said, involves testing the train’s wheels, particularly at higher speeds.”
“Modeling of the wheel-to-track interface is particularly complex due to age, condition, and specific characteristics of Amtrak infrastructure on the Northeast Corridor, especially the existing tracks,” Alstom told the Post, adding that it has been “conducting extensive investigations” to ensure safe operation and is “confident that this extensive process will demonstrate compatibility of the latest generation of high-speed technology with existing infrastructure.”
“Further refinement of analysis, simulations and testing” are required, Amtrak told the Post. “We want our customers to experience these new trains as soon as possible, but Amtrak cannot operate them for passenger service until Alstom has completed testing and meets all safety requirements.”
Among the problems encountered were pantograph/catenary loss of contact on the older, variable-tension system between Washington and New Haven, Conn. at higher speeds. Wheel/rail interface problems, which reportedly did not surface during high-speed testing on the RTT (Railroad Test Track) at the then-TTCI-operated Transportation Technology Center in Pueblo, Colo., occurred on the NEC. This problem appeared to echo similar issues encountered during testing and early revenue service of the non-articulated, first-generation Acela trainsets, which are much heavier than the new articulated equipment—25-ton power car axle loads on the so-called “Fast Pig,” compared to 17.5 tons on the new equipment. In addition to premature wheelset wear, the first-generation trainsets experienced cracked yaw dampers, upper carbody pantograph shrouding that peeled off at speed, and inboard brake discs that disintegrated.
“’Decrepit’ and ‘curvy and aging’ are exaggerated terms for infrastructure that, despite needing major capital improvements, hosts more than 2,000 intercity and commuter trains every day,” I commented in 2023. “The Northeast Corridor Commission has identified more than 150 projects worth close to $120 billion, including upgrades or replacements of 15 bridges and tunnels more than 100 years old, needed to bring the NEC into a state of good repair. Amtrak is getting $66 billion in new federal funding for SOGR and expansion projects, much of which is for the NEC. Among the major NEC projects are the Gateway Program and the Baltimore & Potomac Tunnel replacement.”
One year prior, Railway Age Publisher Jon Chalon and I toured a NextGen Acela (then called the Acela II) at Philadelphia 30th Street Station. Three of the 28-unit order were on the property. In articles dating to 2019, Railway Age had covered the trainsets’ manufacturing at Alstom’s Hornell, N.Y. plant and toured an interior mockup; the 30th Street Station tour was the first time we saw a completed unit. “Suffice to say, the overall design and amenities are a vast improvement over the existing Acela trainsets,” I commented.
Now we’ll see how they do, finally in revenue service. Here’s my commentary following the 2019 interior mock-up tour, with Amtrak-provided photos of the real thing (obviously with models posing as passengers and crew, at least to my eyes):
Amtrak’s Acela Express, which replaced the iconic Metroliner service that helped define the Northeast Corridor for the better part of 30 years, is now approaching age 20 (kind of old for a train). The equipment, popular with customers but sort-of affectionately called “The Fast Pig” in railroading circles, will soon be replaced with new, lighter, sleeker and faster trainsets from Alstom. (“Soon” took six years.)
Here’s a look inside. While the existing trainsets are comfortable, some of the interior features tend to be on the clunky, bulky or unwieldy side. Not so with the new trainsets. This time, the designers—unfettered by a long-gone Amtrak executive still mockingly referred to as the “Decorator General”—got it right.
Based on the mockups I saw at Alstom’s plant in New Castle, Del., these new trainsets are inviting, comfortable, ergonomic, spacious, and conducive to working, or just plain ’ol relaxing—the polar opposite of flying, which is what train travel is meant to be (are you listening, ex-Delta Airlines CEO Richard Anderson?). The engineer’s cab is, well, unusual for North America, with a center-seating position a la TGV, and smartly placed controls.
Nice! Rather “European,” but definitely “American,” if we’ve defined the look and feel of an American high(er) speed trainset. Perhaps we have. If the existing Acela equipment can be compared to a heavy, clumsy but luxurious 1960s Cadillac or Lincoln “land yacht” with a few modern amenities (a “resto-mod,” in collector-car parlance), this new trainset approaches what you’d expect in a 2019 Cadillac XTS, Lincoln MKZ, BMW, Mercedes, Infiniti or Lexus, with hint of Corvette C-8 or Dodge Challenger Demon performance. You get the picture.
OK, enough automotive comparisons. Suffice to say that, given the choice of flying the Delta Shuttle from New York to Washington, driving (even in a fast, comfortable car) or riding the new Amtrak equipment, the train wins, hands-down. No brainer. Just make sure, Amtrak, that you maintain the tracks, catenary and signal/train control system, OK? But that’s a $30 billion engineering story for another day.
Here’s what we can look forward to in 2021 (now Aug. 28, 2025):
- Larger windows with pull-down shades (no dust-collecting curtains).
- Winged headrests with built-in adjustable reading lights. Every seat has convenient, center-mounted electrical outlets and USB ports. You won’t have to ask your neighbor, “Mind if I drape my cell phone charging cord over your lap?” There are built-in aisle hand-holds, so you don’t have to worry about “accidentally” smacking someone in the face or the back of the head if the train happens to hit a patch of “rough” track. There are also grab bars for stability, and what Amtrak calls “gap fillers to cover the space between the train and the platform, creating a smooth surface for entering/exiting the train.” In other words, retractable bridge plates. As well, when you’re walking between cars, you won’t have to step on a large, rubber, accordion-like contraption in the vestibules. Those have been smoothed over.
- Streamlined, open overhead luggage racks (goodbye, closed compartments with head-bang-inducing doors that airline-brainwashed customers tend to leave open), and large, end-of-car open luggage racks.
- The tables with facing seats have individual flip-up extensions, so you don’t (again) have to disturb your neighbor. You want yours down. He or she wants it folded. No problem!
- More legroom, and flip-down footrests.
- Two-tiered, fold-down at-seat tray tables. They’re light, a vast improvement over the current, anvil-like tray tables that often get stuck when you’re trying to slide them out. (“Damn tray. It won’t move! Oops! There goes my drink!”)
- Indirect, crew-adjustable lighting. Much more pleasant than fluorescent lights glaring in your face when you’re trying to catch some shut-eye on a chilly winter evening.
- Spacious, fully accessible restrooms with “touchless” features and a 60-inch-diameter door turning radius.
- Each nine-car trainset will seat 378. There will be seven “Acela Class” cars (replacing “Business Class”) with 49 to 59 seats; one “First Class” car with 44 seats; and one Café car with no seats (not even bar stools, so don’t even think about hanging out with a laptop. Just get your food and libations and head back to your seat!). The Café car will have, in addition to an attendant providing hot food, “self-select” refrigerators. These are not vending machines. You get what you want and pay for it at the counter. Amtrak calls this “convenient dining options, offering easy access and greater selection.” Well … we’ll see. Just don’t get rid of the Angus cheeseburgers, OK?
- High-resolution-LCD digital signage.
- Individual receptacles for trash and recycling (sustainability—about time!).
- Digital seat displays. Amtrak is evaluating an advance-seat reservation system. Don’t even think about grabbing an aisle seat and putting your “personal belongings” on the window seat—a passive-aggressive way of saying, “Get lost. I prefer to sit by myself and hog as much space as possible.”
- Onboard Wi-Fi to “enhance the digital experience.” In other words, it’s not supposed to drop out when you need it most.
- Safety systems, such as CCTV cameras, that “provide real-time monitoring and ensure a safe and comfortable ride.”
At this point, it looks like the new Acela Express will be well-worth the wait. Caroline Decker (now with WSP USA), one of Railway Age’s first “Women in Rail” honorees, and the people at Alstom and Amtrak (apologies if I’ve left any company out), deserve a round of applause. Hopefully, when this new equipment enters service, they’ll be worthy of a standing ovation.
By the way, do you think it should be renamed Metroliner? I’ve always liked that name. It sounds more like a train …
