NextGen Acela trains will begin service on the Northeast Corridor between Boston and Washington, D.C., after a preview ride by federal and railroad officials. The trains can reach up to 160 miles per hour, 10 mph faster than the current Acela, and offer 27% more seats while being lighter and larger. Speed remains constrained by aging rails, tunnels and electrical systems shared with slower trains. Deployment followed years of development, technical delays and multiple rollout postponements. Manufacturer Alstom made changes after testing revealed problems in real-world corridor conditions. Amtrak reported record ridership last year and calls the fleet replacement its largest rolling-stock investment in 25 years.
The fastest trains in Amtrak's fleet are getting even faster. The first of those NextGen Acela trains, as Amtrak calls them, are scheduled to start running on the Northeast Corridor between Boston and Washington, D.C. on Thursday. Amtrak offered a preview of the new trains a day earlier, when U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and top railroad officials rode the inaugural train from Washington to New York City.
"They're beautiful. They're going to be faster," Duffy said at a press conference before the ride on Wednesday. "It's going to mean better revenue, but most importantly, a better experience for the travelling public." Amtrak says the NextGen trains can reach top speeds of up to 160 miles per hour 10 miles per hour faster than the current Acela fleet.
They're also lighter and larger, with 27% more seats. But the NextGen fleet will lag far behind the fastest bullet trains in the world, which routinely top 200 miles per hour in Asia and Europe. The Acela trains are limited by the design and condition of the Northeast Corridor's aging rails, tunnels and electrical infrastructure, which they share with slower Amtrak trains and commuter railroads.
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