Amtrak broadcasts debut date for brand spanking new Acela trains

Amtrak’s NextGen Acela highspeed trains are set to debut this month after years of delays.

New sooner Acela trains will start income service on August 28 alongside the Northeast Corridor between Washington, New York and Boston, Amtrak introduced on Thursday.

“In just a few weeks, history will be made with the debut of NextGen Acela as we launch a new standard for American train travel,” mentioned Amtrak President Roger Harris, in an announcement.

Five of the brand new trainsets will probably be a part of the preliminary launch, with a complete of 28 anticipated to enter service by 2027.

Amtrak says the brand new trains will enable for 27% extra seats per departure. The seats will characteristic particular person energy shops, studying lights and winged headrests for consolation and privateness. The trains will probably be outfitted with free, high-speed 5G-enabled Wi-Fi.

The new trains can attain a most velocity of 160 miles per hour, 10 miles per hour larger than present Acela fashions. A tilt system will present a smoother, quieter experience on the brand new trains, Amtrak says.

“It’s a fundamentally better experience than anything Americans have been able to travel on to date in this country,” mentioned Amtrak govt vp Laura Mason in a video introducing the brand new trains.

The most velocity of the NextGen Acela remains to be significantly slower than the world’s quickest trains in Asia and Europe, a few of which may journey at greater than 200 miles per hour.

Amtrak first launched its Acela product in 2000. The NextGen trains had been outlooked to enter service in 2022, however skilled quite a few hurdles delaying their introduction.

Amtrak mentioned it will present extra data because the launch approaches about how passengers can find and choose NextGen Acela trains. Both the present and NextGen fashions will probably be in operation within the coming months.