Amtrak unveils NextGen Acela — ‘premium ride’ trains that may journey at 160 mph

Five new Amtrak trains will start rolling out between Washington, DC, New York and Boston at prime speeds of 160 mph beginning Thursday.

The inaugural NextGen Acela trip is taking off from Washington’s Union Station, the place the Department of Transportation is planning to reclaim administration to “restore this federal asset to its former glory,” to New York’s Penn Station.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy demanded Amtrak enhance public security on the prepare station earlier this yr, which aligns with President Trump’s administration’s broader push to crack down on crime within the nation’s capital.

Amtrak’s NextGen Acela is taken into account a “premium ride” for vacationers, providing free high-speed Wi-Fi, particular person USB ports, energy retailers and studying lights.

Fares for one-way enterprise class service between Washington and New York on Friday, Aug. 29, ran $498 per traveler, in line with Amtrak’s reserving web site.

“NextGen Acela is more than a new train — it’s an evolution of travel,” Amtrak President Roger Harris stated in an Aug. 7 assertion. “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.”

A complete of 28 trains will enter service by 2027.

They provide 27% extra seats per departure and extra service, with expanded weekday and weekend schedules, Amtrak stated. 

“The NextGen Acela fleet was assembled at Alstom’s facility in Hornell, NY by skilled Machinists Union workers, using components from over 180 suppliers across 29 states—creating approximately 15,000 U.S. jobs,” Amtrak stated in a media launch. 

Acela first launched on Dec, 11. 2000 in what Amtrak calls “the nation’s busiest rail corridor.”

The first-edition trains solely reached speeds of 150 mph, which is 10 mph lower than the brand new ones. 

Trump, throughout his first time period, repeatedly sought to chop funding to Amtrak, which acquired about $2.4 billion in annual federal help in 2023.

Congress in March accredited $2.42 billion for Amtrak by way of Sept. 30 in annual funding.

The railroad firm, which has been run since March by its president, Harris, has not named a brand new CEO. It set a brand new passenger document final yr.

FOX Business’ Lydia Hu and Reuters contributed to this report.