Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
Editorials & Other Articles
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Testing difficulties delay launch of faster Acela trains, Amtrak says
TRANSPORTATION
Testing difficulties delay launch of faster Acela trains, Amtrak says
The new trains are now slated to enter service in 2024.
By Luz Lazo
May 27, 2023 at 6:00 a.m. EDT
Amtraks 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 routes decrepit infrastructure.
Fast, informative and written just for locals. Get The 7 DMV newsletter in your inbox every weekday morning.
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.
The 28 Avelia Liberty high-speed trains, which will replace Amtraks existing Acela fleet, are part of a $2.5 billion investment supporting upgrades to passenger service through the nations busiest rail stations. The trains will come with improved safety, reliability, rider comfort and capacity, railroad officials said.
But their delivery has been snarled by multiple delays, including some stemming from unforeseen complexities in testing and computer simulation processes required by the Federal Railroad Administration. Amtrak and train manufacturer 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.
{snip}
Alstom workers install underframe fairings to an Amtrak Acela train at the Alstom production facility in Hornell, N.Y. (Heather Ainsworth for The Washington Post)
{snip}
Gift Article
https://wapo.st/4387jtO
By Luz Lazo
Luz Lazo is a transportation reporter at The Washington Post covering passenger and freight transportation, buses, taxis and ride-sharing services. She also writes about traffic, road infrastructure and air travel in the Washington region and beyond. She joined The Post in 2011. Twitter https://twitter.com/luzcita
Testing difficulties delay launch of faster Acela trains, Amtrak says
The new trains are now slated to enter service in 2024.
By Luz Lazo
May 27, 2023 at 6:00 a.m. EDT
Amtraks 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 routes decrepit infrastructure.
Fast, informative and written just for locals. Get The 7 DMV newsletter in your inbox every weekday morning.
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.
The 28 Avelia Liberty high-speed trains, which will replace Amtraks existing Acela fleet, are part of a $2.5 billion investment supporting upgrades to passenger service through the nations busiest rail stations. The trains will come with improved safety, reliability, rider comfort and capacity, railroad officials said.
But their delivery has been snarled by multiple delays, including some stemming from unforeseen complexities in testing and computer simulation processes required by the Federal Railroad Administration. Amtrak and train manufacturer 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.
{snip}
Alstom workers install underframe fairings to an Amtrak Acela train at the Alstom production facility in Hornell, N.Y. (Heather Ainsworth for The Washington Post)
{snip}
Gift Article
https://wapo.st/4387jtO
By Luz Lazo
Luz Lazo is a transportation reporter at The Washington Post covering passenger and freight transportation, buses, taxis and ride-sharing services. She also writes about traffic, road infrastructure and air travel in the Washington region and beyond. She joined The Post in 2011. Twitter https://twitter.com/luzcita
InfoView thread info, including edit history
TrashPut this thread in your Trash Can (My DU » Trash Can)
BookmarkAdd this thread to your Bookmarks (My DU » Bookmarks)
2 replies, 1134 views
ShareGet links to this post and/or share on social media
AlertAlert this post for a rule violation
PowersThere are no powers you can use on this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
ReplyReply to this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
Rec (4)
ReplyReply to this post
2 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Testing difficulties delay launch of faster Acela trains, Amtrak says (Original Post)
mahatmakanejeeves
May 2023
OP
mahatmakanejeeves
(61,298 posts)1. Amtrak's New Acela Fleet Is Languishing in a Rail Yard
Hat tip, a mailing list I'm on
GETTING AROUND
MAY 31, 2023
Amtraks New Acela Fleet Is Languishing in a Rail Yard
By Alissa Walker, a Curbed senior writer
Photo: Katherine Frey/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Amtraks new, high-speed Acela fleet is one of the countrys largest-ever public-transportation investments, ringing up at $2 billion. But over the last three years, as each of the 28 new Acela train sets rolled off the Hornell, New York, assembly line, they have been languishing in a rail yard, all dressed up with nowhere on the Northeast Corridor to go. Now the major Acela upgrade, once planned for 2021, might not be on track until sometime in 2024.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the new Acela cars are being held up by requirements that mandate the trains are run in a range of real-world conditions before boarding passengers. The problem is, unlike their siblings in other countries that have their own dedicated rights-of-way, the new Acela trains like all the service Amtrak runs have to share tracks with existing freight and passenger trains, severely limiting what track is available for testing. And among the greatest concerns for the new rolling stock is how it will navigate those antiquated 100-year-old rails, including how trains designed for Frances stick-straight TGV routes negotiate our curvier stretches. (The answer: slowly.) Right now, Amtrak is still using computer modeling to replicate various scenarios that the new cars might encounter during their trips up and down the Eastern Seaboard; so far, the supposedly superfast trains havent seen speeds faster than 90 mph.
Veteran commuters will remember that similar issues derailed delivery of the first Acela fleet cracks in brakes took 20 Bombardier train sets temporarily out of service but Amtraks current woes are more infrastructural. And, in a way, more existential. As the federal government grapples with demands to speed up passenger rail service across the country, the conflicts with freight-dominated tracks including the growing threats of deferred maintenance and dangerous derailments will only become more pronounced. Other countries are building trains that exceed 200 mph as well as the dedicated infrastructure to keep them blurring between cities on schedule; by the time these brand-new Acela trains get rolling, theyll only barely qualify as high-speed rail. The promise of Andy Train Daddy Byford, who recently worked magic for the MTA, taking over Amtraks high-speed network could finally spark the U.S. rail revolution we deserve. But with every year, were lagging further behind.
MAY 31, 2023
Amtraks New Acela Fleet Is Languishing in a Rail Yard
By Alissa Walker, a Curbed senior writer
Photo: Katherine Frey/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Amtraks new, high-speed Acela fleet is one of the countrys largest-ever public-transportation investments, ringing up at $2 billion. But over the last three years, as each of the 28 new Acela train sets rolled off the Hornell, New York, assembly line, they have been languishing in a rail yard, all dressed up with nowhere on the Northeast Corridor to go. Now the major Acela upgrade, once planned for 2021, might not be on track until sometime in 2024.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the new Acela cars are being held up by requirements that mandate the trains are run in a range of real-world conditions before boarding passengers. The problem is, unlike their siblings in other countries that have their own dedicated rights-of-way, the new Acela trains like all the service Amtrak runs have to share tracks with existing freight and passenger trains, severely limiting what track is available for testing. And among the greatest concerns for the new rolling stock is how it will navigate those antiquated 100-year-old rails, including how trains designed for Frances stick-straight TGV routes negotiate our curvier stretches. (The answer: slowly.) Right now, Amtrak is still using computer modeling to replicate various scenarios that the new cars might encounter during their trips up and down the Eastern Seaboard; so far, the supposedly superfast trains havent seen speeds faster than 90 mph.
Veteran commuters will remember that similar issues derailed delivery of the first Acela fleet cracks in brakes took 20 Bombardier train sets temporarily out of service but Amtraks current woes are more infrastructural. And, in a way, more existential. As the federal government grapples with demands to speed up passenger rail service across the country, the conflicts with freight-dominated tracks including the growing threats of deferred maintenance and dangerous derailments will only become more pronounced. Other countries are building trains that exceed 200 mph as well as the dedicated infrastructure to keep them blurring between cities on schedule; by the time these brand-new Acela trains get rolling, theyll only barely qualify as high-speed rail. The promise of Andy Train Daddy Byford, who recently worked magic for the MTA, taking over Amtraks high-speed network could finally spark the U.S. rail revolution we deserve. But with every year, were lagging further behind.
mahatmakanejeeves
(61,298 posts)2. Report: Another Delay for Amtrak's Acela II
May 31, 2023 | High Performance
Report: Another Delay for Amtraks Acela II
Written by William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-Chief
{snip}
Report: Another Delay for Amtraks Acela II
Written by William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-Chief
{snip}