Business Insider India has updated its Privacy and Cookie policy. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the better experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we\'ll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on the Business Insider India website. However, you can change your cookie setting at any time by clicking on our Cookie Policy at any time. You can also see our Privacy Policy.
The new trains are part of a $30 billion infrastructure plan that Amtrak is implementing to update trains, fix old tunnels, and build new tunnels.
The new models have some upgrades that should make them more pleasant for Acela passengers, of which Amtrak counted 3.5 million for 2019. They have more seats and a new reservation system, plus touch-less technology in the larger bathrooms, and "tilting technology" to make the ride less jarring. Amtrak says the trains will do all of this, plus use 40% less energy per passenger.
Amtrak revealed the exteriors of its new train — known as the Avelia Liberty — in a video of the first built on Wednesday. The train is designed to replace its aging Acela fleet.
The sets will all be built in Hornell, New York, south of Rochester, New York, by Amtrak contractor Alstom.
This train, the first of the 28 that will eventually be built, will be moved Pueblo, Colorado in February for more testing.
The new fleet is set to start entering service in 2021
The Acela, which travels between New York and Washington DC along the Northeast Corridor, recently added a non-stop option to the route.
Roger Harris, Amtrak's chief marketing officer, told Business Insider that when the new fleet is introduced, Amtrak might consider incorporating other special trips into service.
"We're going to have a big increase in the number of trains we have and that will allow us to do more of these nonstop services," he said. "As well as allowing us to add frequencies on the north end between New York and Boston."
The new high-speed trains will travel at 160 mph, which is faster than the current trainsets can reach.
This project one of many massive infrastructure upgrades Amtrak is undertaking, along with renovating a 19th-century Baltimore rail tunnel and building a replacement tunnel under the Hudson River.
For such massive projects, estimates vary, but the longterm needs are as high as $30 billion by 2040. It already spends about $700 million annually on maintenance.
