Amtrak Shows off the New Acela Interiors You’ll See in 2021(hi-speed choo-choo)

thepointsguy.com ^ | August | Points Guy

[dynachrome]

n a quiet, nondescript building off an interstate in Wilmington, Delaware, the future of America’s high-speed rail is taking shape.

Amtrak gave select journalists, including TPG, a chance to tour full-scale mock-ups of the interior of its new high-speed Acela train cars, giving a sneak peek at what passengers will experience when the first cars are rolled out in spring 2021.

American’s primary passenger train operator launched the Acela trains in 2000, and this is the first time since then that they are getting a new look and feel.

While Amtrak’s Acela fleet currently lags behind high-speed trains in Europe and Asia in terms of speed, these new trains will travel faster than what’s currently available. The new models will travel at 160 mph, 10 mph faster than current cars, and will use 20% less energy that what currently rides the rails.

Because of a lack of infrastructure, having to share limited railway with freight and regional trains, and series of bridges, tunnels and curves, Acela trains can’t reach the speeds of their foreign counterparts, and these new cars could actually have the capability of going faster than the 160 mph they’ll initially travel.

[Jimmy Valentine]

True. I always take the conventional to New York. The business class is cheaper and the time difference is about 30-40 minutes only.

[grania]

I took two round trips on AMTRAK from Cleveland to Baltimore (transfer in DC) last year. It's the best way to travel. That's in spite of not enough trains scheduled from Cleveland and a problem with access to track causing delays. The cars were actually comfortable, clean, the staff and passengers were pleasant, the scenery during daytime was fantastic. The long trips, planned well ahead, were inexpensive. Along the East Coast, the trains are very frequent and very busy. Even going cross-country, a lot of people take the train.

A vigorous, effective plan to increase passenger train access would be popular and help the environment and be much better than the mess the interstates have become.

[hal ogen]

If the govt stopped spending taxpayer money on an 1800 ‘ s transportation form, spending money on bike paths and spending money on so-called light rail, they just might be able to improve highways. Some people seem to love being able to ride trains as long as others are forced to subsidize their nostalgia .

[grania]

Trains would be profitable if the system were run properly and kept up to date. They can improve the highways, but what can’t be made better is the volume of traffic. What I see is highway improvement projects that have to be redone every few years. A lot of tax we pay (gasoline and money state and federal) goes to that. It’s an allocation of funds that isn’t solving the problem of too many people on highways.

[hal ogen]

Sell your car. Get off the highways. You, then, are part of the problem.

[grania]

I get off the highways as much as possible, only drive about 4000 miles a year. I take public transportation or walk whenever possible. I don’t think that makes me “part of the problem”.

[hal ogen]

It does. 4000 miles of a problem.

[Cedar]

Nice post. Yes, it’s hard to relax driving a car on the interstate nowadays. Train travel is a great way to see the beautiful landscape of this country. Thanks for giving your experience with it.

[dfwgator]

That’s the one thing about Europe that’s better than here, granted the population is much more dense, but I love taking trains over there.

If I could I would just ride the trains in Switzerland.

[Cedar]

Agree with you!