Amtrak’s NextGen Acela highspeed trains are set to debut this month after years of delays.
New faster Acela trains will begin revenue service on August 28 along the Northeast Corridor between Washington, New York and Boston, Amtrak announced 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,” said Amtrak President Roger Harris, in a statement.
Five of the new trainsets will be part of the initial launch, with a total of 28 expected to enter service by 2027.
Amtrak says the new trains will allow for 27% more seats per departure. The seats will feature individual power outlets, reading lights and winged headrests for comfort and privacy. The trains will be equipped with free, high-speed 5G-enabled Wi-Fi.
The new trains can reach a maximum speed of 160 miles per hour, 10 miles per hour greater than current Acela models. A tilt system will provide a smoother, quieter ride on the new trains, Amtrak says.
“It’s a fundamentally better experience than anything Americans have been able to travel on to date in this country,” said Amtrak executive vice president Laura Mason in a video introducing the new trains.
The maximum speed of the NextGen Acela is still considerably slower than the world’s fastest trains in Asia and Europe, some of which can travel at more than 200 miles per hour.
Amtrak first introduced its Acela product in 2000. The NextGen trains were outlooked to enter service in 2022, but experienced numerous hurdles delaying their introduction.
Amtrak said it would provide more information as the launch approaches about how passengers can locate and select NextGen Acela trains. Both the current and NextGen models will be in operation in the coming months.
