On May 23, Railway Age Publisher Jon Chalon and Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono toured Amtrak’s new Alstom-built Acela II high-speed Northeast Corridor trainset at Philadelphia 30th Street Station. Three of the 28-unit order are on the property.
The TGV-based “Avelia Liberty” articulated transits are expected to enter NEC revenue service in early 2023. They have two compact power cars eight articulated intermediate trailer coaches and one centrally located non-articulated café car Certified for operations at up to 186 mph (300 kph), they will operate at a maximum speed of 160 mph on the NEC. Railway Age has covered the trainsets’ manufacturing at Alstom’s Hornell, N.Y. plant and toured an interior mockup in previous articles; this was the first time we’ve seen a completed unit. Suffice to say the overall design and amenities are a vast improvement over the existing Acela trainsets.