Acela

History

Following the success of Japan's Shinkansen in the 1960s, the High Speed Ground Transportation Act of 1965 authorized U.S. exploration of high-speed rail, leading to the Metroliner service between Washington, D.C., and New York City in 1969. In the 1980s, the Federal Railroad Administration studied high-speed rail possibilities, and on December 18, 1991, five potential corridors were authorized, including the Northeast Corridor. Amtrak tested European trains in the early 1990s: an X 2000 from Sweden ran from October 1992 to January 1993, followed by revenue service from February to May and August to September 1993; Siemens demonstrated the ICE 1 starting July 3, 1993.

In October 1994, Amtrak requested bids for a 150 mph trainset, selecting a Bombardier (75%) and GEC Alsthom (25%) consortium in March 1996. Amtrak unveiled the Acela Express plan in 1999, with electrification extended from New Haven to Boston and grade crossing improvements. A pilot trainset was completed by early 2000, tested in June 2000, and the first revenue run occurred on December 11, 2000.

Rolling stock

The first-generation Acela trainset was designed to meet Federal Railroad Administration crash standards, including withstanding a collision with a freight train. Only three bidders qualified: ABB, Siemens, and a Bombardier-Alstom consortium. The design uses 6,200 hp power cars at each end, operating on 12 kV, 12.5 kV, and 25 kV AC at 25 or 60 Hz. Components derived from the TGV include the traction system, bogie structure, brake discs, and crash energy management.

The tilting carriages are based on Bombardier's LRC trains, not the TGV's non-tilting articulated trailers. Acela power cars and passenger cars are heavier than TGV equivalents due to crash standards; French and Canadian test crews called it "the pig." The power-to-weight ratio is about 22.4 hp per tonne, versus 30.8 hp for a TGV Reseau. Tier II crash standards (1999) eliminated steps and trapdoors, restricting the trains to high-level platforms.

The trainsets are semi-permanently coupled but not articulated. Bombardier later used the carriage design for its experimental JetTrain.

Service

An Acela Express trainset comprises two power cars, a Café car, a First Class car, and four Business Class cars, semi-permanently coupled. First Class has 44 seats in a 1+2 configuration with four-seat tables and assigned seating; Business Class has 260 seats in a 2+2 configuration with four-seat tables and assigned seating. Baggage goes in overhead compartments or under seats. Trains are wheelchair-accessible, with one or two toilets per car, one ADA compliant.

The Business Class car next to First Class is a quiet car. Automatic sliding doors reduce noise. NextGen Acela trainsets have 43 First Class seats and 343 Business Class seats, including 8 wheelchair spaces; the quiet car is at the opposite end from First Class. The First Class galley moved into an adjacent Business Class car, reducing that car's seats by 10.

Each car except the Café car has one ADA compliant toilet. Business Class is the de facto standard; there is no coach service. Maintenance occurs at Ivy City (Washington, D.C.), Sunnyside Yard (Queens, New York), or Southampton Street Yard (Boston). Refurbishments occurred between mid-2009 and 2010, and a 14-month refresh program completed in June 2019.

Notable incidents

During the Northeast blackout of 2003, a northbound Acela was stuck on the Hell Gate Bridge for over nine hours until a rescue engine towed it back to New York's Penn Station. The first grade crossing accident occurred on September 27, 2005, in Waterford, Connecticut, when a car rolled under closed gates and was struck at 70 mph, killing three automobile passengers; no Acela passengers were injured. On March 24, 2017, an Acela derailed at low speed in New York's Penn Station due to a defective track section Amtrak had not yet fixed; all 248 passengers were evacuated safely. On February 6, 2018, Acela train No. 2150 split apart between the first and second cars at 124 mph near Havre de Grace, Maryland; no injuries occurred, and passengers were transferred to a Northeast Regional train.