Next generation aslaWhich (theoretically) can travel 160 mph. The trainSet, which will become a mainstay on the tracks between Boston and Washington, DC, was first given in 2020, but has since been sitting in Ralayard which has been waiting for the completion of testing and final certification for half a decade.
Finally, the waiting game is over. Decade-Lamba, the next generation Acela program will reach its largest milestone on Thursday, when the first of the new trainSet enters the revenue service with the northeast corridor of AMTRK.
I joined the train at the Mionihan train hall in New York and boarded several cars for a four -hour journey in the Northeast Corridor.
First class coach
To determine if you are traveling on a new Acela train, see Livery – it has a modern and colorful version of Acela’s inheritance branding.
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From the beginning, Emitrack will introduce five of the new ElStom-made trains out of a total of 28.
AMTRC says that this will be a phase in more new trains through 2027 as this heritage fulfills the retirement of the Acela trainset.
At the time of launch, the following services will feature new trains:
- Saturday: Trains 2250 and 2251
When booking a train on Amtrak’s website or mobile app, look for the “nextgen” label next to the route. You can see on the website, it lists the label under premium booking
This label reflects services operated by the new Acela.
Back to the train, you will board through doors that mainly facilitate the Elstom logo at the foot level, in the same way that Bombardier’s se-series jets used to facilitate this branding when you stepped on the board. (Airbus discontinued this when it is took over the c-series project.)
Unlike the current Acela, it is just a set of a single seat that shares a table. (The current Acela has four sets of seats in this configuration.)
Similarly, on the other side of the cabin is just one table – compared to four in the current layout.
Passengers of business hosting an onboard pavo will not be pleased with this layout, but all others who do not prefer to finish on four-top tables while traveling to Solo, probably will be excited about this change.
The cabin itself looks far more modern than the current Acela. I loved Orange’s pops on seat headrest and high-definition TV screen, showing information about the station and travel.
Each seat has a small legrest that can be lifted or reduced, as well as a tray table that measures 10.5 inches long and 17 inches wide-it is not enough to fit a 15-inch (or big) laptop comfortably.
Overhead compartments have been replaced with exposed accessories storage, and large bags can be placed in front and back in the stuff towers.
You will need to press a button to close the door and then press a lock button to mark the lavetry as captured.
Inside, all control are touchless – upgrade a good hygiene – but it will still take me some time to use for new bathroom entry and exit process.
Business-class cars
All of the remaining cars are dedicated to business-class seating.
As with the existing acela, all seats are assigned. It seems that amtrack may be ready to debut the Playcard of the digital seat that can showcase your reservation and travel information, as there is a strip of lettering on them in the seats.
The seats are definitely strong in terms of rest, although I think cushions have been broken in the coming months.
When you push the Rickline button, the bottom cushion slides forward, which I think gives a little less comfortable comfort than the current setup on the old Acelas.
Amtrak green upgraded the wi-fi on the new acela trains. The Internet is now powered by 5G cellular towers along the route, which is very good news when there is a mobile reception. In Fact, In My Tests, I Frequently Measured Download Speeds Greater Than 100 Mbps and Upload Speeds Topping 30 Mbps.
The final major upgradation cafe with new trains is the car, called “Cafe Alela”.
For the first time, there are grab-and-go fridge, where you can quickly hold and select a snack and then check on an underlying tablet.
This will definitely help shorten the line for counter service during peak-stalled trains.
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The cafe car also has a few-round-round areas in the back. There are no stools or seats here, so it is certainly designed for short trips – or perhaps a quick phone call.
Ground level
Modern touch, such as new LED reading lights, updated color scheme and faster Wi-Fi, should make a great way to travel among some of the country’s largest cities.
While the “hard product”-train itself and its seating configuration-something may seem as you will find in Europe, unfortunately, these trains do not necessarily bring very important infrastructure improvements that AMTRACR needs in the northeast corridor.
If this is any consolation, at least new trains should help reduce some equipment-related cancellations that are disturbing the existing Acela fleet.
But despite advertising speeds of up to 160 mph, conductors won’t put the pedal to the metal for more than short stretches of the journey. (Track reforms that can enable rapid speed and improve reliability, are part of other ongoing projects along with amtrack and regional institutions.)
But emetrack has to start somewhere, and even if it does not conduct the entire journey at Max Speed, the next generation Acela fleet and its associated improvements are still worth celebrating too much.
