The slowest section of the electrified NEC is the portion owned by Metro-North Railroad and the Connecticut Department of Transportation between New Haven, Connecticut and New Rochelle, New York and is heavily used by commuter trains. Testing for certification for commercial operation at 160 mph (257 km/h) involving test runs at up to 165 mph (266 km/h) began between Trenton, NJ and New Brunswick, NJ in September 2012. The Acela Express train-sets are capable of 165 mph (266 km/h) operation, but the FRA regulations generally do not permit any speeds above 150 mph (241 km/h) on tracks that are shared with freight and slower passenger trains. The Pennsylvania Railroad, however, did run Metroliner test trains in the late 1960s as fast as 164 mph (264 km/h) and briefly intended to run the Metroliner service at speeds reaching 150 mph (241 km/h). One limiting factor is the overhead catenary support system which was constructed prior to 1935 and lacks the constant-tension features of the new catenary east of New Haven.
West of New York City, Acela Express's top speed is 135 mph (217 km/h). Īmtrak has also been upgrading the track along the Connecticut shoreline east of New Haven to allow maximum speeds in excess of 110 mph (177 km/h). Its maximum speed limit is 150 mph (241 km/h) on three sections of track totaling 33.9 mi (55 km) in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. The average speed for the entire length excluding stops is 84 mph (135 km/h). The average speed from New York to Boston is a slightly faster 69.8 mph (112 km/h). The Acela achieves an average speed (including stops) of 81.7 mph (131 km/h) between Washington and New York, and an average speed of 66.9 mph (108 km/h) from Washington to Boston. Īcela Express and Metro-North commuter trains share the same tracks through Connecticut. Department of Transportation's 125 mph (201 km/h) definition of high speed rail. The Acela Express is the only service in North America that exceeds the U.S. The Acela is certified with a top speed of 165 mph (266 km/h) and reaches a maximum of 150 mph (241 km/h) in regular service. Amtrak officially launched it's first Acela Express train on December 11, 2000. Before 2000 the Boston-New Haven Section of the Northeast Corridor was NOT electrified which meant Amtrak trains Heading North of New Haven needed to switch engines, and Amtrak would have to electrify that part of the NEC, (As the Acela is electric powered) the second, was that several grade crossings would have to be removed or renovated for safety purposes of high-speed-rail. On MaAmtrak released it's plan for it's high speed rail service, the "Acela Express" Twenty Train Sets would be purchased and several renovations would have to be planned. This testing allowed Amtrak to define a set of specifications that went into a public tender in October 1994. It was operated from Washington DC to New York City from February to May and August to September 1993. Siemens showed the ICE 1 train from Germany, organizing the ICE Train North America Tour which started to operate on the Northeast Corridor on July 3, 1993. An X 2000 train was leased from Sweden for test runs from October 1992 to January 1993. President William (Bill) Clinton planned a $1 Billion funding program to drive the development of a 2,000 miles (3,200 km) high-speed rail service network.Īmtrak asked railway equipment manufacturers to submit proposals.
Whether the Acela Express name will be retained or not is unknown, though renderings of the new trainsets suggest that they will keep the name.ĭuring 1993 U.S. It is the only high-speed-rail service, not only in the United States but in the whole North America.Īs announced on August 26, 2016, Amtrak plans to replace all Acela Express trainsets with new trains called the Avelia Liberty by 2021. The Amtrak Acela Express is a High-Speed-rail Train set that operates over Amtrak's Northeast Corridor in the Northeastern United States.