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Amtrak shows its sleek new Acela train in action for the first timehttps://www.businessinsider.in/slideshows/miscellaneous/amtrak-shows-its-sleek-new-acela-train-in-action-for-the-first-time/slidelist/73533794.cms2020-01-23T03:02:27+05:30

Amtrak shows its sleek new Acela train in action for the first time

Jan 23, 2020, 03:02 IST

Amtrak revealed the exteriors of its new train — known as the Avelia Liberty — in a video of the first built on Wednesday. The train is designed to replace its aging Acela fleet.

The sets will all be built in Hornell, New York, south of Rochester, New York, by Amtrak contractor Alstom.

This train, the first of the 28 that will eventually be built, will be moved Pueblo, Colorado in February for more testing.

The new fleet is set to start entering service in 2021

The Acela, which travels between New York and Washington DC along the Northeast Corridor, recently added a non-stop option to the route.

Roger Harris, Amtrak's chief marketing officer, told Business Insider that when the new fleet is introduced, Amtrak might consider incorporating other special trips into service.

"We're going to have a big increase in the number of trains we have and that will allow us to do more of these nonstop services," he said. "As well as allowing us to add frequencies on the north end between New York and Boston."

The new high-speed trains will travel at 160 mph, which is faster than the current trainsets can reach.

This project one of many massive infrastructure upgrades Amtrak is undertaking, along with renovating a 19th-century Baltimore rail tunnel and building a replacement tunnel under the Hudson River.

For such massive projects, estimates vary, but the longterm needs are as high as $30 billion by 2040. It already spends about $700 million annually on maintenance.

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