Amtrak is soon launching new Acela trains on the Northeast Corridor between Boston and the District of Columbia, zipping 10 mph faster with 27% more seats than the current version.
Amtrak said in a release Thursday that 28 of the next-generation Acela trains will roll through 2027, starting with five initial fleets on Aug. 28. The new trains will run on expanded weekday and weekend schedules.
The older Acela trains, which will run alongside the new ones at first, launched in 2000. The new trains were supposed to debut in 2022 but were delayed by setbacks, according to NewsNation.
The new trains will travel at a maximum 160 mph, up from the 150 mph for the current stock of Amtrak trains. New onboard amenities include 5G Wi-Fi and USB and power outlets, along with reading lights, available for every seat, Amtrak said in a fact sheet. The wide seats will have more legroom and winged headrests for privacy.
Amtrak also said the new trains are American-made, assembled by union workers at the Alstom plant in Hornell, New York, from supplies sourced from 29 states. About 15,000 jobs were created to manufacture the updated fleet.
