Federal officials from the Federal Railway Administration [FRA] have given Amtrak the go ahead to begin testing of Amtrak’s Acela predecessor, the Avelia Liberty. Initially reported by the New York Times, the trains have resumed testing on the Northeast Corridor [NEC] tracks between Washington D.C. and Boston. The tests come in wake of various technical issues found during the initial testing phase. No official date for revenue service has been announced as of yet.
A Rocky Start To The New Trains
The Avelia Liberty Trainsets will replace the aging Acela Express trainsets which have been operating “high speed” service on the NEC since the early 2000s. As with the original Acela trains, the new Avelia Liberty high speed trains are being manufactured by Alstom with an estimated cost estimated to exceed $2 Billion. The New York Times reported that in 2019 Alstom advised Amtrak that computer modeling showed that the Avelia Liberty trains would not be able to operate safely on the aging Northeast Corridor trackage. Despite this, Alstom has continued developments to get the new trains operational. In an Amtrak Office of Inspector General [OIG] report dated September 29, 2023 it was believed that the designs have not yet met all of the FRA requirements, leading to increased delays. Additional delays may occur as Alstom has not completed full delivery of the 28 total trainsets.
One Step Closer To Entering Into Service
Despite the setbacks, the resumption of testing will bring the new trains one step further to entering service. With the new trains, passengers will enjoy faster Wi-Fi, increased accessibility. In a statement to the New York times, Amtrak had this to say on the resumption of testing, “The testing on the tracks will be the next step in the safety certification process that leads toward launching revenue service.”
