At first I thought to myself, “wait Avelia Liberty is in service??” considering the signs on the doors stating it has service from Washington to Boston. But upon further evaluation on a recent article, they’re once again pulling service back at Spring 2023. Even more ridiculously, considering they have to make a new simulation run and improvements to the trainsets, its sad we won’t be able to see AL in action.
Ridiculous indeed. They announced they'd be getting new trains in 2016. And 6 years later, STILL not in service. This is apparently what happens when the country you live in does not invest on modernizing our railways. Companies have to make their trains backward-compatible. How ridiculous is that?
I personally think it's a good thing as there still aren't too many sets around and by running through problems and long term testing now they can find issues and any future problems caused by wear and tear to the trainsets and what fixes they will need to make to the train and to the corridor itself.
@@DevonMopiedmont1143 Can agree, only three were produced, but the rest will be much better after the next simulation run and the improvements needed for the rest of the 25 trainsets and the rest of the existing sets.
Typical American incompetence in government and industry. Just look at Detroit. We are the laughing stock of the world these days. We can’t build anything worth poop anymore and politicians (and many people) are as dumb as a board.
I feel like the Northeast Corridor is partly to blame for the CONSTANT delays of Avelia Liberty entering service because of how *OLD* the N.E.C. is and is in *DESPERATE* need for refurbishment, most train routes (mainly Amtrak, NJT, MARC, etc.) that have the capability to go over 100mph have to *stay under 100mph* just to keep the trains from derailing off the deteriorating tracks & tunnels.
I COMPLETELY agree with you. Amtrak even reported that Alstom has had to make the trains backward compatible with the Northeast corridor. That has to be one of the most ridiculous statements I've read about a railway.
@@TheRailwayDrone agreed even though the French gov didn't initially tell anyone about this and just said that the French railways at that time could handle high speed trains
until they fix my bridge (Susquehanna River) they still have to slow way down. One of the busiest train bridges around and nobody wants to fund its replacement
It’s starting to get ridiculous that all of these high speed rail projects are facing so many delays, do to glitches, politics, environmental studies and underfunding.
@@TheRailwayDrone Watching California HSR's progress is a masochist activity. While, Atlanta was able to rebuild their destroyed i85 bridge in just 6 weeks. Though they had to essentially bribe the construction company with a hefty sum of money to do so (So hmm...). But boy they needed too, since when one highway goes down, there's traffic jam hell with no transit system to pick up the slack. Rail could be built quicker, but it's a lack of interest/dollars and efficiency in the government. The traffic is bad in the Northeast, and the only way to fix it is to improve the NEC with higher speeds, more tracks, and most importantly: LIGHT RAIL, dedicated bike trails, and sidewalks, so we can eliminate at least some cars off the road. This is an urban area, treat it like such, don't pretend we're the midwest and just build an interstate here as a one-size-fits-all solution!
Here's an explanation (not sure how accurate it is though): www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/alstom-explains-latest-delay-for-new-acela-deployment/?fbclid=IwAR0li7rKIhU99p6X8IVFgxyb4kNSvInUbuSAfjZVapTrDwxb2gLXCLNFI3Q
No it's because the NEC is ancient and falling apart; fancy new equipment built to run on perfectly smooth lines averaging, yes averaging, over 130 mph can't take the beating of the NEC.
Wow finally a train that looks like Japan in the US they have the best transit systems in the world and we don't it's sick that it's true but with all these new high speed train investments hopefully by time I'm dead we will be where Japan is today
Was this one actually serving as 2172 as said on the sign on top of the door for car 1? If it is in service that means this is the beginning of the end for the first generation Acela. Consist for this train aka set 3: 2109, 3451, 3614, 3613, 3352, 3612, 3611, 3610, 3902, 3252, 2108. That is the whole consist.
Ok and do you know why it was changed to Acela Class instead of staying with Business Class or why it says Cafe Car instead of Cafe Acela? Was this being previewed at Washington DC?
@@NorthAtlanticRails I don't know any of those things. They weren't being previewed at Union Station. I'm not even sure if they were in the middle of a test. It was on the platform and there were really no other people around other than the security guard.
The equipment is still being tested because the NEC is old and falling apart and fancy new equipment has trouble handling that. Fall 2023 is now the projected revenue service date. Not sure how the current sets won't fall apart before then because it's nearly every day one gets delayed because of mechanical issues. One today was nearly an hour late. They're probably changing the names of the classes on Acela since they're so different than other trains; should've done that when the Acela Is went in service IMO. Business class on Regionals isn't worth it but sometimes Acela Business (coach) is only a few dollars more and totally worth if you want business class.
@@connecticutmultimodaltrans8226 Yeah I have found round trip tickets from DC to NYC for $160. Much more worth the price given it bypasses many of the stops that the NER makes.
@@TheRailwayDrone crap trackage thanks to the big 7 class ones railroads aka BNSF union pacific csx and Norfolk southern because they think they have priority over amtrak
@@TheRailwayDrone we had talgo 6 trainsets but when one had a bad accident they withdrew them from service and now we only have two talgo 8 trainsets and the horizon coaches
Brightline is using Siemens Charger locomotives and Venture cars. Those aren't high speed. In fact, this is the exact same equipment Amtrak is using on state supported routes. The average speed of Brightline is 54mph. The Charger + Venture combo can technically go 125mph. But HSR starts at 150mph. The Acela is the only high speed train in the country at the moment. Only the California High Speed Rail line will be faster than the Acela.
There's an "Amtrak New Equipment" Facebook group I follow. Someone in that group posted pictures of the train at Union Station. Since I live a few blocks, I went down there and found the train was still there.
thx for your vid but it's better if you get on the train and film the new comfort to your desired destination and feel the high speed under your feet ;)
One of the guys I ran into who's on the testing team told me service will start in 2023...but it's already TWO YEARS LATE, so I'm not sure if that's even accurate.
i just went to ny on weekend and took gen 1 when will this one start to hit the rails? the gen one is like a plane from 2000... they sadly aren't being kept up very well
I don’t understand the point of buying high speed trains (which can go higher than 320kmph) when your rail network can’t even support 1/3 of the power of those engines. That’s like buying a Mercedes on a country where there is no highway, what’s the damn point ? The potential of those trains (latest version of the TGV, just a reminder) can’t even be used at 30%, this sucks. Either you guys build a REAL HSL on that corridor to run those trains, or you just upgrade your damn tracks and run common regional on it. Remember : HIGH SPEED TRAINS RUNS ON HIGH SPEED LINES. Cheers from France
Trust me, I've been saying this for years. But Amtrak folks/supporters will shoot you down in a heartbeat the moment you DARE to criticize the company.
@@TheRailwayDrone true and god damn is it sad if they want to improve things take the criticism and come up with solutions not just sweep everything under the rug but yet again this is also part of the NEC fault of it being as old as it is there isn’t exactly much Amtrak can do about it without either the NEC changing completely or Amtrak keep changing up their trains to fit along with the area
It’s a problem but corporations and politicians don’t like to spend money especially not conservatives. Also, Amtrak doesn’t own the entire nec. They are at the mercy of those who own it.
@@jkeelsnc it’s owned mostly by Amtrak but they have to share it with others such as Septa and NJT if it was to be changed it would cause others who share it some massive problems it’s a little sad tho that even tho these trains are evolving to be more faster and more comfortable to travel the old system limits the true abilities of these trains heck the Acella we have rn can barely reach its top speed most of the time because of the age of the rail system I do hope they can do something to help improve the NEC as a whole otherwise rn the true abilities of the trains will be never used and they would just be there for I guess show and tell what ima call it
I wish the best to you guys in the East coast! When AL is done, I will fly their to ride it! We Californians have been building our HSR Package 1,2,3,4 for a very long time and our representatives in Sacramento are engaged in power grabs. 15 years and we have not laid one foot of rail, we have grading and viaducts and half a bridge to show for! Somebody up there, please help us!
This project has only been in the construction phase for 7 years. Mind you, any other developed country would have finished it by now, but you also have to take into account that your fellow citizens have been fighting against progress as they have tried to stop the project at every turn. By the way, there are more than just viaducts and half a bridge. Plenty of videos on youtube show how much work has been done. It's really cynical and unfair to claim this project is a waste of time and has no progress, when there are construction workers who get up daily to build this project so that people like you can ride it in the future. You should be more excited than you are now. YOUR railway will be a modern high speed railway unlike anything we have on the East Coast; we're still riding on a 20th century railway, while waiting for a new train that had to be made "backward compatible" with the Northeast Corridor. Cheer up. The CAHSR project will be a great system, and I am certain Californians will be proud when it's complete.
Hermoso hermoso ese tren como quisiera que ese tren benga al Ecuador para ver si sube las cordilleras del Ecuador pero los gobiernos ladrones de mi pais no asen nada x sacar adelante al Ecuador
And I don’t understand what the problem is with the delays. They have run the Acela trainsets for years and these Avelia trainsets are made by the same company who has also been making trainsets for Sncf for decades. Some Americans screwed up somewhere.
@@TheRailwayDrone true. So most of the nec needs to replaced with a true hsr. Good luck getting the crusty old conservative curmudgeons swept out of the way to get it done.
The acela has always been a beautiful train but this one the cars are beautiful my gripe is with that front and rear engines they don't fit and they look like dolphins. My opinion when it came to the engines they didnt take the time to design a way better looking engine they just threw some style together and amtrak fell for it. The older aclea engines are better looking than these look at Europe their high speed trains match the set and look more like a train and not an animal.
I think the locos look fine they just needed to make the sides of the passenger cars flat. Guess that's Amtrak trying to be like their older curvy trains.
@@versedbridge4007 the amrrican loading gauge is wider then here in europe that is why the cars are wider and amtrak wanted an off- the shelf powercar design so that is why they don't match but I like the trains I don't mind the gap
Actually the Avelia Liberty, aka Acela IIs are just Avelia Horizon (TGV M) in American trim. Like @Stefan De Treinspotter said, Amtrak wanted to stick pretty close to the Horizon design so we ended up with that notch. I'm sure that there are technical reasons why they wanted to maintain this more complete compatibility with the Horizon, but don't know the particulars. I imagine it's in order to make buying new power cars easier in the future, but I'm just guessing here.
The problem with Amtrak is that they tailor their high speed train to business people. Thats not how you get customers. you let anyone ride them. Stop calling it "Business Class". Its not really high-speed if it takes a train that can top out at 180mph just ONE hour faster then the cheaper train. It should be able to get there 2-3 hours faster. I love how the windows are blocked.
Oh gosh don't say this to the Amtrak die hards. I once debated them on how stupid it is to have the Acela marketed exclusively toward business people, and they ripped me a new one.
This train looks beautiful! It is like an American fusion of the TGV and Shinkansen. Can’t wait to see the train in service.
At first I thought to myself, “wait Avelia Liberty is in service??” considering the signs on the doors stating it has service from Washington to Boston. But upon further evaluation on a recent article, they’re once again pulling service back at Spring 2023. Even more ridiculously, considering they have to make a new simulation run and improvements to the trainsets, its sad we won’t be able to see AL in action.
Ridiculous indeed. They announced they'd be getting new trains in 2016. And 6 years later, STILL not in service. This is apparently what happens when the country you live in does not invest on modernizing our railways. Companies have to make their trains backward-compatible. How ridiculous is that?
I personally think it's a good thing as there still aren't too many sets around and by running through problems and long term testing now they can find issues and any future problems caused by wear and tear to the trainsets and what fixes they will need to make to the train and to the corridor itself.
@@DevonMopiedmont1143 Can agree, only three were produced, but the rest will be much better after the next simulation run and the improvements needed for the rest of the 25 trainsets and the rest of the existing sets.
Typical American incompetence in government and industry. Just look at Detroit. We are the laughing stock of the world these days. We can’t build anything worth poop anymore and politicians (and many people) are as dumb as a board.
Right now the holdup isn't our country, it's Alstom. Really should have gone with someone else to build this thing
I feel like the Northeast Corridor is partly to blame for the CONSTANT delays of Avelia Liberty entering service because of how *OLD* the N.E.C. is and is in *DESPERATE* need for refurbishment, most train routes (mainly Amtrak, NJT, MARC, etc.) that have the capability to go over 100mph have to *stay under 100mph* just to keep the trains from derailing off the deteriorating tracks & tunnels.
I COMPLETELY agree with you. Amtrak even reported that Alstom has had to make the trains backward compatible with the Northeast corridor. That has to be one of the most ridiculous statements I've read about a railway.
@@TheRailwayDrone bruh the French had to *BUILD* entire new rails for the TGV
@@bandvitromania9642 Right. If they can do it, there's no reason why this country can't.
@@TheRailwayDrone agreed even though the French gov didn't initially tell anyone about this and just said that the French railways at that time could handle high speed trains
until they fix my bridge (Susquehanna River) they still have to slow way down. One of the busiest train bridges around and nobody wants to fund its replacement
It’s starting to get ridiculous that all of these high speed rail projects are facing so many delays, do to glitches, politics, environmental studies and underfunding.
It just proves the point that America can no longer build infrastructure projects in a timely manner without all that stuff getting in the way.
@@TheRailwayDrone Watching California HSR's progress is a masochist activity. While, Atlanta was able to rebuild their destroyed i85 bridge in just 6 weeks. Though they had to essentially bribe the construction company with a hefty sum of money to do so (So hmm...). But boy they needed too, since when one highway goes down, there's traffic jam hell with no transit system to pick up the slack. Rail could be built quicker, but it's a lack of interest/dollars and efficiency in the government. The traffic is bad in the Northeast, and the only way to fix it is to improve the NEC with higher speeds, more tracks, and most importantly: LIGHT RAIL, dedicated bike trails, and sidewalks, so we can eliminate at least some cars off the road. This is an urban area, treat it like such, don't pretend we're the midwest and just build an interstate here as a one-size-fits-all solution!
@@MSNWindows7 Truer words have never been spoken. You hit the nail right on the head.
@@MSNWindows7 You're absolutely right.
Almost like they don’t want them to happen won’t you say
Beautiful train to be! Thanks for posting👍
wow..amazing capture friend
Excellent video! my friend.👍
Wow I appreciate the complement.
Wonderful video like and subscribed from Czech Republic 🙂👍👍👍👍🔔🇨🇿🇪🇺
Nice footage 👍 Cheers from Poland 🇵🇱🖐️🙂
Thank you! Much appreciated!
Acela Express Trains Love ❤
The front looks like a spike! Cant wait to see it myself!
awesome video
Well thank you very much.
Now we just need the tracks and stations to go with it!
I think I've found the perfect UA-cam channel: someone who marched Cadets in 2000 and who is a railroad enthusiast like me!
You might be right!
“Acela Class” reminds me of when SJ had “X 2000 Class” when they were young, before they went back to 1st & 2nd Class
The train looks real nice, what I found ridiculous is the huge delay of the trains entering revenue service
Abssolutely Beautiful Train, too bad is not in service already, the politics and the poor management from the DOT is causing so many delays.
Here's an explanation (not sure how accurate it is though): www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/alstom-explains-latest-delay-for-new-acela-deployment/?fbclid=IwAR0li7rKIhU99p6X8IVFgxyb4kNSvInUbuSAfjZVapTrDwxb2gLXCLNFI3Q
No it's because the NEC is ancient and falling apart; fancy new equipment built to run on perfectly smooth lines averaging, yes averaging, over 130 mph can't take the beating of the NEC.
Wow finally a train that looks like Japan in the US they have the best transit systems in the world and we don't it's sick that it's true but with all these new high speed train investments hopefully by time I'm dead we will be where Japan is today
How I can know if it will be a new Acela or just a normal one when booking the ticket?
Well the new ones won't be in service until late 2023.
Awesome video my friend ❤️ 🇮🇳
Thanks!
British rail colours of the 70/80 s alive and well across the Atlantic
Hope all the details will be solved and AVELIA Liberty will be in full service soon .
GREETINGS.........................
👍💥💯
Was this one actually serving as 2172 as said on the sign on top of the door for car 1? If it is in service that means this is the beginning of the end for the first generation Acela. Consist for this train aka set 3: 2109, 3451, 3614, 3613, 3352, 3612, 3611, 3610, 3902, 3252, 2108. That is the whole consist.
I have no idea. I don't really pay attention to those numbers unless its on the station departure screen lol...
Ok and do you know why it was changed to Acela Class instead of staying with Business Class or why it says Cafe Car instead of Cafe Acela? Was this being previewed at Washington DC?
@@NorthAtlanticRails I don't know any of those things. They weren't being previewed at Union Station. I'm not even sure if they were in the middle of a test. It was on the platform and there were really no other people around other than the security guard.
The equipment is still being tested because the NEC is old and falling apart and fancy new equipment has trouble handling that. Fall 2023 is now the projected revenue service date. Not sure how the current sets won't fall apart before then because it's nearly every day one gets delayed because of mechanical issues. One today was nearly an hour late.
They're probably changing the names of the classes on Acela since they're so different than other trains; should've done that when the Acela Is went in service IMO. Business class on Regionals isn't worth it but sometimes Acela Business (coach) is only a few dollars more and totally worth if you want business class.
@@connecticutmultimodaltrans8226 Yeah I have found round trip tickets from DC to NYC for $160. Much more worth the price given it bypasses many of the stops that the NER makes.
So when are they starting service on these new trains?
2038.
door was opened, should sneak in lol
I thought about it lol...
The amtrak cascades has to use old horizon coaches UNTIL 2024 when they finally get siemen venture cars
Wow what the hell is going on with transit in this country?
@@TheRailwayDrone crap trackage thanks to the big 7 class ones railroads aka BNSF union pacific csx and Norfolk southern because they think they have priority over amtrak
@@Dannyedelman4231 Geez...
@@TheRailwayDrone we had talgo 6 trainsets but when one had a bad accident they withdrew them from service and now we only have two talgo 8 trainsets and the horizon coaches
I can hear N&W 611 in the background lol
Avelia Liberty and Brightline are the best hi speed trains!
Brightline is using Siemens Charger locomotives and Venture cars. Those aren't high speed. In fact, this is the exact same equipment Amtrak is using on state supported routes. The average speed of Brightline is 54mph.
The Charger + Venture combo can technically go 125mph. But HSR starts at 150mph. The Acela is the only high speed train in the country at the moment. Only the California High Speed Rail line will be faster than the Acela.
Why they still called Acela a high speed train. I took it once and it was slow.
How did you know when to see it?
There's an "Amtrak New Equipment" Facebook group I follow. Someone in that group posted pictures of the train at Union Station. Since I live a few blocks, I went down there and found the train was still there.
Thanks I will be following it now!
thx for your vid but it's better if you get on the train and film the new comfort to your desired destination and feel the high speed under your feet ;)
Unfortunately I was unable to do that because it is not in revenue service.
First Day Service?
Nah...testing.
When is service going to start?
One of the guys I ran into who's on the testing team told me service will start in 2023...but it's already TWO YEARS LATE, so I'm not sure if that's even accurate.
@@TheRailwayDrone Thanks
@@geridamas935 Of course.
Fall 2023 is the newest projection
@@TheRailwayDrone Hey, that's still one year earlier than the Horizons will get in France! 😁
When will the original Acela trains will be retire? it’s because I’m almost 16 and I really want to ride on the original one before it retires
I think all the new Acelas will be on the tracks by the end of 2024 which leaves the old ones to retire by then.
@@TheRailwayDrone Alright, thanks for the information
@@RailBet Not a problem.
What's the holdup?
Ask Amtrak. Something about Catenary issues and shit like that.
i just went to ny on weekend and took gen 1 when will this one start to hit the rails? the gen one is like a plane from 2000... they sadly aren't being kept up very well
The new ones won't be in service until the fall of 2023...a full 2 years late.
@@TheRailwayDrone I had sound off watching. why was this one at the yard? Thanks for capturing video
@@dj-ez4yf It was at Union Station heading back to Philly.
I don’t understand the point of buying high speed trains (which can go higher than 320kmph) when your rail network can’t even support 1/3 of the power of those engines. That’s like buying a Mercedes on a country where there is no highway, what’s the damn point ? The potential of those trains (latest version of the TGV, just a reminder) can’t even be used at 30%, this sucks. Either you guys build a REAL HSL on that corridor to run those trains, or you just upgrade your damn tracks and run common regional on it.
Remember : HIGH SPEED TRAINS RUNS ON HIGH SPEED LINES. Cheers from France
Trust me, I've been saying this for years. But Amtrak folks/supporters will shoot you down in a heartbeat the moment you DARE to criticize the company.
@@TheRailwayDrone true and god damn is it sad if they want to improve things take the criticism and come up with solutions not just sweep everything under the rug but yet again this is also part of the NEC fault of it being as old as it is there isn’t exactly much Amtrak can do about it without either the NEC changing completely or Amtrak keep changing up their trains to fit along with the area
It’s a problem but corporations and politicians don’t like to spend money especially not conservatives. Also, Amtrak doesn’t own the entire nec. They are at the mercy of those who own it.
@@jkeelsnc it’s owned mostly by Amtrak but they have to share it with others such as Septa and NJT if it was to be changed it would cause others who share it some massive problems it’s a little sad tho that even tho these trains are evolving to be more faster and more comfortable to travel the old system limits the true abilities of these trains heck the Acella we have rn can barely reach its top speed most of the time because of the age of the rail system I do hope they can do something to help improve the NEC as a whole otherwise rn the true abilities of the trains will be never used and they would just be there for I guess show and tell what ima call it
@@racerlord2329 yes cheaper conventional emu trains would have made more sense and cost a lot less. Fares would be more affordable and accessible.
I wish the best to you guys in the East coast! When AL is done, I will fly their to ride it! We Californians have been building our HSR Package 1,2,3,4 for a very long time and our representatives in Sacramento are engaged in power grabs. 15 years and we have not laid one foot of rail, we have grading and viaducts and half a bridge to show for! Somebody up there, please help us!
This project has only been in the construction phase for 7 years. Mind you, any other developed country would have finished it by now, but you also have to take into account that your fellow citizens have been fighting against progress as they have tried to stop the project at every turn.
By the way, there are more than just viaducts and half a bridge. Plenty of videos on youtube show how much work has been done. It's really cynical and unfair to claim this project is a waste of time and has no progress, when there are construction workers who get up daily to build this project so that people like you can ride it in the future.
You should be more excited than you are now. YOUR railway will be a modern high speed railway unlike anything we have on the East Coast; we're still riding on a 20th century railway, while waiting for a new train that had to be made "backward compatible" with the Northeast Corridor.
Cheer up. The CAHSR project will be a great system, and I am certain Californians will be proud when it's complete.
Any passengers
Nope. Still in the testing phase. Doesn't go into revenue service until FALL of 2023.
@@TheRailwayDrone Thanks for that information.
@@richardrichmarcleveque3607 No problem!
Hermoso hermoso ese tren como quisiera que ese tren benga al Ecuador para ver si sube las cordilleras del Ecuador pero los gobiernos ladrones de mi pais no asen nada x sacar adelante al Ecuador
Lo más probable es que tenga un ferrocarril que atraviese esas montañas, ya que los trenes de alta velocidad no funcionan muy bien en las montañas.
😥😓😪
And I don’t understand what the problem is with the delays. They have run the Acela trainsets for years and these Avelia trainsets are made by the same company who has also been making trainsets for Sncf for decades. Some Americans screwed up somewhere.
The problem is they have to make the trains "backward compatible" with the NEC, an old, 20th century railway.
@@TheRailwayDrone true. So most of the nec needs to replaced with a true hsr. Good luck getting the crusty old conservative curmudgeons swept out of the way to get it done.
@@jkeelsnc I've pretty much given up on this country implementing true high speed rail (well, except for California, although that project is slow).
If the train is capable of 220 mph, where?
No where in the United States.
@@TheRailwayDrone Ya think they might be considering straightening the main line from BOS to WDC? NAH!
@@anotherview9604 lol nope.
@@anotherview9604 Even if they had the money, you can’t convince tens of thousands of people to move,
On the bright side, at least these will do 160 mph rather than 150 mph on the high speed sections! We're slowly creeping toward real HSR 😁
The new acelas look gross, no cap
I can't do anything about that. I still like the interiors. I just wish the coaches were flush with the power cars like it's sister in France.
Новые дизаны бомбардье 2 этажные сша ; алстом ; мта амтрак
Вашингтон - бостон ньюйорки
The acela has always been a beautiful train but this one the cars are beautiful my gripe is with that front and rear engines they don't fit and they look like dolphins. My opinion when it came to the engines they didnt take the time to design a way better looking engine they just threw some style together and amtrak fell for it. The older aclea engines are better looking than these look at Europe their high speed trains match the set and look more like a train and not an animal.
I think the locos look fine they just needed to make the sides of the passenger cars flat. Guess that's Amtrak trying to be like their older curvy trains.
@@versedbridge4007 the amrrican loading gauge is wider then here in europe that is why the cars are wider and amtrak wanted an off- the shelf powercar design so that is why they don't match but I like the trains I don't mind the gap
Actually the Avelia Liberty, aka Acela IIs are just Avelia Horizon (TGV M) in American trim. Like @Stefan De Treinspotter said, Amtrak wanted to stick pretty close to the Horizon design so we ended up with that notch.
I'm sure that there are technical reasons why they wanted to maintain this more complete compatibility with the Horizon, but don't know the particulars. I imagine it's in order to make buying new power cars easier in the future, but I'm just guessing here.
The problem with Amtrak is that they tailor their high speed train to business people. Thats not how you get customers. you let anyone ride them. Stop calling it "Business Class". Its not really high-speed if it takes a train that can top out at 180mph just ONE hour faster then the cheaper train. It should be able to get there 2-3 hours faster. I love how the windows are blocked.
Oh gosh don't say this to the Amtrak die hards. I once debated them on how stupid it is to have the Acela marketed exclusively toward business people, and they ripped me a new one.
@@TheRailwayDrone They should make it affordable to everyone. It shouldnt cost $400 to take the train 300 miles.
@@kevinhoward9593 EXACTLY what I'm saying. It's not even worth $400.
@@TheRailwayDrone Hell you can leave from London and cross 6 countries for less then that.
@@kevinhoward9593 Yeah, riding standard premier.