The Acela Express, Amtrak's High-Speed Train Along The NEC

Today, Amtrak (officially known as the National Railroad Passenger Corporation) and passenger rail, as a whole, are stronger than ever and increasingly gaining support as oil prices soar and we look for cleaner and more efficient ways to travel. Since 2000 when the Amtrak introduced high-speed Acela service (and more trains/routes in general) along its Northeast Corridor growth for the carrier has become much more prominent. Since 2002 Amtrak has broken annual ridership records and just in July of 2007 it was reported that ridership was up 9% over the 2006 numbers up to that time.

When Amtrak began it used private equipment donated by the participating railroads (although, it should be noted, that not all of the major Class Is, at that time, elected to join Amtrak) and while it was originally setup to become financially self-supporting this was completely an illusion (passenger railroading, is, again, almost never profitable and requires some sort of subsidy to operate).

In its first year Amtrak earned $163 million with expenses of $310 million. By 1980 things were not much better as the carrier saw $454 million in revenues and $1.08 billion in expenses. Regardless of all of the problems during its early years and the claims by critics that it is a waste of taxpayer money and should be eliminated, travel by train is not only a very needed transportation artery but also continues to receive public support year after year. And, even though a statute expired in 2002 ensuring annual funding for Amtrak, public support has continued and Congress overwhelmingly continues to provide funding for the carrier.

Today ridership numbers for Amtrak have broken 25 million and as transportation issues are becoming more of a discussion in our country passenger railroading is gaining more and more support and its future looks very good.

What resulted in the Acela Express began as early as the early 1990s when Amtrak went exploring for a high-speed train to serve its entire Northeast Corridor (NEC) operation. It tested several ultra-fast trains but what resulted in the Acela did not begin production until the mid/late 1990s with the help of government aide. It should also be noted that the Acela trains could have never happened themselves if upgrades to the NEC had not occurred, which replaced aging electric systems and updated others providing for alternating current as high as 25,000 volts along some segments.

The Acela Express was a joint venture between manufacturers Alstom and Bombardier. After numerous delays and a year behind schedule, the first trainset finally operated between Washington, D.C. and Boston on December 11, 2000. The train’s ultra-fast speed and schedule finally made rail travel a comparable alternative to regional flights. While the entire train was initially meant to tilt what resulted was only the cars themselves actually built with such features (which is only meant to increase comfort while riding, particularly at very high speeds).

Internally the Acela Express uses the latest in electric locomotive technology such as silicone oil-cooled transformers and the ability to operate under different voltages, such as is found on the NEC (anywhere between 11,000 to 25,000 volts). Other features of the Acela include a three-phase propulsion system that allows the train to accelerate incredibly quickly while requiring fewer motors than what has traditionally been used employing direct current (DC). Overall the Acela Express can provide over 12,000 horsepower with each power car at either end providing over 6,000 hp.

To learn more about Amtrak consider the book below from author Brian Solomon entitled Amtrak. Mr. Solomon's book gives an excellent general history of the carrier since its start up in 1971. The book is filled with information and pictures so if you have an interest in Amtrak or are interested in learning more about the carrier you certainly won't be disappointed in Mr. Solomon’s book.

Much more can be learned about Amtrak’s Acela Express electrics (and other designs) from Brian Solomon’s book Electric Locomotives, which goes into much more detail about the trainsets than what I covered above. Also, not only does the book give a nice overview about the Pennsy's electrified operations it also covers American electric locomotive technology in general.