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The Avelia Liberty: transforming the Northeast Corridor
TIN news: The US Northeast Corridor (NEC) stretches across approximately 457 miles, linking the economic heartlands of Boston, New York City, and Washington, D.C. Its importance is growing; Amtrak’s Acela service has witnessed an increase from 2.4 million passengers in 2002 to 3.5 million in 2014, while annual ridership on the NEC as a whole – including other commuter services – is 750,000 daily and 260 million trips annually.
“The north eastern US is one of the largest economic generators [in the country],” says Amtrak’s senior vice president of strategic rail initiatives, Mark Yachmetz. “The importance of the railroads is in connecting the major cities.”
The growth poses some important questions: how do you keep up with demand? And, how to ensure the service is fit for the future? Enter Alstom’s new Avelia Liberty high speed train, as well as Amtrak’s overall NEC transformation project.
Amtrak’s current service uses the Acela trains, but the Liberty will, says Alstom, carry up to 33% more passengers, once they enter revenue service in 2021. “[It also has} 20% less energy consumption, 30% reduction in train weight resulting in less wear and tear on the infrastructure, and the ability to reach speeds up to 186mph in its current configuration,” says Alstom’s North American vice president for marketing and strategy, Scott Sherin. However, the train will initially operate at 160 mph.
“The north eastern US is one of the largest economic generators [in the country],” says Amtrak’s senior vice president of strategic rail initiatives, Mark Yachmetz. “The importance of the railroads is in connecting the major cities.”
The growth poses some important questions: how do you keep up with demand? And, how to ensure the service is fit for the future? Enter Alstom’s new Avelia Liberty high speed train, as well as Amtrak’s overall NEC transformation project.
Amtrak’s current service uses the Acela trains, but the Liberty will, says Alstom, carry up to 33% more passengers, once they enter revenue service in 2021. “[It also has} 20% less energy consumption, 30% reduction in train weight resulting in less wear and tear on the infrastructure, and the ability to reach speeds up to 186mph in its current configuration,” says Alstom’s North American vice president for marketing and strategy, Scott Sherin. However, the train will initially operate at 160 mph.