skip to content
stan runge

#5163

Acela Express

🇺🇸 United States ·built by ALSTOM Transportation Germany· from 2000· trainset used on the Acela, Amtrak's high-speed Northeast Corridor service

🚄 high-speed train electric
10 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
  1. 1. Acela Express 2034 - BWI Amtrak (cropped): Han Zheng· CC BY-SA 2.0
  2. 2. Acela Express Rahway: Fan Railer· CC BY-SA 4.0
  3. 3. Acela Express business class coach: Ben Schumin· CC BY-SA 3.0
  4. 4. Acela Express testing at TTCI, June 2000: Bengt 1955 from Acton, MA, USA· CC BY-SA 2.0
  5. 5. Acela Express (7379678536): Ryan Stavely· CC BY-SA 2.0
  6. 6. Acela Express 2032 - BWI Amtrak: Han Zheng· CC BY-SA 2.0
  7. 7. Acela Express 2170 (12373902485): Ryan Stavely· CC BY-SA 2.0
  8. 8. Acela Express Amtrak at Newark Penn Station: Bonnachoven· CC0
  9. 9. Acela Express approaching Stamford station, July 2019: Pi.1415926535· CC BY-SA 4.0
  10. 10. Acela Express at Old Saybrook station, August 2012: Pi.1415926535· CC BY-SA 3.0
Read about it on Wikipedia ↗
Acela Express, photo 1 of 10
1/10 Han Zheng· CC BY-SA 2.0

what is it?

The first-generation Acela Express trainset is a unique trainset used on the Acela, Amtrak's flagship high-speed service along the Northeast Corridor (NEC) in the Northeastern United States. When they debuted in 2000, the sets were the fastest in the Americas, reaching speeds of up to 150 miles per hour (240 km/h) on 33.9 miles (54.6 km) of the route. Built between 1998 and 2001 by a consortium of Alstom and Bombardier, each set consists of two power cars derived from units that Alstom built for the TGV and six passenger cars based on the LRC design Bombardier created for Via Rail.

who runs it

Amtrak

base stats

  • speed 265 km/htop speed
  • power 4.6 MWpower output
  • weight 565 tin working order
  • seats 304passengers
  • built 20made in total

Bars compare against all trains: 600 km/h (maglev), 1,700 seats; power, weight and number built on a log scale up to 20 MW, 1,000 t and 20,000 built.

fun facts

  • First built 26 years ago, in 2000.
  • Top speed is 2.0× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
  • At full speed it would cover Amsterdam–Utrecht (≈ 40 km) in 9 minutes.
  • 4.6 MW is about 54 family cars (~85 kW each) flat out.
  • Weighs about as much as 94 African elephants (~6 t each).
  • 202 m long: about 45 cars parked nose to tail.
  • Seats 304: 6 full city buses (~50 seats each).

high-speed train: Built for 200–350 km/h on dedicated lines, like the TGV, ICE or Shinkansen.

spec sheet

built
2000
in service from
2000
number built
20
kind
high-speed train
traction
electric
origin
🇺🇸 United States
builders
ALSTOM Transportation Germany, Alstom
operators
Amtrak
top speed
265 km/h
power
4.6 MW
gauge
1,435 mm standard gauge
electric system
Overhead line:, 3 Amtrak's 60 Hz traction power system, 25 kV 60 Hz AC, 3 Electrification of the New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad…
formation
2 power cars and 6 coaches per set
length
202 m
weight
565 t
capacity
304 passengers

From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.

Sources: Wikidata Q108392816, Wikipedia: Acela Express (trainset) (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.

stan runge e33afe5 source