Acela & Amtrak NEC (HSR BOS-NYP-WAS and branches only)

First time seeing a new train set live, this afternoon at south station. They look great but yeah the engine vs passenger car misalignment is noticeable.

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I would assume Alstom and Amtrak have done extensive testing of the aerodynamics of the Acela II, given that it's designed for a max speed of 220mph w/o tilting. Certainly doesn't look great, though.
 
SCNF in France ordered a bi-level variation of the Aveila Liberty too, known as Aveila Horizon, for TGV. It uses the same power cars as the American version, just with a more pronounced roof hump to meet up with the slightly taller carriages. That one has a smooth transition between the power car and the carriages, however. So the discrepancy is definitely unique to the American Aveila Liberty design.

960px-TGV_M_Ligne_PMP_Brest_Essais.jpg
 
Do the TGV ones have tilting passenger cars? Did Amtrak spec something that compelled them to crib Airo passenger cars?
 
RandomWalk said:
Do the TGV ones have tilting passenger cars? Did Amtrak spec something that compelled them to crib Airo passenger cars?
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I don't think the TGV cars tilt, though the Aveila Horizon design is modular enough that tilt options are available for purchase. The Amtrak carriages are based on the older single-level Alstom AGV family, married to the power cars from the TGV Aveilas. So it's a little bit of a mongrel (albeit standardized) design. All the AGV photos I've found, though, don't have that hexagonal bulge-out and do interface smoothly with their power cars, so the hex design might've been an Amtrak customization (possibly related to the ADA and netting adequate aisle width for wheelchairs).
 
As I understand it, the maximum speed for trains that tilt is 186 MPH. I don't know exactly why. That's 300 kilometers per hour so maybe anything designed for speeds higher than that is meant for dedicated high speed corridors which are built with fewer curves to begin with.
 
bakgwailo said:
I would assume Alstom and Amtrak have done extensive testing of the aerodynamics of the Acela II, given that it's designed for a max speed of 220mph w/o tilting. Certainly doesn't look great, though.
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Laws of physics tell us that there has to be a drag penalty on power requirements -- and the drag penalty is a fourth power effect, so a little drag cause a lot of excess energy use.
 
That misalignment is the immediate tell that we are not serious about high-speed rail
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I'm actually curious about just how much that misalignment will impact things. Once we eliminate all areas with curves where coaches will be tilting and/or speed restricted, bridges with speed restrictions, station areas, pretty much all of Metro North territory, etc, how much tangent track exists where passengers cars wouldn't be tilting and the train can achieve speeds where the drag would be impactful?
 
fatnoah said:
I'm actually curious about just how much that misalignment will impact things. Once we eliminate all areas with curves where coaches will be tilting and/or speed restricted, bridges with speed restrictions, station areas, pretty much all of Metro North territory, etc, how much tangent track exists where passengers cars wouldn't be tilting and the train can achieve speeds where the drag would be impactful?
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Let's be real, there are CONVENTIONAL (non-HSR) intercity rail routes in Europe & Japan that have higher average speeds (90+mph) than the Acela (which ranges from 60-85mph depending on route). Acela isn't really about speed, it's about getting priority over other trains, greater seating comfort, and having fewer stops. There is like 60+ minutes of padding end to end in the schedule that can be cut out before we need to worry about raising the top speed.
 
Does anyone know how many trainsets will be assigned to NYC-BOS after the new Airos are all in service?
 
www.trains.com

FRA, Amtrak to take over Penn Station remodeling, transportation secretary says - Trains

WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration and Amtrak will take over the long-discussed remodeling of New York’s Penn Station, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced today (April 17, 2025), saying the move came at the direction of President Donald Trump. The action removes the...
www.trains.com www.trains.com

Official notice letter here. The FRA awarded two separate grants through its Federal-State Partnership last year for NY Penn Station. The Penn Station Capacity Expansion (Penn-X) one was going to be an Amtrak project; the Penn Station Reconstruction (Penn-R) one was going to be MTA-led. Now both projects are being combined under Amtrak’s umbrella, so the FRA has pulled its $72 million Penn-R grant to the MTA, and apparently is also pulling funding from Amtrak’s grant awards to make them focus more on planning/design.
 
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