PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Amtrak’s Acela line — the fastest high-speed train in the country — won’t be getting its updated fleet until mid-2024, at the earliest, after an evaluation found the project is three years behind.
According to an assessment by the Amtrak Office of Inspector General, French manufacturer Alstom did not submit plans to address defects identified in all 12 serial trainsets and 22 cafe cars. The audit said the company did not demonstrate that the New Acela trains could move on with additional tests.
The target completion date is now May 2024, though more delays are possible.
Amtrak said it is “working closely with Alstom” to meet the needs of the assessment.
The Acela trains that are currently in operation can move up to 150 miles per hour. Amtrak said the top speed will increase after the new trainsets enter service, but U.S. high-speed rail travel as a whole is off-track, according to a travel expert.
“The tracks themselves cannot support high-speed rail,” said CBS News travel editor Peter Greenberg. Tracks across the country cater to the freight industry, meaning it doesn’t matter how fast passenger trains go if they have to regularly stop and allow freight trains to pass.
During the pandemic, Amtrak ridership was at an all-time high, proving its importance, Greenberg said. He believes there should be a federal mandate that prioritizes passenger rail service.
“One of the reasons why Amtrak does not have a great on-time performance record is because the freight trains take priority,” he argued. “We need to have a government mandate as a policy that passenger rail service needs to be improved, and that means freight trains don’t necessarily get priority.
“It’s an essential form of transportation. It now just needs to be respected.”
Amtrak told KYW Newsradio that it has already made improvements to procedures that will make for a “more efficient process for future equipment acquisitions.” The company said it is working with the manufacturer to meet the requirements noted in the report.