In August 2016, Amtrak announced a $2.4 billion loan from the United States Department of Transportation for the purchase of new high-speed trainsets for the Acela Express service from Alstom. Alstom will also provide long-term technical support and supply spare components and parts. These next generation trainsets would replace the 20 existing Bombardier-Alstom trainsets that were nearing the end of their useful service life. Amtrak said that the Avelia Liberty trainsets would allow for improved frequency and greater capacity on the Acela Express service. The 28 trainsets ordered would allow for more frequent service on the route, including half-hourly peak service between New York City and Washington, D.C. Each new trainsets will also have 386 seats allowing for greater passenger capacity. U.S. assembly of the trainsets is taking place at Alstom's plants in Hornell and Rochester, New York. Initial construction of car bodies and major components began at Hornell in October 2017. The first trainset was sent to the Transportation Technology Center, Inc. in Pueblo, Colorado in February 2020 for testing on the high-speed test track. During the nine months of expected trials, the trainsets were tested at speeds up to. A second trainset was delivered in March 2020 to Amtrak for testing along the service tracks in the Northeast which began in May 2020. The first trainset is expected to enter revenue service in 2021, with all trainsets in service by 2022, at which point Amtrak will retire the previous Acela fleet.
Features and production
Each Avelia Liberty trainset has power cars at each end of the train, and nine articulated passenger cars. An additional three passenger cars can be added if demand grows. The power cars include a Crash Energy Management system to help meet FRA standards while allowing a 30% reduction in train weight. These trains will also have USB ports, power sockets, WiFi, accessibility features, and other conveniences. The trainsets will be equipped with an active tilt system, dubbed Tiltronix by Alstom, that will allow higher speeds on curved portions of the corridor track. The new trainsets, along with track and signaling improvements, will allow for an initial improvement in maximum regular service speed to on some portions of the route, with a maximum possible speed of if future investments in track and signaling upgrades are made. The trains themselves are designed for a speed of if the tilting mechanism is deactivated.
