Newest high-speed passenger train leaves NY manufacturer and heads for Northeast Corridor

Chris Potter, The Evening Tribune
·2 min read

HORNELL — A new era for passenger rail in America is just around the bend.

The Acela, the nation’s first line of high-speed trains, departed the Hornell Alstom campus Wednesday morning bound for delivery to Amtrak.

The Acela stretched its legs with a short jaunt past the Erie Depot Museum on Loder Street, then headed back through the Alstom campus on its way to Canisteo, Painted Post and beyond. The trainset will be deployed in the Northeast Corridor in the coming months.

Wednesday’s departure marked a milestone, the first time a completed Acela left the Hornell shop. A pair of test trains were previously shipped out of the Hornell facility, with the first hitting the tracks to much fanfare on Feb. 17, 2020.

Rich Martin was among a small crowd gathered in Hornell to see the newest Acela off on its journey. Martin, a self-described “avid railroad passenger enthusiast,” made the drive over from his hometown of Corning.

“I was born into the New York Central Railroad by my great-uncle and kind of grew up around trains,” he said. “I’ve driven the taxis that take them all over the state.

“I’ve been all around the country on Amtrak. I’d love to come here, get on a train and go somewhere.”

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The next-generation Acela cars will feature the latest in passenger comforts, including:

  • Nearly 25% more seats. According to Amtrak, the 386 seats on each train will have the spacious, high-end comfort customers expect.

  • Personal outlets, USB ports and adjustable reading lights at every seat.

  • Contemporary food service, offering easy access and greater selection.

  • Complimentary WiFi.

  • Exceed accessibility requirements for people with disabilities.

  • Spacious restrooms with a 60-inch diameter turning radius.

The Acela high-speed train produced by Alstom glides past the Erie Depot Museum as it departs Hornell Wednesday morning, bound for delivery to Amtrak.
The Acela high-speed train produced by Alstom glides past the Erie Depot Museum as it departs Hornell Wednesday morning, bound for delivery to Amtrak.

The Acela reached a maximum speed of 166.8 mph during testing, Amtrak confirmed late last year. The test train traveled more than 30,000 miles while making over 2,000 trips around the test track in Pueblo, Colorado. It returned to Alstom’s Hornell shop for retrofitting May 1. A second train was deployed for testing along the Northeast Corridor.

The Hornell Alstom workforce will ultimately produce 28 new Acela trainsets to build out the high-speed fleet, part of a $2 billion contract awarded in 2016.

Alstom is in the process of expanding its presence in Hornell after winning a contract from Metra to provide rail cars for the Chicago metropolitan area. The base order calls for Alstom to manufacture 200 cars in Hornell, with options for up to 300 more. Construction of a new rail car manufacturing facility on Shawmut Drive is underway. The contract is expected to add around 250 new jobs and preserve 400 others.

Chris Potter can be reached at cpotter@gannett.com or on Twitter @ChrisPotter413. To get unlimited access to the latest news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

This article originally appeared on The Evening Tribune: Amtrak train Acela leaves Hornell for Amtrak Northeast Corridor