Acela 21 (Avelia Liberty) development, testing and deployment (2018 - 1Q 2024)

[jis]

All the photos were originally posted by Amtrak here:

https://media.amtrak.com/media-images/nextgentraininteriors/

 

[Acela150]

I'm not sure how many browse Railroad.net, but quite a few members are absolutely persistent that the new HST's will be the same length as the current HST. Which doesn't seem likely as they are adding two cars and expanding the capacity. Some are also saying that the cars will not be the standard 85 foot car.

 

[jis]

I'm not sure how many browse Railroad.net, but quite a few members are absolutely persistent that the new HST's will be the same length as the current HST. Which doesn't seem likely as they are adding two cars and expanding the capacity. Some are also saying that the cars will not be the standard 85 foot car.

The latter is definitely true. They will be TGV length cars. 85 footers don't work very well with Jacobs Bogies used for articulation with their wider overhang in the middle in curves.

A quick back of the envelope calculation suggests that a 200m (known length of the new trains) long consist with 11 equal length units would give a per unit length of the cars (9) and power car (2) units to be around 18.2m ( ~60'). So the length of individual cars would be in that ball park. That sounds about right for a TGV/AGV articulated using Jacobs Bogies

As a matter of fact there will be nothing standard about those cars or the trucks that they ride on as far as what one sees in the US is concerned. But the ride will be smoother and quieter than anything in the US too.

So yeah, they are more or less correct

 

[DSS&A]

First Avelia carshell has been completed.

https://www.railjournal.com/regions/north-america/first-amtrak-avelia-bodyshell-completed

 

[GBNorman]

BTW, there are planes where people face backwards. I have had seats facing backwards in Business Class on a few airlines.

From a review of Seatguru, United and British Airways seem to be the "offenders".
Why, in exchange for paying some 4X the Coach fare, a passenger must be facing Aft, escapes me.

On my flights to EDDM/MUC on the way to Salzburg, I've always selected 6A on a United 77Q. They do not sell 6B as it there for Officers on break, and if something in First is open, that is where they camp out leaving 6B open.

Now one year I went,'15, they substituted a 763 and my 6A was (ugh) Aft facing - not a happy camper!

Oh well, whenever United moves forth with reconfiguring their existing 772 fleet to the W (Polaris) configuration, all should be well, as those pods all face forward.

Meanwhile, back on the rails over here, whenever I've been on any fixed seating railcar, it's always "sport" to watch how the forward riding seats fill first. I only hope that for their premium "best foot forward" product that will be around to mid-century, Amtrak and their consultants have not made a serious marketing blunder that would be quite difficult to correct.

 

[jis]

While this thread has nothing to do with airline seating as such, the 21 ex-Con 777-200ERs that United has are all front facing lie flat Business-First seats. It is only the ex-United 777s that had the back facing lie flat Business Class seats, which irrespective of forward or backward facing are a cramped abominations anyway. Similarly the ex-Con 767s and 757s have the lie flat BF seats, all forward facing. The ex-United 767s that have not been converted yet, have those horrible United BC lie-flats.

Coming back to trains, I have never heard of a train on a busy corridor not selling out because it has backward facing seats. So I think the whole issue viz-a-viz "marketing blunder " is just a red herring.

 

[cpotisch]

First Avelia carshell has been completed.

https://www.railjournal.com/regions/north-america/first-amtrak-avelia-bodyshell-completed

Finally!

 

[Acela150]

First Avelia carshell has been completed.

https://www.railjournal.com/regions/north-america/first-amtrak-avelia-bodyshell-completed

And a picture to boot!

 

[daybeers]

First Avelia carshell has been completed.

https://www.railjournal.com/regions/north-america/first-amtrak-avelia-bodyshell-completed

And a picture to boot!

Is this sarcasm because I personally see nothing on the page except for the navigation menus at the top and bottom but no actual article or picture.

 

[cpotisch]

What's that picture at the top of the page of? It doesn't look like a train car. Some sort of machinery?

 

[keelhauled]

Is this sarcasm because I personally see nothing on the page except for the navigation menus at the top and bottom but no actual article or picture.

They redid their website last week or so. It does exactly what you describe for me in Firefox, but works in Edge. Therefore I no longer regularly read Rail Journal. Alstom's press release has the same picture.

 

[Acela150]

First Avelia carshell has been completed.

https://www.railjournal.com/regions/north-america/first-amtrak-avelia-bodyshell-completed

And a picture to boot!

Is this sarcasm because I personally see nothing on the page except for the navigation menus at the top and bottom but no actual article or picture.

No. There is a picture of the shell at the top of the article.

 

[Acela150]

What's that picture at the top of the page of? It doesn't look like a train car. Some sort of machinery?

Is this sarcasm because I personally see nothing on the page except for the navigation menus at the top and bottom but no actual article or picture.

They redid their website last week or so. It does exactly what you describe for me in Firefox, but works in Edge. Therefore I no longer regularly read Rail Journal. Alstom's press release has the same picture.

That's actually better then what IRJ has.

 

[Mystic River Dragon]

I see it now (with all the people standing in front of it?), but at first glance it really does look like a bit white bulletin board with a door--it's not obvious til you look more closely.

I googled Avelia Liberty to look at the actual shell, and I'm sorry to say I think it looks like a giant caterpillar with large, spooky eyes. Plus a picture of Chris Christie popped up on one of the photos while I was searching (he is still getting into everything, apparently!

)

 

[Acela150]

I see it now (with all the people standing in front of it?), but at first glance it really does look like a bit white bulletin board with a door--it's not obvious til you look more closely.

Yes, that's it! It's Keep in mind the renderings and what they show. A big Acela logo will be on that white background.

Personally I have mixed feelings about the white background. Simply cause I'm used to the steel car body of the current fleet.

 

[CraigDK]

I was surprised when I saw that it was manufactured in Michigan. I thought in the various buy American waivers that where requested, the shells (along with certain other specific components) where to be made in France and shipped to New York for final assembly. Either my memory is wrong or maybe that was the coach shells.

 

[bretton88]

I was surprised when I saw that it was manufactured in Michigan. I thought in the various buy American waivers that where requested, the shells (along with certain other specific components) where to be made in France and shipped to New York for final assembly. Either my memory is wrong or maybe that was the coach shells.

The prototype for testing is being made in France. The rest is domestic.

 

[Acela150]

I was surprised when I saw that it was manufactured in Michigan. I thought in the various buy American waivers that where requested, the shells (along with certain other specific components) where to be made in France and shipped to New York for final assembly. Either my memory is wrong or maybe that was the coach shells.

The prototype for testing is being made in France. The rest is domestic.

I believe two trainsets are being built overseas under an FRA Buy America Wavier. One would head to TTCI in Pueblo, CO and the other the NEC when TTCI gives the "OK" for NEC testing.

 

[CraigDK]

I was surprised when I saw that it was manufactured in Michigan. I thought in the various buy American waivers that where requested, the shells (along with certain other specific components) where to be made in France and shipped to New York for final assembly. Either my memory is wrong or maybe that was the coach shells.

The prototype for testing is being made in France. The rest is domestic.

I believe two trainsets are being built overseas under an FRA Buy America Wavier. One would head to TTCI in Pueblo, CO and the other the NEC when TTCI gives the "OK" for NEC testing.

That sounds familiar too, but wouldn't it make sense to have seen those shells first?

 

[Acela150]

I was surprised when I saw that it was manufactured in Michigan. I thought in the various buy American waivers that where requested, the shells (along with certain other specific components) where to be made in France and shipped to New York for final assembly. Either my memory is wrong or maybe that was the coach shells.

The prototype for testing is being made in France. The rest is domestic.

I believe two trainsets are being built overseas under an FRA Buy America Wavier. One would head to TTCI in Pueblo, CO and the other the NEC when TTCI gives the "OK" for NEC testing.

That sounds familiar too, but wouldn't it make sense to have seen those shells first?

Yes but, since they aren't american built that's the most likely reason we haven't seen anything. Not to mention I think it would be bad press for Amtrak even though they have the waiver.

 

[bretton88]

I was surprised when I saw that it was manufactured in Michigan. I thought in the various buy American waivers that where requested, the shells (along with certain other specific components) where to be made in France and shipped to New York for final assembly. Either my memory is wrong or maybe that was the coach shells.

The prototype for testing is being made in France. The rest is domestic.

I believe two trainsets are being built overseas under an FRA Buy America Wavier. One would head to TTCI in Pueblo, CO and the other the NEC when TTCI gives the "OK" for NEC testing.

That sounds familiar too, but wouldn't it make sense to have seen those shells first?

Yes but, since they aren't american built that's the most likely reason we haven't seen anything. Not to mention I think it would be bad press for Amtrak even though they have the waiver.

Idk, other agencies have shown their prototypes that where made overseas. I.e. the mbta showing off the first test car for the red line, even though it was made in China.

 

[PVD]

It looks like this was at/by the US subcontractor not Amtrak.

 

[Acela150]

It looks like this was at/by the US subcontractor not Amtrak.

Correct.

 

[NTL1991]

Put the seat numbers on electronic displays and adjust them according to the direction the train is pointing. Voilaseat 1A is always front left and facing the same direction every time.

Then you need a general manager in charge of electronic seat displays and a foreman to oversee the technician in charge of setting the displays as well as the technician person...way too costly....

I can see it already... Dont forget that the technicians will also need to be fluent in French to operate the proprietary Alstom software that was never translated to English and is wholly incompatible with anything Amtrak currently uses. And those laptops to program the assignments? Well be keeping them alive with secondhand eBay parts for the next 20 years because the software wont run on anything but Windows 7. Its the Amtrak way!

 

[Acela150]

WE'RE MAKING HUGE PROGRESS!!!

Photo from June.



Photo credit to Silk Road Transport's Facebook.