TRANSform Attendees Enjoy Exclusive NextGen Acela Ride

Many APTA TRANSform attendees took advantage of an exclusive opportunity to travel to the conference in Boston, Sept. 13, aboard Amtrak’s new NextGen Acela train from manufacturer Alstom.

Those who registered for this special ride in a TRANSform attendees-only private car heard briefings from Amtrak and Alstom officials at an event at Moynihan Train Hall in New York City, followed by a behind-the-scenes tour of Moynihan Train Hall and New York’s Penn Station. Participants then rode the NextGen Acela from New York to Boston, at speeds reaching 163 miles-per-hour.

This is the first train meeting FRA’s Tier III High-Speed Rail Guidelines. Amtrak has ordered 28 train sets for use on its flagship Acela service along the Northeast Corridor between Boston, New York, and Washington, promising higher capacity than the first-generation Acela trainset.

Amtrak also staged an open house for TRANSform attendees Sept. 14 at Boston South Station, where participants got an up-close look at the state-of-the-art train that is redefining American travel.