Avelia Liberty

Avelia Liberty is a high-speed passenger train built by French manufacturer Alstom. It is related to the TGV and New Pendolino family of high-speed trains, but adapted for North American railroad standards, including U.S. Federal Railroad Administration crashworthiness standards.

Avelia Liberty
Official rendering of the Avelia Liberty
ManufacturerAlstom
Family nameTGV
ReplacedBombardier-Alstom Acela Express
Constructed2019–present
Entered service2021 (planned)
Number under construction28 trainsets
Capacity386
Operator(s)Amtrak
Line(s) servedNortheast Corridor
Specifications
Maximum speed220 mph (350 km/h)
Electric system(s)Catenary
25 kV 60 Hz AC, 12 kV 60 Hz AC, 12 kV 25 Hz AC
Track gauge4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge

Amtrak has ordered 28 trainsets for use on its flagship Acela Express service along the Northeast Corridor between Boston and Washington, D.C. via New York City and Philadelphia. Amtrak claims the trainsets will "allow for increased service including half-hourly Acela Express service between Washington D.C. and New York City during peak hours and hourly service between New York City and Boston." As of March, 2020 one of the trainsets was undergoing testing at the Department of Transportation's High Speed Ground Test Center (Transportation Technology Center, Inc.) and construction of the other trainsets was ongoing. Service is expected to start in 2021, with all trainsets in service by 2022.[1][2]

History
Avelia Liberty will be used on the electrified Acela Express route between Boston and Washington, shown in dark red.

In August 2016, Amtrak announced a $2.4 billion loan from the Department of Transportation for the purchase of new Acela Express trains from Alstom. These next generation high speed trainsets would replace existing Bombardier-Alstom trains nearing the end of their useful service life.[3][4][5]

Amtrak announced they would acquire 28 trainsets, allowing for more frequent service on the route, including half-hourly peak service between New York City and Washington, D.C. The new trains will have 386 seats - 25% more than the current Acela Express, allowing for greater passenger capacity.[6][7] Alstom will provide long-term technical support and supply spare components and parts.[8]

U.S. assembly of the trainsets is taking place at Alstom's plants in Hornell and Rochester, New York.[7] Initial construction of car bodies and major components began at Hornell in October 2017.[9] The planned livery was also revealed that month.[10] As of January 2020, testing of the first trainset at TTCI in Pueblo, Colorado is expected to begin in February 2020,[11] followed by testing on the Northeast Corridor that year and the Keystone Corridor as of May 2020.[12] The trains are scheduled to enter service beginning in 2021, with final delivery of all 28 trainsets to be completed in 2022, at which point Amtrak will retire the previous Acela fleet.[7]

Features and production
External media
Video
'Avelia Liberty' on alstom.com
3D Models
Avelia Liberty 3D model on alstom.com

Each Avelia Liberty trainset has power cars at each end of the train, and (initially) 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.[13] These trains will also have USB ports, power sockets, WiFi, accessibility features, and other conveniences.[14]

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.[7]

The new trainsets, along with track and signaling improvements, will allow for an initial improvement in maximum regular service speed to 160 mph (260 km/h) on some portions of the route, with a maximum possible speed of 186 mph (299 km/h)[15] if future investments in track and signaling upgrades are made.[4] The trains themselves are designed for a speed of 220 mph (350 km/h) if the tilting mechanism is deactivated.[16]

See also

References
  1. "First Amtrak Avelia emerges". Railway Gazette International. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  2. "NEW ACELA FLEET Redefining the Customer Experience on the NEC" (PDF). Amtrak.com. Amtrak. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  3. Chase, Randall. "Biden announces new funding for Amtrak Northeast Corridor". Business Insider. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  4. "Amtrak Invests $2.4 Billion for Next-Gen High-Speed Trainsets and Infrastructure Upgrades" (Press release). Amtrak. August 26, 2016. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  5. "Alstom to provide Amtrak with its new generation of high-speed trains" (Press release). Alstom. August 26, 2016.
  6. "Amtrak-Alstom reach $2.45 billion-deal w/video". Trains Magazine. August 26, 2016. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
  7. Sneider, Julie (December 2016). "Amtrak's 'Liberty' will be the latest of Alstom's high-speed Avelia trains". Progressive Railroading. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  8. Vantuono, William C. (August 27, 2016). "Alstom lands Amtrak next-gen NEC trainset contract". Railway Age. Simmons-Boardman Publishing Inc. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  9. "Production of next-generation Acela Express fleet underway". Railway Gazette International. October 11, 2017. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
  10. "Alstom redevelops exterior and livery design: The new Amtrak Acela high speed trains will look like this". Railcolor News. October 10, 2017. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  11. Meisenzahl, Mary. "Amtrak shows its sleek new Acela train in action for the first time". Business Insider. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  12. "Amtrak Procurement and Program Updates" (PDF). Next Generation Equipment Committee – 2019 Annual Meeting. American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. February 22, 2019.
  13. "Amtrak awards Northeast Corridor high speed train contract". Railway Gazette International. DVV Media UK Ltd. August 26, 2016. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  14. A Look Inside Alstom's Avelia Liberty. Railway Age. August 8, 2018.
  15. Alstom (2016). "Case Study: Amtrak Avelia Liberty" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 11, 2016.
  16. "Avelia Liberty: Innovation and proven design at very high-speed". Alstom.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.