Division of Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy and Amtrak President Roger Harris hosted the official launch of the NextGen Acela, America’s new, premium high-speed rail service.
5 new Amtrak trains will start rolling out between Washington, D.C., New York and Boston at high speeds of 160 mph beginning Thursday.
The inaugural NextGen Acela journey is taking off from Washington’s Union Station, the place the U.S. Division of Transportation is planning to reclaim administration to “restore this federal asset to its former glory,” to New York’s Penn Station.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy demanded Amtrak enhance public security on the practice station earlier this yr, which aligns with President Donald Trump’s administration’s broader push to crack down on crime within the nation’s capital.
Amtrak’s NextGen Acela is taken into account a “premium journey” for vacationers, providing free high-speed Wi-Fi, particular person USB ports, energy shops and studying lights. Fares for one-way enterprise class service between Washington and New York on Friday, Aug. 29, ran $498 per traveler, in accordance with Amtrak’s reserving web site.
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NextGen Acela at Wilmington Station. Picture supplied by Amtrak taken at an undisclosed date forward of the service launching in August 2025. (Amtrak)
“NextGen Acela is greater than a brand new practice—it’s an evolution of journey,” Amtrak President Roger Harris stated in an Aug. 7 assertion. “In just some weeks, historical past will likely be made with the debut of NextGen Acela as we launch a brand new customary for American practice journey.”
A complete of 28 trains will enter service by 2027. They provide 27% extra seats per departure and extra service, with expanded weekday and weekend schedules, Amtrak stated.
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A passenger sitsin a NextGen Acela practice forward of its launch on August 2025. (Amtrak / Fox Information)
“The NextGen Acela fleet was assembled at Alstom’s facility in Hornell, NY by expert Machinists Union employees, utilizing parts from over 180 suppliers throughout 29 states—creating roughly 15,000 U.S. jobs,” Amtrak stated in a media launch.
Acela first launched on Dec, 11. 2000 in what Amtrak calls “the nation’s busiest rail hall.” The primary-edition trains solely reached speeds of 150 mph, which is 10 mph lower than the brand new ones.
Members of the Nationwide Guard stand at Union Station after President Donald Trump ordered an elevated legislation enforcement presence to help in crime prevention, in Washington, D.C., Aug. 23, 2025. (Jose Luis Gonzalez / Reuters Pictures)
Trump, throughout his first time period, repeatedly sought to chop funding to Amtrak, which obtained about $2.4 billion in annual federal assist in 2023. Congress in March accredited $2.42 billion for Amtrak by means of Sept. 30 in annual funding.
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The railroad firm, which has been run since March by its president, Harris, has not named a brand new CEO. It set a brand new passenger file final yr.
FOX Enterprise’ Lydia Hu and Reuters contributed to this report.
