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Avelia Liberty

From Alfawiki
Alstom
Company typePublic
IndustryRail transport, manufacturing
Founded1928
Headquarters
Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine
,
France
ProductsHigh-speed trains, tilting trains, rail infrastructure
Websitewww.alstom.com

Avelia Liberty, also referred to as NextGen Acela or Acela II, is a high-speed passenger trainset featuring tilting technology, manufactured by the French company Alstom and assembled within the United States. Amtrak has placed an order for 28 of these trainsets to serve its premier Acela route along the Northeast Corridor, connecting Boston, New York, and Washington. This new fleet offers increased capacity compared to the original Acela trains.

Belonging to Alstom’s Avelia series, the Avelia Liberty shares design similarities with the SNCF TGV M but has been modified to comply with the Federal Railroad Administration Tier III crashworthiness requirements and other North American regulatory standards.

Two units were delivered and commenced testing in 2020; however, the program encountered several setbacks. Although initial service introductions were planned for 2022, 2023, and 2024, Amtrak confirmed on August 7, 2025, that the first five trainsets would begin carrying passengers on August 28, 2025.

History

Amtrak inaugurated the Acela service in 2000 along the Northeast Corridor, running between Boston and Washington, D.C., with stops including New York City and Philadelphia. This service utilizes dedicated Acela Express trainsets constructed by a partnership between Alstom and Bombardier from 1998 through 2001.

In August 2016, Amtrak obtained a $2.4 billion loan from the United States Department of Transportation aimed at acquiring new high-speed trainsets for the Acela route from Alstom. This contract also includes long-term technical assistance and supply of spare parts. The acquisition of 28 new trainsets is intended to replace the existing fleet of 20 units and facilitate increased service frequency on the Northeast Corridor, including half-hourly departures during peak periods between New York City and Washington, D.C.

Construction and testing

Assembly within the United States takes place at Alstom’s facilities located in Hornell and Rochester, New York. The initial phase of car body fabrication began in October 2017. The first prototype was dispatched to the Transportation Technology Center in Pueblo, Colorado, in February 2020 for high-speed trials reaching speeds up to . A second prototype arrived in March 2020 to undergo testing on the Northeast Corridor tracks, with its inaugural test journey to Boston South Station conducted in September 2020.

The initial expectation was for the first trainset to commence revenue service in early 2022 and for full fleet deployment by late that year, thereby retiring the older trains. However, by February 2022, comprehensive high-speed testing was postponed until later that year. By May 2022, production was underway on 15 of the planned 28 trainsets.

Testing at velocities up to continued throughout 2022. As of May 2023, entry into revenue service was forecasted for 2024—marking a delay of three years—primarily due to incompatibilities with infrastructure; notably, Acela trains operate on aging tracks shared with commuter and freight trains that date back nearly two centuries.

An October 2023 report from the Amtrak Office of Inspector General highlighted additional challenges delaying service commencement until the latter half of 2024, including issues related to window glass failures.

On January 13, 2024, after overcoming thirteen prior unsuccessful attempts, the Avelia Liberty successfully passed Federal Railroad Administration-approved computer simulations required for operation on Northeast Corridor tracks. By December 2024, delivery of 14 trainsets had been completed with passenger service anticipated in spring 2025.

On August 7, 2025, Amtrak declared that these new trains would officially begin service on August 28, 2025.

Features and production

Amtrak’s latest train sets incorporate trailer designs inspired by the AGV and power car elements modeled after the Avelia Horizon, customized to comply with U.S. Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Tier III crashworthiness requirements.

This new fleet offers a 25% boost in passenger capacity, with each train accommodating 378 seats plus 8 designated wheelchair spaces, summing to a total of 386 passengers. The trains utilize Alstom’s Tiltronix active tilt technology, derived from Pendolino models, enabling them to sustain greater speeds on curves with a tilt capability reaching up to 6.3°.

Each Avelia Liberty set consists of power cars at both ends and initially includes nine articulated passenger cars, with the option to add three additional cars if ridership increases. The power cars are equipped with a Crash Energy Management system that decreases overall train weight by 30% while adhering to FRA Tier-III safety standards. Passenger comfort is enhanced through features such as USB charging ports, electrical outlets, onboard Wi-Fi, accessibility accommodations, touchless restroom facilities, real-time trip information displays, café cars, and upgraded HVAC systems.

When combined with improvements in track infrastructure and signaling systems, these trains support an initial maximum operational speed of on select segments of the route. Continuous enhancements to the corridor’s infrastructure are planned to facilitate more frequent services and higher speeds in the future.

See also

External links

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