Amtrak's High-Speed Train Sidetracked
W A S H I N G T O N, Dec. 12 -- Just one day after entering regular passenger service, Amtrak’s high-speed Acela Express train was sidelined today as mechanics fixed the metal bars that connect the train to overhead electrical lines.
After its round trip to Boston Monday, Amtrak inspectors found “minor damage” on the train’s pantograph, said railway spokesman Rick Remington. He said the equipment was repaired but not in time for the train to leave Washington at 5 a.m. today for its second day of service.
A conventional Amtrak Metroliner train was sent out in its place. But that train ran into problems of its own, suffering engine failure near Bridgeport, Conn. The train resumed and was running about two hours behind schedule, Remington said.
The Acela Express train, with its distinctive tapered nose and upgraded seats and amenities, was on its way to Boston without passengers late this morning. Amtrak officials said it would resume service on the southbound return trip that leaves Boston’s South Station at 5:12 p.m.
Amtrak spokeswoman Cecilia Cummings said the equipment problem “is nothing that is specific to high-speed rail. It’s just one of the mechanical vulnerabilities of electric trains.”
“Because it’s the Acela Express,” she added, “we wanted to err on the side of double, double, super caution, so we pulled it” out of service.
All Amtrak passengers who had bought tickets for the northbound Acela Express train will receive refunds, Remington said.
He said passengers stuck on the Metroliner train when it suffered engine failure north of New York will get full refunds, while others will be reimbursed the difference — up to $21 — between a Metroliner fare and an Acela Express fare.
Hoping to Expand
The eight-car train is the first of 20 that Amtrak is receiving from Bombardier Transportation of Canada and Alstom Ltd. of France. Acela Express incorporates the electric propulsion system of the French TGV, manufactured by Alstom, with Bombardier’s advanced tilt technology, which allows the train to take curves at higher speeds.
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