AFP, Wilmington :
US rail operator Amtrak on Friday awarded a $1.8 billion deal to French manufacturer Alstom to supply new trains for its key Acela service between Washington, New York and Boston.
The landmark deal for 28 new passenger trains will boost Amtrak’s speed and
capacity along its most heavily used and profitable route from 2021.
A large part of the manufacturing will be done in the United States, the
companies said.
The trains will carry more than 400 passengers, up 35 percent over the
existing Acela northeastern corridor express service, with a maximum speed of
300 kilometers per hour (180 miles per hour), though normal speeds will be near
260 kilometers an hour.
In the deal Alstom, which makes France’s famed TGV trains, agreed to
manufacture a large part of the new equipment for Amtrak, dubbed its Avelia
Liberty line, at its plant in Hornell, New York.
US rail operator Amtrak on Friday awarded a $1.8 billion deal to French manufacturer Alstom to supply new trains for its key Acela service between Washington, New York and Boston.
The landmark deal for 28 new passenger trains will boost Amtrak’s speed and
capacity along its most heavily used and profitable route from 2021.
A large part of the manufacturing will be done in the United States, the
companies said.
The trains will carry more than 400 passengers, up 35 percent over the
existing Acela northeastern corridor express service, with a maximum speed of
300 kilometers per hour (180 miles per hour), though normal speeds will be near
260 kilometers an hour.
In the deal Alstom, which makes France’s famed TGV trains, agreed to
manufacture a large part of the new equipment for Amtrak, dubbed its Avelia
Liberty line, at its plant in Hornell, New York.
