Acela Express
| Acela Express | |
|---|---|
 A set of the Acela Express in Boston
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| Number: | 20th |
| Manufacturer: | Bombardier Transportation , Alstom |
| Year of construction (s): | 1996-2000 |
| Axis formula : | Bo'Bo '+ 2'2' + 2'2 '+ 2'2 ~ + 2'2' + 2'2 '+ 2'2' + Bo'Bo ' |
| Gauge : | 1435 mm ( standard gauge ) |
| Length: | 203,000 mm |
| Width: | 3180 mm (power end) 3160 mm |
| Empty mass: | 566 t |
| Top speed: | 265 km / h (240 km / h in regular operation) |
| Continuous output : | 9200 kW |
| Starting tractive effort: | 225 kN |
| Driving wheel diameter: | 1000 mm |
| Impeller diameter: | 910 mm |
| Power system : | 11.5 kV , 25 Hz ~ 12.5 kV, 60 Hz ~ 25 kV, 60 Hz ~ |
| Number of traction motors: | 8th |
| Seats: | 44 First Class 260 Business Class |
The Acela Express [ əˈsɛlə ɪkˈspɹɛs ] are high-speed trains operated by the US railroad company Amtrak , which have been operating on the Washington, DC - New York City - Boston route since 1999 .
The name Acela is an English made-up word made up of acceleration ( German acceleration ) and excellence ( German goodness ).
history
After the success of bullet trains in other countries, the Federal Railroad Administration of the Department of Transportation began investigating its introduction into the United States. On December 18, 1992, under the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA), five traffic corridors were named for high-speed traffic, including the Northeast Corridor. In October 1992 five more corridors were named and in 1993 the US government considered supporting the development with a multi-billion dollar subsidy program.
During this time, Amtrak began studying bullet trains for use in the Northeast Corridor . A Swedish multiple unit type SJ X2 has been adapted to American conditions and subjected to October 1992 to January 1993 a test program. The unit was then deployed in the northeast corridor from February to May and August to September 1993. Siemens organized the ICE Train North America tour , during which a German ICE - train set in July and August 1993 drove in the Northeast Corridor. Both trains set American speed records during the demonstration runs. A train set from Talgo was also shown in operation in the USA.
Based on the test drives, a catalog of requirements was drawn up and, in October 1994, 26 high-speed trains were put out to tender for use in the northeast corridor. The Canadian supplier Bombardier Transportation won the bidding competition together with Alstom in March 1996. The proposed concept was based on the Bombardier LRC trains (for Light, Rapid, Comfortable "light, fast, comfortable") operated by VIA Rail Canada and in one Configuration were approved for 200 km / h.
In autumn 1999 delays in commissioning became known. After test drives, the delivery consortium admitted that they would not be able to deliver enough functional train units for the planned start of operations. The first vehicles should therefore be available in spring 2000. The short-term cancellation meant that a product launch advertising campaign worth $ 7 million could not be stopped.
The Acela Express finally began operating on October 16, 2000 between Boston and Washington, DC. The trains initially had technical problems with the braking system and the attachment of the roll dampers , which at times led to the trains being taken out of service. However, train operations grew steadily and by 2005 had a share of 40% in combined air / train traffic between New York and Boston from 18% previously. As a result of its popularity, the previous Metroliner trains were discontinued in 2006 and replaced by additional Acela multiple units.
Due to capacity bottlenecks from 2008, additional units were ordered that were delivered from 2012. In addition, in 2010, a start was made on examining new routes for trains up to 350 km / h in the northeast corridor - in the southern part (Washington, DC - New York) parallel to the old line, which is almost 100% full of regional and freight trains , in the northern part (New York - Boston) with a new route to halve the travel time. As part of the expansion program in the Northeast Corridor (NEC-UP), Amtrak plans to buy 40 new multiple units in order to run every hour on the upgraded routes from Washington to Boston.
From 2021, the trains are to be replaced by 28 Avelia Liberty trains built by Alstom . The replacement of the previous Acela Express units is planned for the end of 2022.
construction
Mechanical part
The mechanical part ( car bodies , bogies and brakes ) from Bombardier is externally reminiscent of the TGV , but is based on the LRC trains built by Bombardier for Canada in the 1980s . An Acela Express unit consists of two power cars and six intermediate cars . In contrast to the TGV trains, the intermediate cars do not run on Jakobs bogies . Due to the use of bogies with tilting technology and the required higher strength, the wagons are 55% heavier compared to those of a TGV.
The trains offer with special crumple zones , a passive safety , as it was not yet common in the European high-speed trains late nineties.
Tilting technique
The tilting technology was adopted from the LRC trains built in the 1980s . The car bodies of the intermediate cars could be computer-controlled to incline four degrees to the right or left. Due to insufficient coordination between vehicles and infrastructure, the tilting technology cannot currently be used - the vehicles would exceed the clearance profile by 10 centimeters when tilted .
Electrical part
Alstom's electrical equipment is largely based on that of the TGV. The two power cars have a total drive power of 9200 kW, so the train units can reach a top speed of 265 km / h. In normal operation, the permissible speed is 240 km / h. The vehicles are multi-system capable and can therefore run under all voltages used on the Northeast Corridor: 11.5 kV at 25 Hz, 12.5 kV and 25 kV at 60 Hz.
Passenger compartment
The division into car classes was based on the model of aviation. The two seat categories are Business Class and First Class . Amtrak trains normally consist of a business class and a simpler coach class , so Acela's First Class is an upscale offer that otherwise only exists in company sleeping cars. There are luggage racks and cards with safety instructions are in the pockets on the back of the front seat . The six intermediate cars offer space for 304 passengers. Similar to the German ICE, there is a conference compartment and a bistro.
business
Route and stations
The Acela Express operate on the route or with possible stops in Washington, DC (Union Station) - Baltimore Airport - Baltimore (Penn Station) - Wilmington - Philadelphia - Trenton - Woodbridge Township (Metropark Station) - Newark (Penn Station) - New York City (Penn Station) - Stamford - New Haven - New London - Providence - Boston (Back Bay Station) - Boston (South Station) and back. In some cases, however, only sections of this route are served or stops are omitted.
offer
Trains run from Washington, DC to New York every hour between 5:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Only four pairs of trains run on Saturdays. On Sundays there are hourly intervals between 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m., as well as a train at 8:00 p.m. (as of August 2008). Trains run from New York to Washington, DC every hour between 6:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., with an additional train following at 8:15 p.m. Only four pairs of trains run on Saturdays. On Sundays, three trains run between 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m., and from 3:00 p.m. the frequency is the same as Monday to Friday (as of August 2008).
With the Acela Express, the 370-kilometer journey from New York to Washington, DC takes just 2:50 hours. This makes it slower and at the same time significantly more expensive than comparable European routes and in some cases only half an hour faster than much cheaper trains. A one-way trip New York to Washington, DC in Business Class costs $ 139 to $ 209, depending on the time of day. The first class will cost 105 US dollars charge (as of April 2011). The level of comfort roughly corresponds to that of the aircraft classes of the same name within the USA. The trains are particularly popular with commuters and compete for flight connections to the destinations served by this train.
The Acela brand
With the introduction of the Acela Express , all Amtrak offers on the Northeast Corridor were brought under the Acela brand . Initially, three different offers were planned:
- Acela Express for the high-speed trains
- Acela Regional for the interregional trains
- Acela Commuter for the regional trains between Philadelphia and New York City
Due to constant confusion between Acela Regional and Acela Commuter with the high-speed trains, these offers were renamed again in 2003:
- from Acela Regional was Regional
- from Acela Commuter was Clocker - the name that the trains had carried before 1999th The Clocker trains were abolished in 2006 and replaced by trains operated by the local transport operators SEPTA and NJ Transit .
Trains hauled by a locomotive
In addition to the Acela Express trains, Amtrak continues to use locomotive - hauled trains as regional trains. In addition to the 46 AEM-7s from ASEA and GM EMD from 1979 based on Swedish licenses, HHP-8 locomotives have also been in use since 1999 . The latter are reminiscent of the Acela Express power cars in color and shape , but have driver's cabs at both ends. The term HHP-8 stood for " H igh H orse P ower with 8 000 HP". The 21 locomotives were also built by the Bombardier-Alstom consortium. The AEM-7 and HHP-8 locomotives were replaced by the new Amtrak Cities Sprinters of the type ACS-64 from Siemens by 2016 , which are largely based on this manufacturer's Vectron platform.
Web links
- Acela Express website (English, German)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Chronology of high-speed rail corridors Federal Railroad Administration, July 7, 2009 (archived website)
- ↑ Report "Acela" trains later . In: Eisenbahn-Revue International , issue 11, year 1999, ISSN 1421-2811 , p. 497
- ↑ Amar Chaker, Jeffrey Falero: Speeding across Spain. In: Civil Engineering . 71, No. 6, 2001, ISSN 0885-7024 , pp. 52-58.
- ^ R. Clifford Black: The Acela Express. Archived from the original on June 13, 2011. In: Japan Railway & Transport Review . No. 40, March 2005. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
- ^ A Vision for High-Speed Rail in the Northeast Corridor
- ^ Amtrak lays it on the line for the NEC . International Railway Journal. September 4, 2012. Retrieved April 10, 2013.
- ↑ Amtrak Invests $ 2.4 Billion for Next-Gen High-Speed Trainsets and Infrastructure Upgrades. In: Amtrak press release. August 26, 2016. Retrieved October 22, 2017 .
- ↑ deutsch.amtrak.com - Acela Express accessed on August 9, 2013