Amtrak Acela - Engineering - Operating Speeds

Operating Speeds

With a top speed of 150 mph (241 km/h) the Acela Express is the only service in North America that exceeds the U.S. Department of Transportation's 125 mph (201 km/h) definition of high speed rail.

The Acela achieves an average speed (including stops) of 81.7 mph (131 km/h) between Washington and New York, and an average speed of 66.9 mph (108 km/h) from Washington to Boston. The average speed from Washington to Boston is a slightly faster 69.8 mph (112 km/h). Its maximum speed is 150 mph (241 km/h) on two sections of track totaling 28 miles in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

There are also many miles of track, especially east of New Haven, that have been upgraded to allow maximum speeds in excess of 110 mph (177 km/h). West of New York City, Acela Express's top speed is 135 mph (217 km/h). The limiting factor is stated to be the overhead catenary support system which was constructed prior to 1935 and lacks the constant-tension features of the new catenary east of New Haven, although in the late 1960s the Pennsylvania Railroad did run Metroliner test trains as fast as 164 mph (264 km/h) and briefly intended to run the Metroliner service at speeds reaching 150 mph (241 km/h). The Acela Express trainsets are capable of 165 mph (266 km/h) operation, but the FRA regulations do not permit any speeds above 150 mph (241 km/h) on tracks that are shared with freight and slower passenger trains. Testing for certification for commercial operation at 160 mph (257 km/h) involving test runs at up to 165 mph (266 km/h) began between Trenton, NJ and New Brunswick, NJ in September 2012.

The slowest section of the electrified NEC is the portion owned by Metro-North Railroad and the Connecticut Department of Transportation between New Haven, Connecticut and New Rochelle, New York. Trains here achieve 90 mph (145 km/h) only on a limited 4-mile (6.4 km) stretch in New York State and rarely exceed 60 mph (97 km/h) at any time through Connecticut until reaching New Haven. Ironically much of this track runs parallel to the highway so Acela passengers can see automobile traffic passing by often at 70 mph (113 km/h). Additionally, tilting is not allowed anywhere on that property. At a maximum 4.2° tilt, the Acela Express trainset would pass other trains on parallel tracks only 10 inches (25 cm) away, which is too close for FRA-mandated clearances. As of 1992, ConnDOT has a number of projects underway to upgrade the catenary system, replace outdated bridges, and straighten certain sections of the New Haven Line to enable the Acela to cover the distance little faster, but at present there is no plan to run at their 150 miles per hour (240 km/h) top speed in this segment. Just averaging just 70 miles per hour (110 km/h) or 80 miles per hour (130 km/h) in this section would be a dramatic improvement and would require no tilting or special overhead wires.

On July 9, 2007, Amtrak introduced two limited-stop trains. Train 2105 left New York Penn Station at 6:50 a.m, made only one stop, in Philadelphia, and arrived in Washington, D.C. at 9:25 am Northbound, train 2120 departed Washington, D.C. at 3:55 pm, stopped in Philadelphia, and arrived in New York City at 6:30 pm. This shortened the trip between the two cities to just 2 hours 35 minutes, making the trip roughly an hour faster than some of the Northeast Regional train services. These trains were an experiment on Amtrak's part to find ways to expedite travel time on the Acela. Amtrak has since dropped these two limited-stop trains.