If you’re a railfan and you were a bit puzzled by some sleek new passenger trains passing by last month at places they usually don’t, you were probably among those lucky enough to have spotted Amtrak’s next-generation Acela high-speed trains on their way to Colorado for testing at the Department of Transportation’s test site.
The new trainsets, built in Hormel, New York by European trainbuilder Alstom, made the six-day trip from the factory to the proving ground in mid-February. Testing at the site in Pueblo, Colorado will take about nine months. Once it’s done, Amtrak will be cleared to put the new trains in service on the Northeast Corridor.
Expect to see an Amtrak announcement in early fall of when to start watching for the new rolling stock’s eastward migration!
