Weekend travelers will soon have more high-speed rail options along the Northeast Corridor as Amtrak expands Acela Express service with an additional round trip on Saturday that stops in Wilmington.
These changes will go into effect beginning on May 4.
“Amtrak continuously works to be responsive to customer feedback and looks for opportunities to expand our highly popular Acela Express service between Boston, New York, and Washington,” said Amtrak CEO Richard Anderson.
The increase in Acela Express service on Saturdays is in response to customer requests.
Beginning on May 4, Train 2252 will depart Washington, D.C. mid-morning and Train 2255 will depart Boston in the early afternoon, filling gaps in the current schedule. Regular, scheduled service on the weekends will continue.
“These additional departures aim to serve our customers’ needs as we prepare for the roll-out of our next generation Acela Express service beginning in 2021,” added Anderson.
The new Acela Express fleet, scheduled to begin entering service in 2021. Additionally, the new trainsets will accommodate 386 passengers, an increase of nearly 30 percent, while preserving the comfort of the current Acela Express service, an Amtrak release stated.
The prototype of the new trainsets, in production at Alstom’s manufacturing plant in Hornell, N.Y., are scheduled to be ready this year, with the first train entering service in 2021. All the trainsets are expected to be in service by the end of 2022.
