An Amtrak Inspector General’s report highlights issues that are leading to delays in getting high-speed Acela trains operating on a Northeast Corridor route that includes stops in Wilmington.
According to the report the new trains have not yet passed government tests, with no timetable in place for fixing defects.
Amtrak management agreed to the recommendations from the IG’s office.
Amtrak has spent $1.6 billion on a handful of trainsets that will replace the first generation of Acelas, with additional costs expected as delays continue.
The new trains were originally scheduled to go into service in 2021.
The report pointed out the new generation of Acelas are the key to keeping the Northeast Corridor as the most lucrative Amtrak route.
The IG’s office staff visited sites, including the Bear complex where existing Acela trains undergo maintenance. The shops are not slated to handle the new generation of trains.
The report noted that some Acela trainsets have been parked at the site off Route 40 with cars and locomotives stripped for parts that are becoming increasingly hard to obtain.
The parts shortage threatens to affect the reliability of Acela service, which has sprung back from the Covid-19 pandemic.
The IG’s report concluded wth the following “The company has improved its overall approach to managing major capital programs, but due to past actions the New Acela program is more than three years late and faces additional production, regulatory, and revenue service launch delays. In addition, the company faces financial and reputational risks by continuing to operate its aging legacy fleet while the costs and reliability risks increase. With the ongoing New Acela, Airo, and upcoming long‐distance rolling stock acquisitions in various stages of execution, it is in the companyʹs best interest to enhance its lessons learned program to better manage its future—and larger—rolling stock acquisitions.”
Click here for the report.
