Amtrak rolled out its NextGen Acela trains on Thursday, marking the next phase for the U.S.'s attempt at high-speed rail.

Dubbing itself as "America's only high-speed rail service," the new trains will run between Washington, D.C., and Boston, with a top speed of 160 mph. It's an extension of Amtrak's existing Acela trains, which run through the busy Northeast corridor and operate at speeds up to 150 mph on certain sections of the route.

According to Amtrak, more than 69 million passengers have traveled on Acela trains since the service began at the end of 2000. In fiscal year 2024, Amtrak said customers rode more than 3 million Acela trips, generating nearly $530 million in ticket revenue.

The new trains, contracted with French manufacturer Alstom, will replace the current Acela eq

See Full Page