Acela II (Alstom Avelia Liberty): Design, Production, Delivery, Acceptance

This topic is for discussion of the Alstom-bulit Amtrak Avelia Liberty to be operated on the Northeast Corridor (Amtrak NEC). For previous discussion, visit here: http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopi ... 6&t=150817" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

For discussion of Acela disposition, visit here: http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopi ... 6&t=168907" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

RailwayAge.com: A look inside Alstom’s Avelia Liberty

The toilets look pretty! Fair-use excerpts:

...
Amtrak says the new Acela Express trainsets will feature “spacious and smooth leather seats” with integrated in-seat lighting, power sockets, and USB ports. Each seat will be equipped with a dual-tray table, providing the passenger with a choice of large or small tables.

The trainsets will also be equipped with high-speed passenger Wi-Fi, an advanced seat reservation system, and accessible restrooms that will be compliant with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Each trainset will seat 386 passengers, an increase of nearly 30% compared with the current equipment.
...

From Trains Newswire: First shell for Avelia Liberty power car is completed

NEW YORK — The Avelia Liberty, the next-generation high speed trainset for Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor service, reached a construction milestone this week, as the first body shell for a Avelia power car was completed.
...
The first shell is expected to arrive sometime in the next few weeks at Alstom’s Hornell, N.Y., facility for completion. The modernized 1860-era facility in Hornell, formerly the Erie Railroad’s main shop, has manufactured more than 2,000 new rail cars, and refurbished an additional 5,000 under Alstom’s ownership.
...

Amtrak's new high speed train should entirely be build in the united states as compliance to the build america act? ore am i mistaking that ?

you are, only certain percentage. not many places in US that can make stainless Steel body shells

SRich wrote:Amtrak's new high speed train should entirely be build in the united states as compliance to the build america act? ore am i mistaking that ?

Buy America has various exceptions and partial waivers - e.g. SMART DMU, ALP-45DP. For some reason I thought the first couple of Avelia trainsets were being built in Europe but I must be thinking of a different contract as I can't find a cite.

SMART did not need any waviers on their original DMU purchase because they did not use Federal funding. Only the very last few DMUs required waviers for extending the line because the extensions used Federal funds.

As for NJT, was an Federal funds used to purchase them, or did NJT fund it themselves?

Buy America Act is only applicable when purchasing items with Federal funds.

dowlingm wrote:

SRich wrote:Amtrak's new high speed train should entirely be build in the united states as compliance to the build america act? ore am i mistaking that ?

Buy America has various exceptions and partial waivers - e.g. SMART DMU, ALP-45DP. For some reason I thought the first couple of Avelia trainsets were being built in Europe but I must be thinking of a different contract as I can't find a cite.

You're correct. Two sets are to be constructed overseas.

Prediction: the Avelia sets with their bright colors and large proportion of white will show dirt and grime much more than the current Acela equipment, and thus will end up looking worse unless Amtrak washes them frequently.

Acela150 wrote:

dowlingm wrote:

SRich wrote:Amtrak's new high speed train should entirely be build in the united states as compliance to the build america act? ore am i mistaking that ?

Buy America has various exceptions and partial waivers - e.g. SMART DMU, ALP-45DP. For some reason I thought the first couple of Avelia trainsets were being built in Europe but I must be thinking of a different contract as I can't find a cite.

You're correct. Two sets are to be constructed overseas.

I don't believe so, at least not completely. According to Alstom, their contractor for the manufacture of power car body shells is constructing all 56, the first of which was completed last fall.

Matt Johnson wrote:Prediction: the Avelia sets with their bright colors and large proportion of white will show dirt and grime much more than the current Acela equipment, and thus will end up looking worse unless Amtrak washes them frequently.

Watching traffic at Stuttgart Hbf last October, DB had a staff coming in to clean the bugs off the windshields of trains, and nothing more. I can see why 'traffic red' is the preferred color at DB now - it doesn't look so bad when you try to stretch the washings out...

As an aside, my Polish friend commented on the pictures I showed him, that it looked more like a third world country, than what he expected of Germany. I've not been to Warsaw yet (yes, it's on the list - he has a beautiful place in the city center and there's no language or culture barrier traveling with him), but he gave me the impression that PKP keeps things a lot nicer than you'd expect, these days.

Ever look under the wing of an airliner? You wouldn't eat off of that, either.

Has Alstom released any actual, hard specifications yet? I'd be curious on the power output, weight, power car configuration (number of converters/inverters, underfloor or overfloor transformer, etc), and other stuff.

Still want to complain about the fixed seats and the fact that half the passengers will be forced to ride backwards at 160 mph!

White car sides??? They'll get grungy grey streaked within first two months!!!

bostontrainguy wrote:Still want to complain about the fixed seats and the fact that half the passengers will be forced to ride backwards at 160 mph!

I'm not really stunned that seats will be 50/50. Simply cause of the builder Alstom being a European company whose major product is the TGV which is 50/50 seating.

The Metroliner cab car I recently rode in was 50/50. Of course, on a New York - Harrisburg run, you'll experience both directions in one trip! As long as 50% or fewer of Avelia passengers aren't opposed to sitting backwards...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0OKL0K7z-o" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;