Amtrak Branding NEC: Acela, Metroliner, Regional

[daybeers]

I've been looking around on Amtrak's website today and see that everywhere it says Acela instead of Acela Express. This may be a change for the upcoming Avelia trainsets and the start of the non-stop service on September 23rd.

[Gilbert B Norman]

The currently rumored name for the new sets is to be Acela 21, which to name them otherwise would be chucking a household brand representing the most commercially successful service Amtrak has offered to date.

Possibly another factor is that enough time has passed since the Warrington era that wished to have all Corridor trains "Acela this or that"; otherwise Acela Express, Acela Regional, and for the Clockers, Acela Commuter.

[bostontrainguy]

You can watch national TV news programs and they will refer to the "Acela Corridor" when referring to the northeast. The name has stuck and Amtrak should not monkey with success.

Saying that, I would have said the same thing about "Metroliner" which also was a very successful brand name that should have been retained.

It was mentioned on other postings that the "Express" part of the name was removed and probably will be reserved for actual express trains maybe?

[Tadman]

Yeah I thought they were crazy for ditching Metroliner. For 30 years it meant the best train on the corridor. At least keep it instead of Northeast Regional which sounds a bit like a hospital chain.

"Northeast Regional, you'll like our proctologists!"

[SouthernRailway]

Trains magazine reports that Amtrak is keeping the Acela brand, given its value. (The "Avelia Liberty" name has been eliminated, for example.)

[gokeefe]

This might be related to the rollout of non stop service which is being branded as Acela Nonstop. Although Metroliner was indeed a great name it would not have done any justice to the radical upgrade that Acela represented.

I would note Mr. Norman that Acela is likely not just the most successful service offered to date by Amtrak but the most successful service offered by any U.S. railroad ever. I look forward to reading your thoughts on this proposition.

[electricron]

I'll agree Acela trains look faster and newer than Metroliners, while they can go faster on the corridor, they do not go that much faster nor did they increase average speeds much. Many have argued that the old Metroliners years ago could get you from NY to DC faster than Acelas do today. However successful they are, they are not able to pay for needed NEC capital improvements.

[PC1100]

In terms of branding I think the 20th Century Limited has it beat as the most successful service ever offered by a U.S. railroad, at least in the heyday prior to the jet age. The red carpet, celebrity passengers, the featuring of the train itself in movies, the moniker of the "Most Famous Train in the World," I could go on and on. Let's face it, if not for the general collapse of long distance rail ridership it would likely still be operating and still be the "Most Famous Train in the World" today! As far as Amtrak goes, in terms of branding I would say Acela is their most successful.

[Acela150]

This might be related to the rollout of non stop service which is being branded as Acela Nonstop.

Bingo! If one looks at Amtrak.com and does a dummy booking after the Non Stop Acela Service begins it shows 2103 as "Acela" and the 2401 as "Acela Nonstop". Personally, I'm not a fan of how it's listed on Amtrak.com.

[eolesen]

I would note Mr. Norman that Acela is likely not just the most successful service offered to date by Amtrak but the most successful service offered by any U.S. railroad ever. I look forward to reading your thoughts on this proposition.

I suspect more people would still recognize the name and reputation of the Super Chief than would Acela...

[bostontrainguy]

They probably should have keep "Metroliner" for the Northeast Regional service which sounds much better and seems appropriate for a train that serves a lot of metropolitan areas.

And then above that "Acela" for the faster Acela fleet and "Acela Express" for any true non-stop service.

Sounds simple enough.

[MACTRAXX]

Everyone:

I am in agreement that the Metroliner name should have been retained in some form 20 years ago...

The name I came up with was "Metroliner 2000 Service" to represent the new millenium and NOT the year...

A promotion could have been "Metroliner 2000 Service: The Next Generation of Northeast Corridor HSR Service"

I found the Acela logos and color scheme more fitting for an airliner than a high-speed train. Amtrak wanted
something new instead of the well-recognized Metroliner name for the new trainsets and services back then.

The biggest mistake was the "Acela Everything" branding once used for all northeastern services (remember
the short-lived Amfleet "blobs" color scheme?) instead of just the HSR service and equipment.

A new name for the new Avelia trainsets? Acela Two is a thought...MACTRAXX

[JamesRR]

Acela has been very successful for Amtrak. It separated the high-speed service from "Amtrak" - a distinct service worth the premium price. Amtrak encompasses the entire national system - but Acela is premium NE corridor. While I loved Metroliner, too, it was an old name and Amtrak needed a new brand to distinguish the completely new high-speed trainsets and service.

[Jeff Smith]

Metroliner was a cool name, but the train sets are long gone, as is the original Metroliner operator, PC, who departed the scene rather ignominiously. All that's left are a few cab cars.

[mtuandrew]

Metroliner was a cool name, but the train sets are long gone, as is the original Metroliner operator, PC, who departed the scene rather ignominiously. All that's left are a few cab cars.

But Amtrak still defends the trademark by keeping at least one in-service Amfleet liveried as “Metroliner” (I don’t know about whether the cabs are branded as such too.) Never know when that name will come in handy.