August 30, 2025 • 11 mins
This week, Amtrak introduced its brand new Acela trains to the Northeast Corridor, running inaugural trips between Boston and Washington. Officials say this upgrade has been a long time coming, with new "tilt" technology to provide a smoother ride and the potential for faster trips. Amtrak senior spokesman Jason Abrams talks trains with Nichole, sharing details about the new amenities and what you can expect on your next trip.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
From WBZ News Radio in Boston. This is New England Weekend.
Each week right here, we come together and talk about
all the topics important to you and the place where
you live. It's good to have you back with us
on this Labor Day weekend. I'm Nicole Davis. It's been
more than a decade since the plan to upgrade the
Amtrak is SELLA fleet first left the station. This past week,
(00:28):
that brand new fleet arrived, transportation officials joining passengers up
and down the Northeast Corridor riding the new trains as
they made their inaugural runs between Washington and Boston. Now,
Amtrak says these trains are smoother, they're faster, they have
more room for a more comfortable ride, a bunch of amenities.
Let's learn all about it now with Jason Abrams. He
(00:49):
is a senior spokesman for Amtrak. Jason, thank you for
being here. I've just got to admit right up, I
am a huge fan of trains. Yes, I'm taking some
personal privilege on this story. Besides that for commuters from
people who just want to travel overall, this is a
big deal.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Thank you for having me. I'm also a huge train fan,
and I'm very excited about this, so I share that
sentiment one hundred percent. So we our sellas our what
we call it now, our first stt or our legacy
that's still in service. They debuted in December two thousand,
which may not seem like a long ago that long ago.
(01:28):
In some cases, it might be, you know, twenty five
years ago, and our current fleet are at the end
of their useful life. But they're also not the most modern,
you know, compared to what you expect, especially for premium travel.
So when you combine those two factors, we said we
need more. We need new trains, and we also need
(01:51):
more of them because we have this record ridership and
revenue that we're just breaking records we broke last year,
we're on pace to break this year, and I'm talking
about all time records and company history in terms of
ridership and revenue, and so we need these trains to
continue that trend, continue that demand. But we also need
(02:12):
more of them, and so these will have twenty eight
in the full fleet as opposed to twenty in the
original order. That'll help us meet that demand because right
now we're selling out and we can't always meet the
demand that our customers want for train travel and train options.
So we'll be able to have more seats on board,
(02:33):
going from just over three hundred to over three eighty.
We'll have more departures because we'll have more trains, including
weekday service and weekend service, and that leads to more
opportunities for travel.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
Why do you think so many people are ditching the
airplane or ditching the car and coming to the train again.
People like you and I, we love the train, so
this is like a no brainer for us. But what
do you think is fueling this huge, huge influx of
people taking the train.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
I've noticed this, and I would say this even if
I didn't work for am Track, that driving has become
really painful. There's so it just feels like there's so
much more cars on the road, so much more traffic jams,
takes me longer to go from point A to point
B and that's not fun. And planes have gotten smaller
(03:23):
and more cramped, and it's a really it's not really
about the experience. That's more about getting from point A
to point B, and all of that is the exact
opposite of trains. You can get from point A to
point B, yes, but it's also about that on board
experience and what you see out the window and being
(03:46):
able to relax and not have to worry about traffic,
not have to sit in a cramped middle seat or
a seat that's getting narrow and narrow narrow with no
leg room, because we have plenty of leg room. We
have two seats or one seat in each part. There
is no there are no three seaters on any of
(04:07):
our trains, let alone the train. So it takes away
that stress of driving. It takes away from going to
an airport and then having to get away like twenty
minutes away to get to the city center. When you're
at an airport, like you're straight into downtown, whereas I
like to say midtown when you're in New York, because
(04:28):
you're not downtown, but like you go straight to the
downtown of the city, and you don't have to travel
twenty minutes away. And it's it's reliable, it's convenient, it's comfortable.
There's plenty of times I've seen when I've been on
a train where people are just like, Wow, this is great.
You know, I could go to the cafe car, I
(04:48):
could walk around, I can use the restroom and not
have to pull over and they see that and they
want to keep doing that as opposed to why would
I subject myself to a really painful travel experience.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
And not to mention, you know, people think, oh, trains
are so much slower, But honestly, if you are thinking
about a trip between here, you know, in Boston, and say,
I don't know New York City. For example, last time
I took the Asella, I got there in three and
a half I think three hours and forty five minutes.
That seems to me to be about the same time
it takes to get through security, check your bags, get
(05:23):
through all that stuff, get to the gate, wait for
the plane, get on the plane. Then you have to
go through all of the rigamarole at the other end.
So it really kind of works out to be about
the same if you think about it.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
All of that time adds up. And it's also, like
I said, you could you're standing going through security, you're
waiting in a line, campering water. You don't want to
leave your lines to go to the bathroom. You know,
you have to find an uber. If every or lift
or whatever ride share a taxi, and if everyone's doing
(05:52):
it at the same time, that also adds to you know,
the charges as well when there's high demand where you
don't have to do it of that on the train
or worry about it because you're again you're in the
downtown city center. You just get us fit and relax
and enjoy the scenery or be productive and plug in
(06:13):
use your devices that you can't do in those other
scenarios you just slaid out.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
So then what is so different between the trains that
we have now and these like new fancy next genocellas yep.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
So the words that we're using to describe the next
Genocela are elevated and premium. So it's all of the
stuff that you love about the train now, but to
the next level. So it's more comfortable. The restrooms are larger.
There's grab bars at every seat so you could walk
through and hold on to something if you know, especially
(06:49):
if you have accessibility needs. That's really helpful to you
as well. There's winged head rests at every seat as well,
plenty of leg room and outlets at every seat. Like
right now on our trains you have to ask your neighbor,
oh can you plug in from me? If you're on
the aisle, like you won't have to do that anymore.
(07:10):
It's right in front of you, so that's an added
benefit as well. And like I talked about earlier, I mean,
they're just more modern and they seem fresh because they
are fresh and they're new, it's brighter inside. It just
feels exactly what a premium travel experience should feel like.
Speaker 1 (07:30):
These new trains have this new like tilt technology. Tell
me a little bit about what that means and why
that matters so much on the sella per se.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
Yep, so right now, like you world, if you were
driving a car, when you go into a curve, you
have to slow down. But with this new technology, it
actually leans into the curves and it allows you to
not have to slow down to help with speeds and
(07:59):
travel time and give people an experience overall again what
they're looking for and what they expect. A lot of
people like to say, oh I wish you know we
had train travel or the experience that we have in Europe.
I mean, these are the same trains that operate in
France now. So for people to who will ride these
(08:20):
trains and travel on them, they shouldn't still be staying
that because it's the exact same trains that operate in
Europe right now, and that includes some of that technology
you were just mentioning.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
Sure, and that technology is going to make it go
a little faster too, because I mean, already if you
go in that stretch between Boston and Providence are one
twenty eight in Providence, you get pretty fast up to
I think one fifty. But now this is going to
be able to go even faster. In some parts of
the Northeast Corridor.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
Yep, the maximum speeds are one hundred and sixty miles
per hour. It doesn't go that fast the entire ride, unfortunately,
because there's less straightaways and there's still the curves, even
though we don't have to slow down per se, but
you know, we don't have to go we can't go
one sixty or there's other infrastructure, you know, rules in
(09:07):
place and updates that need to be made on the
infrastructure to help get there with more one sixty. But
that is the maximum speed the train will.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
Go, Sure, and I'm assuming that's going to put at
least some of a dent in the trip.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
That is the plan. It won't be clear or identified
until the trains are in service and operating a little bit,
so I can't say anything about trip time improvements right now,
but that is the expectation.
Speaker 1 (09:33):
Are there any other changes coming down the pike sometimes
soon or I should say down the rails at this
point sometime soon, like to the Northeast Corridor regular trains,
so on and so forth. Are you guys really focusing
on a sella right now?
Speaker 2 (09:45):
Both We are focusing on a seller But this is
part of a overall refresh of our fleet that we're
working on. So we have what we call Amtrak Eerrow,
which are new train sets. So if you if you
travel on the Northeast Regional, let's say that current train
will be replaced, but those new trains will also be
(10:10):
more modern, a better experience. They'll still go up to
one hundred and twenty five miles an hour, so there
won't be a speed difference, but it really also is
a night and day before and after experience for what
to expect on board and the travel your travel in general.
So again it's part of a larger fleet update we're making,
(10:33):
and that will be in Boston and throughout the corridor
as well. So if the time works better for Northeast
Regional by the time those work, those are in service
as opposed to sell it. You'll still get new trains
as well.
Speaker 1 (10:49):
Where can people stay in touch with everything happening with
the Northeast regionals, the Asella's Amtrak in general? Where can
they find you?
Speaker 2 (10:56):
Guys? Follow us on social at Amtrak, our website, amtrak
dot com, our media centermedia dot amtrak dot com for
all the latest news as well, and we look forward
to seeing people on board and looking forward to sharing
more information. It's going to be a very exciting day
on the twenty eighth, and something we're really looking forward to.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
I believe it all right. Well, Jason, thank you for
your time. Thank you have a safe and healthy weekend.
Please join me again next week for another edition of
the show. I'm Nicole Davis from WBZ News Radio on iHeartRadio.
From WBZ News Radio in Boston. This is New England Weekend.
Each week right here, we come together and talk about
all the topics important to you and the place where
you live. It's good to have you back with us
on this Labor Day weekend. I'm Nicole Davis. It's been
more than a decade since the plan to upgrade the
Amtrak is SELLA fleet first left the station. This past week,
(00:28):
that brand new fleet arrived, transportation officials joining passengers up
and down the Northeast Corridor riding the new trains as
they made their inaugural runs between Washington and Boston. Now,
Amtrak says these trains are smoother, they're faster, they have
more room for a more comfortable ride, a bunch of amenities.
Let's learn all about it now with Jason Abrams. He
(00:49):
is a senior spokesman for Amtrak. Jason, thank you for
being here. I've just got to admit right up, I
am a huge fan of trains. Yes, I'm taking some
personal privilege on this story. Besides that for commuters from
people who just want to travel overall, this is a
big deal.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Thank you for having me. I'm also a huge train fan,
and I'm very excited about this, so I share that
sentiment one hundred percent. So we our sellas our what
we call it now, our first stt or our legacy
that's still in service. They debuted in December two thousand,
which may not seem like a long ago that long ago.
(01:28):
In some cases, it might be, you know, twenty five
years ago, and our current fleet are at the end
of their useful life. But they're also not the most modern,
you know, compared to what you expect, especially for premium travel.
So when you combine those two factors, we said we
need more. We need new trains, and we also need
(01:51):
more of them because we have this record ridership and
revenue that we're just breaking records we broke last year,
we're on pace to break this year, and I'm talking
about all time records and company history in terms of
ridership and revenue, and so we need these trains to
continue that trend, continue that demand. But we also need
(02:12):
more of them, and so these will have twenty eight
in the full fleet as opposed to twenty in the
original order. That'll help us meet that demand because right
now we're selling out and we can't always meet the
demand that our customers want for train travel and train options.
So we'll be able to have more seats on board,
(02:33):
going from just over three hundred to over three eighty.
We'll have more departures because we'll have more trains, including
weekday service and weekend service, and that leads to more
opportunities for travel.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
Why do you think so many people are ditching the
airplane or ditching the car and coming to the train again.
People like you and I, we love the train, so
this is like a no brainer for us. But what
do you think is fueling this huge, huge influx of
people taking the train.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
I've noticed this, and I would say this even if
I didn't work for am Track, that driving has become
really painful. There's so it just feels like there's so
much more cars on the road, so much more traffic jams,
takes me longer to go from point A to point
B and that's not fun. And planes have gotten smaller
(03:23):
and more cramped, and it's a really it's not really
about the experience. That's more about getting from point A
to point B, and all of that is the exact
opposite of trains. You can get from point A to
point B, yes, but it's also about that on board
experience and what you see out the window and being
(03:46):
able to relax and not have to worry about traffic,
not have to sit in a cramped middle seat or
a seat that's getting narrow and narrow narrow with no
leg room, because we have plenty of leg room. We
have two seats or one seat in each part. There
is no there are no three seaters on any of
(04:07):
our trains, let alone the train. So it takes away
that stress of driving. It takes away from going to
an airport and then having to get away like twenty
minutes away to get to the city center. When you're
at an airport, like you're straight into downtown, whereas I
like to say midtown when you're in New York, because
(04:28):
you're not downtown, but like you go straight to the
downtown of the city, and you don't have to travel
twenty minutes away. And it's it's reliable, it's convenient, it's comfortable.
There's plenty of times I've seen when I've been on
a train where people are just like, Wow, this is great.
You know, I could go to the cafe car, I
(04:48):
could walk around, I can use the restroom and not
have to pull over and they see that and they
want to keep doing that as opposed to why would
I subject myself to a really painful travel experience.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
And not to mention, you know, people think, oh, trains
are so much slower, But honestly, if you are thinking
about a trip between here, you know, in Boston, and say,
I don't know New York City. For example, last time
I took the Asella, I got there in three and
a half I think three hours and forty five minutes.
That seems to me to be about the same time
it takes to get through security, check your bags, get
(05:23):
through all that stuff, get to the gate, wait for
the plane, get on the plane. Then you have to
go through all of the rigamarole at the other end.
So it really kind of works out to be about
the same if you think about it.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
All of that time adds up. And it's also, like
I said, you could you're standing going through security, you're
waiting in a line, campering water. You don't want to
leave your lines to go to the bathroom. You know,
you have to find an uber. If every or lift
or whatever ride share a taxi, and if everyone's doing
(05:52):
it at the same time, that also adds to you know,
the charges as well when there's high demand where you
don't have to do it of that on the train
or worry about it because you're again you're in the
downtown city center. You just get us fit and relax
and enjoy the scenery or be productive and plug in
(06:13):
use your devices that you can't do in those other
scenarios you just slaid out.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
So then what is so different between the trains that
we have now and these like new fancy next genocellas yep.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
So the words that we're using to describe the next
Genocela are elevated and premium. So it's all of the
stuff that you love about the train now, but to
the next level. So it's more comfortable. The restrooms are larger.
There's grab bars at every seat so you could walk
through and hold on to something if you know, especially
(06:49):
if you have accessibility needs. That's really helpful to you
as well. There's winged head rests at every seat as well,
plenty of leg room and outlets at every seat. Like
right now on our trains you have to ask your neighbor,
oh can you plug in from me? If you're on
the aisle, like you won't have to do that anymore.
(07:10):
It's right in front of you, so that's an added
benefit as well. And like I talked about earlier, I mean,
they're just more modern and they seem fresh because they
are fresh and they're new, it's brighter inside. It just
feels exactly what a premium travel experience should feel like.
Speaker 1 (07:30):
These new trains have this new like tilt technology. Tell
me a little bit about what that means and why
that matters so much on the sella per se.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
Yep, so right now, like you world, if you were
driving a car, when you go into a curve, you
have to slow down. But with this new technology, it
actually leans into the curves and it allows you to
not have to slow down to help with speeds and
(07:59):
travel time and give people an experience overall again what
they're looking for and what they expect. A lot of
people like to say, oh I wish you know we
had train travel or the experience that we have in Europe.
I mean, these are the same trains that operate in
France now. So for people to who will ride these
(08:20):
trains and travel on them, they shouldn't still be staying
that because it's the exact same trains that operate in
Europe right now, and that includes some of that technology
you were just mentioning.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
Sure, and that technology is going to make it go
a little faster too, because I mean, already if you
go in that stretch between Boston and Providence are one
twenty eight in Providence, you get pretty fast up to
I think one fifty. But now this is going to
be able to go even faster. In some parts of
the Northeast Corridor.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
Yep, the maximum speeds are one hundred and sixty miles
per hour. It doesn't go that fast the entire ride, unfortunately,
because there's less straightaways and there's still the curves, even
though we don't have to slow down per se, but
you know, we don't have to go we can't go
one sixty or there's other infrastructure, you know, rules in
(09:07):
place and updates that need to be made on the
infrastructure to help get there with more one sixty. But
that is the maximum speed the train will.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
Go, Sure, and I'm assuming that's going to put at
least some of a dent in the trip.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
That is the plan. It won't be clear or identified
until the trains are in service and operating a little bit,
so I can't say anything about trip time improvements right now,
but that is the expectation.
Speaker 1 (09:33):
Are there any other changes coming down the pike sometimes
soon or I should say down the rails at this
point sometime soon, like to the Northeast Corridor regular trains,
so on and so forth. Are you guys really focusing
on a sella right now?
Speaker 2 (09:45):
Both We are focusing on a seller But this is
part of a overall refresh of our fleet that we're
working on. So we have what we call Amtrak Eerrow,
which are new train sets. So if you if you
travel on the Northeast Regional, let's say that current train
will be replaced, but those new trains will also be
(10:10):
more modern, a better experience. They'll still go up to
one hundred and twenty five miles an hour, so there
won't be a speed difference, but it really also is
a night and day before and after experience for what
to expect on board and the travel your travel in general.
So again it's part of a larger fleet update we're making,
(10:33):
and that will be in Boston and throughout the corridor
as well. So if the time works better for Northeast
Regional by the time those work, those are in service
as opposed to sell it. You'll still get new trains
as well.
Speaker 1 (10:49):
Where can people stay in touch with everything happening with
the Northeast regionals, the Asella's Amtrak in general? Where can
they find you?
Speaker 2 (10:56):
Guys? Follow us on social at Amtrak, our website, amtrak
dot com, our media centermedia dot amtrak dot com for
all the latest news as well, and we look forward
to seeing people on board and looking forward to sharing
more information. It's going to be a very exciting day
on the twenty eighth, and something we're really looking forward to.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
I believe it all right. Well, Jason, thank you for
your time. Thank you have a safe and healthy weekend.
Please join me again next week for another edition of
the show. I'm Nicole Davis from WBZ News Radio on iHeartRadio.
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