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Amtrak’s new Acela fleet is on the move (see it)

By Jeff Clabaugh
The new Acela trains will carry up to 386 passengers, a 30% increase over current Acela train cars. (Courtesy Amtrak)

It will be more than a year before the new fleet of high-speed Acela trains go into service, but the first of the 28 in production is already out for a test run.

The new Acela fleet is in production at Alstom’s facility in Hornell, New York. The first train will be moving to Pueblo, Colorado, in mid-February for further testing.

Amtrak has released this video of it on tracks at Alstom’s facility.

New Acela Fleet Video on the Move at Hornell from Amtrak Media on Vimeo.

The new Acela trains will carry up to 386 passengers, a 30% increase over current Acela train cars.

They will also initially have a top speed of 160 mph, though they will be capable of reaching up to 186 mph.

Besides capacity and speed, other improvements include onboard information systems, larger restrooms and streamlined overhead luggage compartments.

Current Acela service has grown from 2.5 million passengers in 2002 to 3.4 million passengers in 2018.

The new Acela trains are part of Amtrak’s $2.45 billion upgrades on the Northeast Corridor, which also includes the modernization of its passenger concourse at Union Station, with a goal of tripling passenger capacity over the next 20 years.

Massachusetts court hears arguments in lawsuit alleging Meta designed apps to be addictive to kids

By The Associated Press
BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts' highest court heard oral arguments Friday in the state's lawsuit arguing that Meta designed features on Facebook and Instagram to make them addictive to young users. The lawsuit, filed in 2023 by Attorney General Andrea Campbell, alleges that Meta did this to make a profit and that its actions affected hundreds of thousands of teenagers in Massachusetts who use the social media platforms. “We are making claims based only on the tools that Meta has developed because its own research shows they encourage addiction to the platform in a variety of ways,” said State Solicitor David Kravitz, adding that the state's claim has nothing to do the company's algorithms or failure to moderate content. Meta said Friday that it strongly disagrees with the allegations and is “confident the evidence will show our longstanding commitment to supporting young people.” Its attorney, Mark Mosier, argued in court that the lawsuit “would impose liabilities for performing traditional publishing functions” and that its actions are protected by the First Amendment.
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