Portal:Trains

The Acela Express (/əˈsɛlə/ ə-SEL-ə; colloquially abbreviated to Acela) is Amtrak's high-speed rail service along the Northeast Corridor (NEC) in the Northeast United States between Washington, D.C., and Boston via 14 intermediate stops including Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York City. Acela Express trains are the only true high-speed trainsets in the Americas; the highest speed they attain is 150 mph (240 km/h). Acela trains use tilting technology which allows the train to travel at higher speeds on the sharply curved NEC without disturbing passengers, by lowering lateral centrifugal forces. Compared to other high-speed rail systems, Acela is unusual in that it shares tracks with other types of trains, as well as the advanced age of infrastructure in many segments of the system. As of 2013 the fastest Acela run between Boston and Washington covers the 454 miles (731 km) in six and a half hours, an average speed of slightly under 70 mph (110 km/h). Acela has helped Amtrak capture a 75% share of air/train commuters between New York and Washington in 2011, up from 37% in 2000. Due to this competition, some airlines have even canceled service between Washington and New York. The Acela carried just under 3.4 million passengers in fiscal year 2012, and the Acela Express accounted for approximately 25% of all total revenue generated by Amtrak services.

Recently selected: A (New York City Subway service) - 2-8-2 - 1995 Fox River Grove bus–train collision

A 1915 postcard shows a four header train with a rear helper locomotive climbing the Denver and Rio Grande Western grade up Soldier Summit in Utah. This same grade is in use today as part of the Central Corridor between Helper and Provo along Amtrak's California Zephyr.

Recently selected: Ochanomizu Station - Russian locomotive U127 - Northumbrian

• ...that the opening ceremonies of the Galway to Clifden railway were very sparsely attended because the event date was a strict church holiday and was reserved for attending church services?
• ...that following heavy damage to the Galveston Island Trolley track and cars from Hurricane Ike in 2008, substitute service with replica buses was operated until service resumed in October 2021?
• ...that although the former Santa Fe Railway's Galesburg station was demolished after regular passenger service to the station ended in 1996, the site is still used if derailments cause trains to use the Chillicothe Subdivision instead of the Mendota Subdivision?
• ...that the Fuzhou–Xiamen railway, which opened in 2010, was so heavily used that it reached capacity in 2015, spurring construction on the parallel Fuzhou–Xiamen high-speed railway for CRH passenger train services?

July 13

• 1836 – John Ruggles (pictured) is awarded U.S. patent 1 for his improvements to railroad steam locomotive tires.
• 1887 – The second Tay Rail Bridge across the Firth of Tay in Scotland opens.
• 1987 – Union Pacific Railroad files with the Interstate Commerce Commission to acquire the Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad.
• 2005 – In the Ghotki rail crash, a passenger train stopped at the Ghotki, Pakistan, train station is hit from behind by a train that missed a signal; more than 100 fatalities are reported.

• July 24, 2021 – Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe No. 2926, a 4-8-4 steam locomotive built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1944, moves under its own power for the first time since Christmas Eve of 1953, after nearly twenty-two years of being rebuilt by volunteers. The locomotive will be put into mainline excursion service. (NMSL&RHS, Trains Magazine on Facebook)
• May 5, 2021 – Steamtown National Historic Site completes thorough cosmetic overhaul on Union Pacific 4-8-8-4 Big Boy No. 4012, which is moved back on static display before National Train Day. (NEPA Scene)
• April 2, 2021 – 2021 Hualien train derailment – A Taroko Express train operated by the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) derails at the north entrance of Qingshui Tunnel in Heren Section, Xiulin Township, Hualien County, Taiwan, killing 49 people and injuring at least 200 others. North of Hualien City a construction truck had fallen down a slope onto the tracks. The eight-carriage train derailed after colliding with the truck, and then came to a rest in the tunnel, with severe damage and many casualties. (Bloomberg, CNN, CNA, New York Times, Financial Times)

• December 31, 2020 – Following a complete restoration, Chesapeake and Ohio 1309, a 2-6-6-2 Mallet locomotive built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1949, the last steam locomotive built by Baldwin for the North American market, is operated under its own power for test runs. When returned to service on the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad, it will be the largest steam locomotive in regular scheduled service in the United States and take 2-8-0 No. 734’s place as the largest active steam locomotive in the state of Maryland. (Trains.com Newswire)

• September 28, 2020 – Amtrak operates a test run using one of the 28 new Avelia Liberty trains manufactured by Alstom along the full length of the Northeast Corridor to Boston South Station. Previous test runs had occurred from Washington, D.C., only as far north as New Jersey and Delaware. Barring any problems, the trains are expected to enter regular service on the route in 2021. (Universal Hub)

• June 13, 2020 – The Bay Area Rapid Transit Silicon Valley BART extension opened its stations in Milpitas and North San Jose. (San Jose Spotlight, SF Gate)

WikiProject Trains (Shortcut: WP:TWP)

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