The Acela, a high speed premium train for the Northeast, is breaking down with great regularity.
"The Acela Express, the premium high-speed train that Amtrak has counted on to bring in badly needed additional revenue, is breaking down so often that the railroad may cut back on its use until the manufacturer can make numerous modifications."The extremely popular train is suffering from an average of one cancellation or en-route breakdown for mechanical reasons every day, and it has the worst on-time record on the Northeast Corridor .[Two personel comments: Amtrak employees I talked to years ago really liked the Swedish X2000 train when it was here for tests. And the original Metroliner trains, also designed for high speed operations had many problems, eventually resulting in their banishment to commuter service. -- Ken Firestone]
Thanks to Ken Firestone
FULL STORY: Acela Rapidly Disappoints New Amtrak Trains Fast but Unreliable

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
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