Sneak peek at Amtrak’s new Acela trains

Amtrak says each seat in the new Acela trainsets will be equipped with dual tray tables providing customers with a large and small table option. (Courtesy Amtrak)
Amtrak says each seat in the new Acela train sets will be equipped with dual tray tables providing customers with a large and small table option. (Courtesy Amtrak)
Amtrak is touting will provide spacious, high-end comfort with in-seat lighting and personal electrical outlets. (Courtesy Amtrak)
Amtrak is touting will provide spacious, high-end comfort with in-seat lighting and personal electrical outlets. (Courtesy Amtrak)
An illustration of the new first-class section. (Courtesy Amtrak)
An illustration of the new first-class section. (Courtesy Amtrak)
A streamlined overhead luggage storage will be offered in the new Acela trainsets. (Courtesy Amtrak)
A streamlined overhead luggage storage will be offered in the new Acela train sets. (Courtesy Amtrak)
The new trainsets will include Wi-Fi, an advanced seat reservation system, and LED screens in each train car that will provide real time information. (Courtesy Amtrak)
The new train sets will include Wi-Fi, an advanced seat reservation system, and LED screens in each train car that will provide real time information. (Courtesy Amtrak)
The new Acela trains feature spacious ADA-compliant restrooms with a 60-inch diameter turning radius. (Courtesy Amtrak)
The new Acela trains feature spacious ADA-compliant restrooms with a 60-inch diameter turning radius. (Courtesy Amtrak)
Articulated vestibules allow customers to easily and smoothly move between train cars. (Courtesy Amtrak)
Articulated vestibules allow customers to easily and smoothly move between train cars. (Courtesy Amtrak)
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Amtrak says each seat in the new Acela trainsets will be equipped with dual tray tables providing customers with a large and small table option. (Courtesy Amtrak)
Amtrak is touting will provide spacious, high-end comfort with in-seat lighting and personal electrical outlets. (Courtesy Amtrak)
An illustration of the new first-class section. (Courtesy Amtrak)
A streamlined overhead luggage storage will be offered in the new Acela trainsets. (Courtesy Amtrak)
The new trainsets will include Wi-Fi, an advanced seat reservation system, and LED screens in each train car that will provide real time information. (Courtesy Amtrak)
The new Acela trains feature spacious ADA-compliant restrooms with a 60-inch diameter turning radius. (Courtesy Amtrak)
Articulated vestibules allow customers to easily and smoothly move between train cars. (Courtesy Amtrak)

WASHINGTON — Amtrak has released images of the interiors of its new, faster Acela Express fleet that are expected to enter service in 2021.

The new Acela trains are part of an ongoing $2.4 billion Amtrak investment that also includes extensive renovations at D.C.’s Union Station.

According to Amtrak, the new Acela interiors will feature smooth leather seats with integrated in-seat lighting and personal electrical outlets and USB ports. Each seat will also have two tray tables, giving passengers a choice between a small and large option.

For passengers walking the aisles on a moving train, handles are integrated into seat backs.

There will also be an improved onboard information system with six LED screens in each train car providing real time information on location, train speed and conductor announcements.

Overhead luggage compartments will also be streamlined.

The new Acela Express trains can carry up to 386 passengers, a 30 percent increase, and will operate initially at speeds up to 160 miles per hour, and will be capable of speeds up to 186 miles per hour.

The prototype of the new train sets are currently in production at manufacturer Alstom’s Hornell, New York, plant and will be ready for testing in 2019. All the train sets will be in service by the end of 2022.

In advance of the new Acela fleet, Amtrak recently completed a $4 million upgrade to the interiors of existing Acela trains.

Jeff Clabaugh

Jeff Clabaugh has spent 20 years covering the Washington region's economy and financial markets for WTOP as part of a partnership with the Washington Business Journal, and officially joined the WTOP newsroom staff in January 2016.

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