Not liking this name. Seems to be the worst since “Avelia” was concocted; that puts “Acela” at third-worst possibly. All very odd neologisms utterly unevocative of train travel.
These Siemens-built cars are to eventually replace all of the Amfleet Is and Budd-built ex-Metroliner cab cars on the NEC (including Inland Route, Ethan Allen Express and Keystone line), and (barring hiccups) are to be powered by the ALC-42E, a dual-power derivative of the ALC-42 that I presume would eliminate engine changes at New Haven, Washington Union Station, even Philadelphia (rather than Harrisburg) for the Pennsylvanian. The ALC-42E is supposed to give the ACS-64 a premature retirement also, but it’s too early to tell for me.
(At least, if the former Hoboken Festival were still around, these cars could allow boarding from the former DL&W terminal’s low platforms, unlike the first-generation Acela trainset that was on display there once.)
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
Mr. Helfner, not surprisingly, Amtrak has a "hang-up" with their fleets primarily assigned to the East Coast. That hang-up is the fleet names will begin with "A" as in Amtrak.
Quite likely, the trademark "Aero" is owned by someone else, so the consultants, with their taximeters all ticking, came up with "Airo".
But on that point, likely they were able to use the trade name "Venture" for the largely built, but not too much in the way of revenue service at present (about three trainsets in service around here - and plenty more just sitting at Lumber St.), because you can pick up your Merriam-Webster and find venture reported as a noun.
So far as the ACS-64 engines, you (but not me) can expect to see them in revenue service come 2033, which would give them a twenty-year service life.
Posted by irishchieftain (Member # 1473) on :
Perhaps the railroad experience has spoiled me into having higher expectations, but I generally expect locomotives and cars to have at least a thirty-year lifespan, and easily outlasting four decades. Amtrak’s locomotives last far fewer years than that with some exceptions, the F40PH fleet not being the exception in spite of it being identified somewhat with the Amtrak brand.
Also, Amtrak seems to have better luck avoiding alliteration with its fleet, of late.