New and faster Amtrak Acela trains are now in service. The new Acelas will be rolled out through 2027 as part of a $2.4 billion modernization effort. CBS News senior transportation correspondent Kris Van Cleave reports.

Baltimore

Amtrak has begun service with its new high-speed Acela trains on routes connecting Boston, New York, and Washington, D.C. The upgraded trains are designed to provide a travel experience similar to those found in Europe and Asia, with faster speeds, increased passenger capacity, and enhanced comfort features such as upgraded seats, larger windows, and improved Wi-Fi.

The new Acela trains can reach speeds up to 160 miles per hour, 10 miles per hour faster than their predecessors, and are built with advanced safety standards to prevent derailments. Amtrak aims to improve efficiency and financial performance with these trains, while also supporting American jobs through their assembly and deployment. Further upgrades to tracks and future high-speed rail projects are also underway in the United States.

Amtrak's high-speed Acela trains begin service on some routes

We're in the tunnel just leaving Baltimore as we make our way to New York, enjoying that new train smell. And part of the selling point of the new Acela is it's supposed to feel a lot more like a train you'd ride in Europe or in Asia. Amtrak says it's also faster. In fact, the goal is to shave about 15 minutes off the trip between D.C. and New York, doing it with more people on board while using less power. The trip to the long Labor Day weekend just got shorter for thousands on Amtrak. The next generation high speed Acela trains are now racing passengers between Boston, New York and Washington, D.C. They're brand spanking new. They're faster and they're more comfortable. Amtrak President Roger Harris sees the new Acela as key to financially breaking even by 2028. We're seeing record ridership in all parts of the country. And so it really helps elevate that conversation. Acela was a game changer when it launched 25 years ago, doubling Amtrak's market share in the Northeast. The 28 new trains hold 27 percent more passengers, offer upgraded seats, bigger windows, faster Wi-Fi and lots of charging power. They are credited with creating 15,000 American jobs, 800 at this upstate New York factory where Acela is assembled. We visited in 2019. And a year later, we were there when Acela was undergoing speed testing at this Colorado proving ground. The new trains will hit speeds up to 160 miles per hour, 10 miles an hour faster than the older Acelas, but slower than fast trains in Europe and Asia, in part because of tracks laid over a century ago that wind through communities. But the new trains are designed to lean into curves, letting them go faster. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy took a VIP trip Wednesday. This is newer technology coming to play in America. The new Acela also meets new, stronger crash worthiness standards guarding against the kind of jackknife type derailment that killed eight people near Philadelphia in 2015. Amtrak has upgraded another 50 miles of track where this train can hit its top speed of 160 miles an hour. And true high speed rail may only be a few years away in the U.S. A project out West Brightline West aims to link Los Angeles and Las Vegas with trains hitting around 200 miles an hour by 2028.

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