Acela Express

Intercity rail service operated by Amtrak in the northeastern United States

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Acela Express — Image via Wikimedia Commons or Wikipedia.

Overview

What happened

On May 1, 1971, the National Railroad Passenger Corporation, later known as Amtrak, was formed to take over the operation of most US passenger rail serv...

Date

May 1, 1971

Location

Washington, D.C., United States

Key people

William Graham Claytor Jr.

Why it matters

This article provides a detailed and nuanced account of the creation of Amtrak, including the historical context and the key players involved, such as President Richard Nixon and Wil...

What was Acela Express?

The Acela ( ə-SEL-ə; originally the Acela Express until September 2019) is Amtrak's flagship passenger train service along the Northeast Corridor (NEC) in the Northeastern United States between Washington, D.C., and Boston via 13 intermediate stops, including Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York City, and Providence. Acela trains are the fastest in the Americas, reaching 150–160 miles per hour (240–260 km/h), qualifying as high-speed rail, but only for approximately 40 miles (64 km) of the 457-mile (735 km) route. In fiscal year 2025, Acela carried more than 3.1 million passengers, second only to the slower and less expensive Northeast Regional, which had over 12 million passengers. Ridership was down from the pre-COVID-19 pandemic high of 3,557,455 passengers in 2019. Its 2025 revenue of $570 million was around 20.6% of Amtrak's total.

Background and consequences

Acela operates along routes that are used by slower regional passenger traffic, and only reaches the maximum allowed speed of the tracks along some sections, with the fastest peak speed along segments between Mansfield, Massachusetts, and Richmond, Rhode Island, as well as between South Brunswick and Trenton, New Jersey.

Acela Express trainset undergoing testing at TTC in 2000

Related on thisDay

Amtrak — May 1, 1971

40 million passengers relied on 20 private railroads until Washington D.C. saw Amtrak's birth on May 1, 1971, changing US transportation forever.

Sources and further reading

Use the dated article for the day-specific account; use these references to check the event record and explore its wider historical context.

Date article: Amtrak — May 1, 1971 Wikipedia source

Cite this page

MLA

“Acela Express.” thisDay, thisday.info/history/acela-express/. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

APA

Acela Express. (n.d.). thisDay. Retrieved October 19, 2026, from https://thisday.info/history/acela-express/

Chicago

“Acela Express.” thisDay. Accessed October 19, 2026. https://thisday.info/history/acela-express/.

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