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US TRAINS THE NEW ACELA ... AUGUST 2025 Trains Are Awesome: Amtrak’s New Acela is FINALLY Here! PLAY YOUTUBE VIDEO Original article: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHyFy6MJCYo
Amtrak’s New Acela is FINALLY Here! ... Trains Are Awesome Aug 28, 2025 85.9K subscribers ... 27,335 views ✪ Members first on August 28, 2025 WASHINGTON NextGen Acela. Avelia Liberty. Whatever you call it, it’s August 28th and they’re finally in service! First class review dropping on Saturday! Trains Are Awesome! Buy Trains Are Awesome Merch: https://my-store-f0aafe.creator-sprin... Support us on Patreon: / trainsareawesome Our Instagram: / tra_channel Email us: trainsareawesomechannel@gmail.com My second channel: / @thom_extra Peter Burgess COMMENTARY Peter Burgess Transcript 0:01 160 mph. Room for 386 people. This is the next generation Asella. It's set to usher in a new era of travel in the Northeast. And today, you get a first look as we travel from Washington DC to New York City. We'll answer all your questions about America's fastest train. Hey everybody, welcome to a brand new Trains Are Awesome video. I'm Tom. I am standing in front of Washington Union Station. This is a big video. I can barely contain my excitement. After years of waiting, we are finally riding the next generation Asella. This is the fastest train in the Americas. Let's go inside. What better place to start this trip than Washington Union Station. This magnificent building is one of my favorite stations. Walk through the doors and you'll find yourself in the main hall. Under the watchful eye of 46 plaster legionnaires, people in suits 1:01 head towards the capital. Families 1:03 embrace after a long trip, and weary 1:06 travelers wait in line for coffee. Union 1:09 Station opened in 1908 as part of a plan 1:12 to consolidate all rail service in 1:14 Washington into one place. Before that, 1:17 trains crisscrossed the National Mall. 1:20 Today, the station serves as the 1:21 southern end of Amtrak's electrified 1:24 Northeast Corridor, where frequent inner 1:26 city trains depart to cities like 1:28 Philadelphia, New York, and Boston. 1:31 Long-d distanceance trains stop here as 1:32 well, as do commuter trains. Union 1:35 Station can be accessed by using the 1:37 Metro Red Line. So, if you're watching 1:40 this video when it came out, that means 1:41 it's Thursday, August 28th, and it's the 1:43 official launch day of the NextG Asella. 1:45 However, I am filming this on Wednesday, 1:47 August 27th. Now, full disclosure, 1:50 because I believe in doing things like 1:52 this up front, I was invited by Amtrak 1:54 to be on the media train today. So, it's 1:57 a day before the real launch, but we're 1:58 going to go see the train. Uh, I'm going 2:00 to give you guys a full look and then 2:02 Amtrak did pay for my ticket back, but 2:04 I'm going to try to remain as objective 2:06 as possible, although I am very excited. 2:09 So, so after I signed in, a staff member 2:11 guided me to gate F, which is where the 2:12 celebration was being held. I got my 2:14 media badge, which was so cool. And then 2:17 I stopped by the merch table. They had 2:18 some great swag. I got a tote bag, hats, 2:23 stickers, and a journal. 2:26 [Music] 2:29 And here we have our first look at the 2:31 nextG Oella. In the back, we have a 2:33 power car. These trains are electric and 2:36 they have a power car on each end, 2:38 basically acting like a locomotive. In 2:41 between, there are nine passenger cars. 2:44 So, the very first thing I wanted to 2:45 check out was the first class car marked 2:47 by the big red door. But unfortunately, 2:50 when I tried, somebody inside was giving 2:52 an interview or a press conference or 2:54 something. I don't know. But they told 2:55 me to come back after the speeches. 2:57 Well, spoiler alert, after the speeches, 2:59 we all had to board the train. And the 3:01 first class car was reserved for members 3:04 of the Department of Transportation. So, 3:05 I never actually got to see this, which 3:08 I was really bummed out about, and I 3:09 wish that that could have been organized 3:11 better. Car number one is the first 3:13 class car. Cars two through five are 3:16 business class. Car number six is the 3:18 cafe, while seven and eight are once 3:20 again business class. Finally, car 3:23 number 9 is also business class, but it 3:25 functions as a quiet car. The new 3:28 Asellas mark a significant capacity 3:30 increase over the old ones. The trains 3:33 themselves are longer than the old 3:35 Asella's, nine passenger cars versus 3:38 six, while each individual car is a 3:40 little bit shorter than the ones on the 3:41 old trains. That still gives the new 3:44 Asella 82 more seats than the old one. 3:47 But there will also be more trains, 28 3:50 new ones instead of 20 old ones, some of 3:52 which are also already out of 3:54 commission. Once all the new trains are 3:56 delivered and have entered service, 3:58 Amtrak can run more frequent OELA 4:00 service on the Northeast Corridor. 4:02 Starting today, there will be an initial 4:04 five sets ready to enter service. As 4:07 time goes on, more and more will enter 4:09 until each set has replaced an old 4:11 Asella car. When booking on the Amtrak 4:13 website, there will be a little banner 4:15 saying nextgen Asella, which will notify 4:18 you what train type you'll have. 4:19 Highspeed rail fans will recognize this 4:22 face. It's the same as the new TGVs that 4:24 are testing in France. The original 4:27 Asella power cars were based on the 4:29 older TGVs, and now these ones are like 4:32 the new TGVs. 4:38 Behold the infamous Gap. 4:41 Yes, I know this Gap annoys people. I 4:44 can't say that I love it myself, but 4:46 does it have a reason for existing, or 4:48 is it just bad design that the power 4:50 cars and the passenger cars have a 4:52 different profile? It does have a 4:55 reason, and I'll let you decide if it's 4:56 a good one or not, but let me do that 4:59 once we're inside and on our way. We've 5:01 waited long enough to see the inside of 5:03 these cars. 5:09 The trains have a retractable step to 5:11 close the gap between the train and the 5:12 platform. Come with me. We're about to 5:14 take our very first steps onto the next 5:17 generation of Cella. 5:22 Oh, that new train smell. Does anybody 5:25 know what new train smell is? Like, I 5:28 know exactly what it smells like, but 5:30 what causes it? If you know, let me know 5:32 in the comments. Anyway, this is the 5:34 business class configuration, a 2x two 5:36 layout with these gray leather seats. I 5:39 can't wait to try him out, but 5:40 unfortunately I will have to a little 5:41 bit because we are being called back to 5:43 the platform. 5:45 They're telling us to go back to the end 5:47 of the platform because apparently the a 5:49 celebration is starting. 5:51 I've never been to an a celebration 5:53 before. 5:54 Thousands of jobs across the country 5:56 were created to build these trains in 5:58 the United States and we plan to keep on 6:00 building them. 6:01 I have never seen a project bring 6:03 together a company with the way this one 6:05 has. So we have been able to see how 6:08 much the power of transformation of a 6:11 new highspeed corridor. All that's left 6:13 to say is 6:15 all aboard. 6:16 [Applause] 6:22 [Music] 6:35 When we got our media badges, they came 6:36 with a sticker telling us which car to 6:38 sit in for the ride. I got assigned to 6:41 car 5, a business class car right next 6:43 to the cafe. 6:46 Shall we be those people and check out 6:48 the toilet first? 6:53 So, we have our door. 6:56 Okay. European style button toilet. 7:03 [Music] 7:10 [Music] 7:14 Changing table, 7:22 the sink. 7:24 Let's see. 7:38 Well, so far it's just the water that's 7:41 working. 7:53 Oh, 7:56 okay. So, here we have two luggage 7:59 storage racks, 8:02 although I think this one is where you 8:03 put big suitcases, 8:06 and this one is for smaller ones. 8:10 And then there's the racks above, of 8:12 course. 8:18 So, I've been on the train for a few 8:19 minutes now, and I have not tried out 8:21 the seats yet. Let's do that. 8:30 So, I switched to a table seat because, 8:32 you know, it's nice to have the space. 8:33 The table is one of those that kind of 8:35 folds out to become bigger. Also, 8:37 because the uh the seat aligns with the 8:39 window better here. 8:42 So, about the seats, they're they're 8:44 very comfortable. A little bit firmer 8:45 than the old ones, but that's that's an 8:48 age thing. They recline, but they have 8:50 that same recline as the Midwest Venture 8:52 cars where the seat cushion on the 8:56 bottom scoots forward rather than that 8:58 the seat back leans back. Uh, and then 9:02 another new feature is that they have 9:03 these individualized reading lights 9:07 located in the seat cushion. We tracks a 9:10 celebration train, the first and 9:12 historic ride on our next genella 9:15 highspeed service from Washington DC to 9:18 New York City, making an intermediate 9:20 stop in Philadelphia's 30th Street 9:22 station. We welcome our special guests 9:25 on board for this incredible day. Before 9:28 we depart, I'd like your attention, 9:31 please. 9:32 At Amtrak, your safety is our priority. 9:35 So, please take a moment to review the 9:37 safety instructions card behind the seat 9:40 back in front of you and make note of 9:42 the emergency exit instructions and 9:44 signs throughout the train. When storing 9:47 your personal items, place smaller items 9:50 on the overhead baggage rack or 9:52 underneath the seat in front of you. 9:54 Store longer bag laundry bags in the 9:56 luggage towers in your car. Here are 9:58 some things to know. Cafe and is in car 10:02 number six. Our service attendants will 10:05 be making announcements about the food 10:06 and beverage offerings after our 10:09 departure. 10:10 Recycling and trash containers are 10:12 available in between each car. Joy our 10:15 smooth, comfortable, high-speed ride to 10:18 New York City. 10:24 I wish the screens would tell you how 10:26 fast we're going. So, the big question, 10:28 of course, is how do I charge my phone 10:30 or my laptop? Well, all the seats come 10:33 with individual power outlets. You've 10:36 got the USB ones in here. They're not 10:39 the USBC, but you know, these trains are 10:42 a little bit older than that. Uh, and 10:44 then below the seats, you have your 10:46 regular uh American style power socket. 10:51 For wheelchair users, there's a 10:53 designated space and they too have power 10:56 sockets in this kind of console type 10:59 thingy. Additionally, the train windows 11:02 are larger than on the older trains and 11:04 they have these blinds that roll down 11:06 very easily. 11:14 Anyway, let's have a wander around the 11:16 train. We'll walk at least as far as 11:18 we're allowed to. 11:22 [Music] 11:34 are just 11:45 so car 5 was clearly the influencer car, 11:49 except I think there were only three of 11:51 us on this portion of the trip. It was 11:53 nice and empty. 11:54 Occasionally some news crews from places 11:56 like ABC News, Bloomberg would come in 11:59 and do their little spiel. I got to say, 12:01 I think they do more retakes than I do 12:03 when recording stuff. But an advantage 12:06 of being in car 5 was that car 6 is the 12:10 cafe car, so it was a easy stroll to get 12:12 some goodies. If you've watched my 12:14 videos on the old Asella, you'll know 12:15 that the cafe car is my favorite, but it 12:17 is in dire need of an upgrade. Well, the 12:20 next gen Asella definitely brings that 12:22 upgrade. You've still got your regular 12:24 counter that prepares hot food. I love 12:27 the digital displays that show the menu. 12:29 It's definitely an upgrade. The cafe now 12:31 also features card service, and they 12:33 briefly demonstrated how it would roll 12:35 down the aisles of the passenger 12:37 compartments. 12:48 So, we're in the tunnels on our approach 12:50 to Baltimore Penn Station. And I just 12:52 checked out the cafe car. One of the 12:54 perks of being in car 5 is car 6 is the 12:57 cafe. And this nextg Asella has a new 13:01 concept that I haven't seen on other 13:03 Amtrak trains yet. Uh the selfs serve 13:06 kiosk. So some of the refrigerated food 13:09 and the sodas and stuff, you can grab 13:11 them yourself and then check out at, you 13:13 know, a little screen a kiosk. For hot 13:15 food, you still have to go to the 13:18 attendant and they'll prepare it in the 13:20 back for you. It looks beautiful in 13:22 there. Um, but today they're only 13:24 serving the cold food and they're not 13:26 charging us. So, I grabbed a sandwich 13:28 and a soda. 13:30 Okay, 13:30 so because it was the A Celebration 13:32 Press and Dignitary run, they had some 13:34 extra treats out for people to grab. So, 13:37 I had a few of those, but I also made 13:38 sure to grab something from the kiosk 13:40 since I wanted to try it out. I got a 13:42 ham sandwich and a soda. 14:02 I'm not going to lie, the ride itself is 14:06 a little bit less smooth than I was 14:08 expecting. I was walking around the 14:09 train and there were quite a bit of 14:11 vibrations and obviously you need a 14:13 little bit of sea legs to get used to 14:16 the tilt, but I mean these seats are 14:19 incredibly comfortable. I don't really 14:21 want to get up again. 14:35 Maybe the only time I'll ever ride on a 14:37 train that just passes through 14:39 Baltimore. We're not stopping until 14:40 Philadelphia. One tiny thing I don't 14:43 love is that when you're at the table 14:44 seat, the pole for the table kind of 14:46 gets in the way of getting up. But that 14:49 does remind me that I have to review the 14:51 seats that aren't table seats. They're 14:53 basically the same. They just have the 14:55 tray table just like the old trains. 14:57 Except unlike the old trains, it comes 14:59 with a cup holder and it's not 15:02 constantly broken. 15:11 It's been fun seeing some friends, 15:13 meeting some new ones, but we've got a 15:14 little bit of time until Philadelphia. 15:16 So, uh, let's answer some of those 15:17 questions. 15:19 So, Amtrak is calling this train the 15:21 NextG Asella. Some people call it the 15:23 Asella 2, but perhaps you've also heard 15:25 the name Ailia Liberty. So, what are 15:28 these trains actually called? At Amtrak, 15:31 they're called the next generation 15:32 Asella. Likely, once the old Asellas 15:35 fully retire, I imagine it will just be 15:37 Asella. Ailia Liberty is the product 15:40 name that Alam, the manufacturer of 15:42 these trains, has given it. This is a 15:44 common thing train builders do. Think of 15:46 the Seaman's Velaro or the Stadler 15:48 Flirt. Theoretically, other agencies 15:51 could also buy their own Avilia Liberty, 15:54 but they couldn't call it the Asella. 15:57 That's an Amtrak name. This is actually 15:59 part of the reason why the passenger 16:00 cars and the power cars have profiles 16:02 that don't match. Amtrak wanted a 16:04 tilting train. The Northeast Corridor 16:07 isn't a dedicated high-speed line like 16:09 you see in other countries. It's an old 16:11 railway line upgraded in different 16:12 sections to let trains travel at higher 16:15 speeds, but that does mean that it has 16:17 quite a few curves. Tilting technology 16:20 allows a train to go faster when there 16:21 is a curve because it mitigates some of 16:24 the effects of the curve and gives 16:25 passengers a more comfortable experience 16:27 on board. Because the tilt is 16:29 specifically for passengers, it's not 16:31 needed on the power cars. Now, Alim has 16:34 built lots of tilting trains for 16:36 different countries. Think of the famous 16:38 Bendolino trains that run in places like 16:40 Switzerland, Italy. The passenger cars 16:43 on the new Oella are based on the 16:44 Bendolino. The power cars are instead 16:47 based on the Avilia Horizon, the new 16:50 high-speed trains that Alam is building 16:52 for the TGV in France. Those trains do 16:56 not tilt. Why would you combine the two, 16:58 though? The examples of the tilting 17:00 trains that I brought up earlier, they 17:01 don't have power cars. The whole train 17:03 matches. Well, there's no confirmed 17:06 answer to this question. But here's the 17:08 most likely answer. Speed. See, the top 17:11 speed of the Asella is 160 mph. a speed 17:15 any of Alam's tilting products can 17:17 reach. But it seems that Alam was hoping 17:20 that the Ailia Liberty would also 17:22 attract more customers than just Amtrak. 17:26 See, out west, there are some high-speed 17:28 rail projects that will eventually need 17:30 trains capable of much higher speeds, up 17:33 to 220 mph. Alam's tilting trains can't 17:37 reach these speeds, but their power cars 17:40 can. So, it is said that they designed 17:42 the Avilia Liberty with future orders in 17:45 mind to create something that they can 17:47 sell to California highspeed rail, for 17:49 example. We'll see how that goes, 17:51 though. I know Bright Line West just 17:52 went with Seammens. I mean, the CEO of 17:54 Awesome said it himself, these are the 17:57 most modern trains in the world, 17:59 according to him, because they combine 18:01 the high-speed power cars with the 18:04 tilting passenger cars. Okay, ladies and 18:07 gentlemen, in just a few moments we will 18:09 arrive at our first station stop, 18:11 Philadelphia's 30th Street Station. If 18:14 you're leaving us at 30th Street 18:16 Station, please take this time to gather 18:18 all personal belongings. Check the 18:21 overhead luggage racks. Please check the 18:23 seat pockets in front of you and double 18:25 check all around and under your seating 18:26 area, making sure you have everything 18:29 you boarded the tray with. Philadelphia 18:31 will be next. 18:33 [Applause] 18:47 [Music] 19:01 How amazing is it to see all these new 19:03 asellas in the yard in Philadelphia, but 19:06 this time from the window of one of the 19:08 new Asellas. A big improvement if you 19:10 ask me. 19:14 Now, there is one more question that I'm 19:16 sure is at the top of everybody's mind. 19:18 What is up with the delay? It's August 19:21 2025. Weren't these supposed to enter 19:23 service way earlier? Well, that is a 19:26 hard question to answer. Nobody seems to 19:29 be able to agree. 19:31 The original Asella entered service in 19:33 2000. 16 years later, in 2016, it was 19:36 announced that Alam had been selected to 19:39 build the replacement fleet for the 19:41 original Asella. 2016 was 9 years ago. 19:45 For reference, Obama was president, but 19:48 we couldn't know what the next decade 19:50 would have in store. Alam is a French 19:52 company, like I said, famous for 19:54 building trains like the TGV, but by 19:57 America laws dictate that the trains 20:00 would have to be built in the United 20:01 States. So, they were constructed at 20:03 Alam's factory in Hornell in upstate New 20:06 York. They were supposed to enter 20:08 service in 2021. The construction 20:11 involved suppliers from 27 states and 20:14 1300 American jobs. It was a $2.5 20:17 billion investment in the American 20:19 economy. The first set was delivered for 20:22 testing in 2020. The hope was for it to 20:25 enter service in 2022. The date pushed 20:28 back because of production delays caused 20:30 by the pandemic, which is fair. There 20:32 were lots of trains in Europe, too, that 20:34 were delayed for entering service 20:36 because of pandemic supply chain issues. 20:38 They also had to modify the design a 20:41 little bit because this was essentially 20:42 a European train being built for 20:45 American tracks. These modifications 20:47 continued throughout the testing period. 20:49 For example, the panagramraph on one of 20:52 the prototypes had trouble drawing power 20:54 for the train. But it was believed that 20:56 by the end of 2022, all the new trains 20:59 would have entered service and the old 21:01 Asellas would be able to retire. A good 21:03 thing because the old Asellas are kind 21:06 of falling apart. In 2022 though, they 21:09 pushed back the launch to fall of 2023 21:12 with Amtrak saying that they needed more 21:14 time to test the articulated cars. See, 21:17 on this train, two cars rest on one set 21:20 of wheels or truck, which is quite 21:22 common in Europe, but it needed to be 21:23 tested more on Amtrak's network. 2023 21:27 came and went. Launch date was pushed 21:29 back to 2024 because of issues like 21:31 shattered windows and leadin pipes. A 21:35 huge issue has also been computer 21:37 modeling for the Northeast Corridor. 21:39 Apparently, Alam's digital models of the 21:41 tracks were not up to date, and fixing 21:43 this took a lot of time as well. In 21:46 2025, it kind of seemed as though they 21:48 might never enter service. The yard in 21:50 Philadelphia was full of these trains, 21:53 but then crew certification runs began. 21:56 Amtrak even accidentally said online 21:58 that they would enter service in May 21:59 before quickly changing it and 22:01 converting it to summer 2025. Well, that 22:05 prediction was finally right for a 22:07 change because here we are, late summer 22:09 2025 on the new Asella. I still can't 22:12 believe it. Now the conversation I see 22:15 all over the internet is who's to blame 22:18 and many people seem to fault Alm with a 22:20 delayed timeline. I don't know 22:22 personally but I will say that that is 22:25 something all parties involved altrak 22:29 the government should do better on 22:31 communicating clearly. I had to spend a 22:34 few hours digging through old newspaper 22:36 articles forums and Reddit posts just to 22:39 present you with the information I just 22:40 did. I get that Amtrak maybe doesn't 22:43 want the Times Square jumbotron to 22:45 feature everything that went wrong, but 22:47 this whole it's entering service now. Oh 22:50 no, wait, it's later. It'll be now. Oh, 22:51 wait. It's very frustrating as a 22:53 passenger and let's be real, as a 22:56 taxpayer. Is the uncertainty really 22:58 better for Amtrak and Alam's 23:00 reputations. Amtrak's ordering a lot of 23:03 new rolling stock in the next few years. 23:05 So, I am hoping that these procurements 23:07 will go a lot better. I mean, I could 23:10 ask CEO Roger Harris. He's sitting right 23:13 across from me, but maybe I'll leave the 23:16 investigative journalism for a different 23:17 occasion. So, we're almost in New York 23:20 City. This train will run all the way 23:21 until Boston, but uh New York is it for 23:24 me. Let's talk about riding the next 23:27 genella. And I really want to focus on 23:28 the positives here because there are so 23:31 many. Uh most important, I think to you 23:34 guys, the seats. I genuinely do think 23:37 they're a good replacement of the old 23:39 Asella. The old Asella seats of course 23:41 are very comfortable. Uh these might 23:43 need to be worked in a little bit, but 23:44 for the two and a half hours I was on 23:46 board, I was very comfortable. I also 23:48 like that the shades are easy to use and 23:50 that every seat has its own power 23:52 socket, so you're not reaching over 23:54 other people anymore. In terms of the 23:56 onboard atmosphere, I think the big 23:59 windows and the bright lights as well as 24:01 the light colors really help make it a 24:03 more pleasant atmosphere. I mean, you 24:05 get on board, there's great signage. Um, 24:08 everything is automatic, so you don't 24:10 have to press any buttons when you walk 24:12 between the vestibules, and it just 24:14 feels like a 21st century train. Like, 24:17 this is going to make traveling across 24:19 the Northeast Corridor a more pleasant 24:21 experience. In terms of how smooth the 24:24 ride is, honestly, I feel like at higher 24:27 speeds, the train is smoother. When you 24:30 go a little bit slow, it's a little bit 24:32 bumpy, a little bit wobbly, but 24:34 especially when we were hitting, you 24:36 know, 150 mph, 24:38 you could walk around easily. Another 24:41 improvement is the Wi-Fi speed. My 24:43 friend was telling me that they were 24:44 able to watch Netflix while connected to 24:47 the Wi-Fi. I love the way they've set up 24:50 the cafe car, especially with that 24:51 self-s served kiosk. Now, you don't have 24:54 to wait in line uh when you want to 24:56 order food anymore if the kind of food 24:58 you want is at the kiosk. a huge 24:59 improvement. Bathrooms, spacious. 25:03 Overall, I can't wait to ride this train 25:05 again tomorrow. The New York City 25:07 skyline is coming into view, and I'm 25:09 sitting here soaking in the last few 25:11 minutes on this train. Not to be cheesy, 25:13 but that's a smile you can't fake. I 25:16 love riding new trains. There's so many 25:18 things about this channel that I enjoy 25:20 doing, digging into history, exploring 25:22 new systems, but ever since I was a 25:24 little kid, new trains have fascinated 25:26 me. 25:34 And these nextG Asellas have everything 25:36 that I would want in a new train. 25:38 They're really going to improve rail 25:40 service in this part of the country. I 25:42 can't wait for these to be the standard. 25:57 And we're at New York Penn Station. I 25:59 can't believe we just rode the new 26:01 Asella. I am so grateful to Amtrak for inviting me on this a celebration. Such a special day. So grateful to all of you also for watching this video, but also for getting me to the place where stuff like this can happen. I will be riding this train more in the future, including tomorrow. So, uh, stay tuned. Thank you so much for watching. Please subscribe. We'll see you next time. [Music] [Applause] [Music]

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