Amtrak on May 7 debuted its Freedom250 NextGen Acela train in Washington, D.C.
Amtrak Vice President of Government Affairs and Corporate Communications Ken Altman; U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy; FRA Administrator David Fink; Amtrak Board Member Joel Szabat; and other D.C. leaders took part in the unveiling ceremony.
“The train’s design draws inspiration from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Freedom 250 campaign, which highlights the nation’s founding ideals while looking ahead to the future of transportation,” Amtrak reported May 13. “Featuring bold patriotic imagery, the wrap reflects themes of freedom, mobility, and opportunity, which are values central to both the Freedom250 initiative and Amtrak’s mission.“
The Freedom250‑themed NextGen Acela also “highlights the future of rail travel in America,“ according to Amtrak. “Designed and built in the United States, NextGen Acela is the fastest train in the Western Hemisphere, with a top speed of 160 mph.“ The first five NextGen Acelas, Amtrak’s long-awaited, Alstom-built higher-speed trainsets, were introduced on the Washington, D.C.-New York City-Boston Northeast Corridor last summer.
Amtrak reported that the Freedom250 NextGen Acela train will operate regularly scheduled service along the NEC. The newly wrapped red, white, and blue train’s inaugural journey, it said, was to Philadelphia, “transporting a class of 4th grade students for a field trip to visit iconic landmarks central to America’s independence, including the Liberty Bell and Carpenters’ Hall.“
Amtrak—an official partner of the America250 Commission, celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States signing of the Declaration of Independence—said it is also deploying decals featuring the America250, Freedom250, and DOT250 logos on 20 additional ALC-42 and ACS-64 locomotives operating across the United States.
Separately, Amtrak in April unveiled what it described as “a new train-inspired replica Liberty Bell at Gray 30th Street Station in Philadelphia.“
Other railroads and organizations have kicked off their own 250th anniversary celebrations. CN, Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Lake State Railway Company, R.J. Corman, New Jersey Transit, Brightline, Sierra Northern Railway, and North Shore Railroad Company & Affiliates are among those that have rolled out locomotives with commemorative livery, and Union Pacific announced its first-ever coast-to-coast steam tour led by Big Boy No. 4014 and including its newest locomotive, No. 1776 – America250. Also, the B&O Railroad Museum has unveiled the restored American Freedom Train No. 1 (AFT No. 1), one of three locomotives that powered the 1975-76 American Freedom Train.