Amtrak in market for dozens of high-speed trains
"With packed trains and increasing demand, the need to expand the capacity of Amtrak"s high-speed service cannot be overstated," said Joseph Boardman, Amtrak"s president and CEO, in a statement. "It is absolutely critical that we get more high-speed trains as soon as possible to provide more service and meet the growing mobility and economic needs of the Northeast region."
Amtrak, in its announcement, said the goal of its purchase is "to identify whether established high-speed rail equipment manufacturers have service-proven designs that can meet both the short-term needs of Amtrak and the long-term operational needs of the Authority and Amtrak with little or no modification."
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현재 AMTRAK은 Acela Express 열차의 승객용량이 한계에 달해서 용량증가가 최우선이다. 원래는 객차를 기존 Acela 열차편성에 추가하여 승객용량을 늘리려 하였으나, 오리지널 제조업체 Bombardier가 생산중단을 이유로 고액을 요구해서, 신형열차 구매로 방향을 선회했다.
따라서 Amtrak은 미국 동북부 철도에 즉시 투입가능한 현재 상업운행 중인 UIC규격의 고속열차 중 하나를 선정하겠다는 것이며, 일본이 신형열차를 개발하는 데 기다려줄 입장이 못된다.
