Amtrak will this week conduct tests of high-speed trains running 165 miles-per-hour in four sections of the Northeast Corridor, the government-owned rail corporation announced in a statement Monday. True high-speed trains are considered those that travel above 150 miles per hour.
The tests, which will be conducted using Amtrak’s Acela Express trains and equipment, will begin at 10:30 p.m. Monday in New Jersey and are designed to “measure the interaction between the train and the track, rider quality and other safety factors.” The four areas will include Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey and Rhode Island.
The tests are the initial phases of Amtrak’s plans to upgrade the Northeast Corridor with $450 million in federal funding, with some construction slated to occur in 2013 but most beginning in 2017, Amtrak’s statement said.
