The new Acela NextGen debuted in August, running between Washington, D.C., and Boston with stops in Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York and more.With a top speed of 160 mph, the train is slightly faster than Amtrakās previous Acela model that debuted in 2000 and hits a maximum of 150 mph. Amtrak plans to launch 28 of the new NextGen trains through 2027. In addition to the 10 mph to its top speed, the NextGen Acela trains also add 27% capacity to each train. The Acela has been the fastest train in the United States for more than two decades. But worldwide, it does not come close.Railway Gazette, an outlet focusing on international railway industry news, publishes its World Speed Survey every two years, excluding 2021. The survey analyzes the fastest high-speed rail services using scheduled timetables from station to station as opposed to the maximum speed a train could reach.In the 2025 survey released in June, China took the lead for the fastest station-to-station average train speeds, with the maximum average speed of 197 miles per hour. Just behind it were France and Japan.The timetables analyzed are for weekdays. A country qualifies for the survey when it has at least one scheduled train service with an average speed of around 99 mph (160 km per hour in the survey). Other sources define high-speed rail differently, too. The High Speed Rail Alliance defines it as having the fastest trains that cruise at 220 mph and speed lines designed for 125 to 250 mph.Station-to-station trips also exclude trains using different technology, like diesel.The United States just had two trips that broke into the list: the Acela 2152 and the Acela 2166. The Acela 2152 is still in service with the same highest speed capping at 103 miles per hour from Baltimore, Maryland, to Wilmington, Delaware. However, the Acela 2166 was not listed on Amtrakās most recent timetables of all Acela trains.So how do the new Acela NextGen trains compare? The Get the Facts Data Team analyzed past and current weekday timetables for Amtrak Acela trains to calculate how the average speed and time between each station compares with the new trains.Its maximum speed is higher than the last model, but the NextGen Acela train is actually operating slower, according to Amtrak schedules."As we transition to a unified fleet of new equipment, we expect reductions in travel time," Jason Abrams, a spokesperson for Amtrak, told the data team in an email. "Beyond fleet modernization, additional trip time improvements will come from targeted infrastructure upgrades that increase speeds along the route."All four of the weekday trains replaced with the NextGen Acela have a total trip time greater than the last train, according to Amtrak timetables. The four weekday trains that changed are 2154, 2153, 2170 and 2173. There are also two Saturday and four Sunday trips featuring the new train.The largest difference in travel time is with the 2153 train, which was previously six hours and 52 minutes from Boston to Washington, D.C. With the NextGen train, it's seven hours and five minutes. Some of the new station-to-station speeds come close to what Acela 2152 hits between Baltimore and Wilmington, but not quite. The highest average station-to-station speed is from the Route 128 stop in Massachusetts to Providence, Rhode Island, where the new trains have an average speed of 96 miles per hour. Even with its top speeds, the average speed between Washington, D.C., and New York is 82.4 mph. Between New York and Boston, it's 61.62 mph, according to Abrams.Abrams named aging infrastructure as one barrier to achieving faster speeds on the northeast corridor, citing the Civil War-era B&P Tunnel in Baltimore, which currently has a replacement under construction."So replacing these assets that are safe to ride on but past their useful life will help increase speeds on the corridor," Abrams said. "And so that will go a long way, but it's not just those large assets. The bridges, the tunnels, et cetera. It's also the tracks across the entire corridor that need to be upgraded and improved."A lot of tracks are curved, too. The new trains do have tilting technology, but they are still unable to go 160 mph for longer periods of time.PHNjcmlwdCB0eXBlPSJ0ZXh0L2phdmFzY3JpcHQiPiFmdW5jdGlvbigpeyJ1c2Ugc3RyaWN0Ijt3aW5kb3cuYWRkRXZlbnRMaXN0ZW5lcigibWVzc2FnZSIsKGZ1bmN0aW9uKGUpe2lmKHZvaWQgMCE9PWUuZGF0YVsiZGF0YXdyYXBwZXItaGVpZ2h0Il0pe3ZhciB0PWRvY3VtZW50LnF1ZXJ5U2VsZWN0b3JBbGwoImlmcmFtZSIpO2Zvcih2YXIgYSBpbiBlLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdKWZvcih2YXIgcj0wO3I8dC5sZW5ndGg7cisrKXtpZih0W3JdLmNvbnRlbnRXaW5kb3c9PT1lLnNvdXJjZSl0W3JdLnN0eWxlLmhlaWdodD1lLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdW2FdKyJweCJ9fX0pKX0oKTs8L3NjcmlwdD4=
WASHINGTON — The new Acela NextGen , running between Washington, D.C., and Boston with stops in Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York and more.
With a top speed of 160 mph, the train is slightly faster than Amtrakās previous Acela model that debuted in 2000 and hits a maximum of 150 mph. Amtrak plans to launch 28 of the new NextGen trains through 2027. In addition to the 10 mph to its top speed, the NextGen Acela trains also add 27% capacity to each train.
The Acela has been the fastest train in the United States for more than two decades. But worldwide, it does not come close.
Railway Gazette, an outlet focusing on international railway industry news, publishes its every two years, excluding 2021. The survey analyzes the fastest high-speed rail services using scheduled timetables from station to station as opposed to the maximum speed a train could reach.
In the 2025 survey released in June, China took the lead for the fastest station-to-station average train speeds, with the maximum average speed of 197 miles per hour. Just behind it were France and Japan.
The timetables analyzed are for weekdays. A country qualifies for the survey when it has at least one scheduled train service with an average speed of around 99 mph (160 km per hour in the survey).
Other sources define high-speed rail differently, too. The High Speed Rail Alliance it as having the fastest trains that cruise at 220 mph and speed lines designed for 125 to 250 mph.
Station-to-station trips also exclude trains using different technology, like diesel.
The United States just had two trips that broke into the list: the Acela 2152 and the Acela 2166. The Acela 2152 is still in service with the same highest speed capping at 103 miles per hour from Baltimore, Maryland, to Wilmington, Delaware. However, the Acela 2166 was not listed on Amtrakās most recent timetables of all Acela trains.
So how do the new Acela NextGen trains compare?
The Get the Facts Data Team analyzed past and current weekday timetables for Amtrak Acela trains to calculate how the average speed and time between each station compares with the new trains.
Its maximum speed is higher than the last model, but the NextGen Acela train is actually operating slower, according to Amtrak schedules.
"As we transition to a unified fleet of new equipment, we expect reductions in travel time," Jason Abrams, a spokesperson for Amtrak, told the data team in an email. "Beyond fleet modernization, additional trip time improvements will come from targeted infrastructure upgrades that increase speeds along the route."
All four of the weekday trains replaced with the NextGen Acela have a total trip time greater than the last train, according to Amtrak timetables. The that changed are 2154, 2153, 2170 and 2173. There are also two Saturday and four Sunday trips featuring the new train.
The largest difference in travel time is with the 2153 train, which was previously six hours and 52 minutes from Boston to Washington, D.C. With the NextGen train, it's seven hours and five minutes.
Some of the new station-to-station speeds come close to what Acela 2152 hits between Baltimore and Wilmington, but not quite. The highest average station-to-station speed is from the Route 128 stop in Massachusetts to Providence, Rhode Island, where the new trains have an average speed of 96 miles per hour.
Even with its top speeds, the average speed between Washington, D.C., and New York is 82.4 mph. Between New York and Boston, it's 61.62 mph, according to Abrams.
Abrams named aging infrastructure as one barrier to achieving faster speeds on the northeast corridor, citing the Civil War-era B&P Tunnel in Baltimore, which currently has a replacement .
"So replacing these assets that are safe to ride on but past their useful life will help increase speeds on the corridor," Abrams said. "And so that will go a long way, but it's not just those large assets. The bridges, the tunnels, et cetera. It's also the tracks across the entire corridor that need to be upgraded and improved."
A lot of tracks are curved, too. The new trains do have tilting technology, but they are still unable to go 160 mph for longer periods of time.
