Amtrak Upgrades in New Brunswick Speed Trains up to 150 mph

Amtrak passengers in northern New Jersey can travel even faster now on Acela Train as recent infrastructure improvements along a 16-mile stretch of track between New Brunswick and South Brunswick allow the express rail service to accommodate speeds of up to 150 mph.

The improvements are funded by a $450 million investment by the U.S. DOT allocated for speed, reliability, and service upgrades on the most heavily used sections of Amtrack’s Northeast Corridor.

An additional stretch of track between South Brunswick and Trenton is currently being upgraded with speed increases expected in 2024.

These speeds are the fastest of any train in North America, and the trains only plan to get faster. According to Amtrak, by the fall of 2023 Acela trains will reach speeds of 160 mph.

Amtrak has restored more Acela route services to updated schedules, with 10-daily round-trip trains between New York and Washington, and nine round-trip trains operating between Boston and New York.

The Acela trains, in addition to the new shorter travel times, offer free Wi-Fi, a pet-friendly environment, seating with ample leg room, and no middle seats!

This might be faster, but it's not even close to the fastest…

China – Shanghai Maglev offers an overnight service with speeds of 250 mph. Some trains move as fast as 350 mph.

Spain – fastest recorded rail service moved at a max speed of 310 mph.

France – more trains in the 220 mph and 300 mph range.

The USA has slow trains. Since 2019 the fastest trains in the country moved at a max speed of 240 mph.

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