Talking Transportation 2025
Engineer

Tips for Riding NextGen Acela: Amtrak’s Already-Running Train of the Future

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I finally had a chance to ride the new NextGen Acela and I have to admit, I was wrong: this really is Amtrak’s train of the future. But here are a few tips for making your next ride frictionless. These tips are mostly about riding Acela, but many hold true for slower Northeast Corridor trains. WHAT’S A NEXTGEN ACELA? These are the new trains built by Alstom, previously known as Avelia Liberty.

Talking Transportation

Amtrak’s NextGen Acela Trains Arrive on August 28

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Amtrak’s oldest new trains are arriving shortly: The NextGen Acela (finally) starts running between Washington and Boston on Thursday, Aug. 28. Ordered in 2016 for $1.8 billion, the first trains arrived from the Alstom assembly facility in Hornell, New York in 2020. That meant jobs there for 1300 workers and business for 180 suppliers across 29 states. These new trains are 95% “made in the USA”.

Talking Transportation 2025
Sherwood Island State Park jetty

Expand Your Horizons with TOR — An Alternative to Driving to Concerts, Beaches and Other Recreation Spots

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The recent cool and weather aside, it’s officially summer! Time to get out and enjoy our state’s wonderful parks and beaches and take advantage of TOR. You know what TOD is, right? Transit Oriented Development is building homes and offices near mass transit facilities. Well, I’m going to suggest you think about TOR: Transit Oriented Recreation.

Talking Transportation 2025
On the train on the phone cell service on Metro North

Fumbling Media Coverage of Transportation News

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Don’t believe everything you read or see in the media. Sage advice on any topic, but especially when it comes to coverage of transportation. A couple of recent stories illustrate my point. Improved Cell Service on Metro-North
The governor and CDOT’s commissioner held a media event recently in Stamford to promote the fact that AT&T has improved its cell coverage along the New Haven line. That telco spent $6 million installing 30 high-powered macro towers and small cell nodes, some of them on CDOT land, in a public-private partnership.

Talking Transportation 2025

Some Good News For Commuters: Faster NYC Traffic; More Trains on Time, Happier Riders

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There’s just too much news. Trying to keep up with everything that’s happening is like drinking out of a firehose. But I’m not going to write about the horrific plane crash last week in Washington, D.C. Unlike President Trump, I’ll wait to hear from the experts on what happened and why. Nor am I going to write about the president’s threats to cut funding for already-approved transportation projects in Connecticut, tying that money to immigration enforcement, marriage and birth rates, vaccination and mask rules. My colleagues at CTMirror have already covered that well.